I see we are making Cubanos ...

[gracoman]

... so I thought I'd join in the fun with Chef Roy Choi's Cubanos and home made Cuban bread.

A boned 9 pound pork butt, rolled and tied, swims in a mojo brine for 12 hrs.



The next morning make this awesome mojo marinade



Set the brined pork butt in the marinade as long as you can. 24 hrs isn't out of the question but I did eight.



Throw that sucker on the cooker for an overnight low and slow with a bit of apple smoke wood



Pull at 170ºF internal for slicing. Give it a wrap and place in the freezer if you are hungry or in the fridge if you wanna wait until tomorrow.



Bake some Cuban Bread if you don't live in South Florida cause you ain't gonna find it anywhere else.
No pics of this but I used Mark's recipe with a starter and lard and a wet shoelace found somewhere on this forum


Gather your ingredients together and start building.

Grill some sliced smoked ham and some of that sliced mojo pork you smoked until brown spots appear.

Slice the bread in half lengthwise and butter the insides. Fry in a buttered pan or griddle until toasty and browned.

Add mustard mustard mustard to the bread and layer on the ham, pork, Swiss cheese, and sliced Kosher Dills. Throw on some Genoa salami if your looking for a Tampa Cuban.
Leave it off and we're going to Miami. Don't get stingy. This sandwich is for you.

Butter the outsides of the bead and fry until golden brown. Weight the sandwich while doing this to compress it. Flip and repeat. Cut the sandwiches on an extreme bias.

Yum yum eat 'em up

[HawgHeaven]

Holy chit, that just rocks!

[Mark R]

K, that is righteous! Nicely done G!




Damn that look good!

[Abelman]

That Sir is Awesome

[jwbtulsa]

Not a pickle guy but that sandwich looks really tasty.

[Fishawn]

Oh Hell Yeah!

[scubadoo97]

I'd go Tampa style and that looks delicious!!!

[curious aardvark]

do you do takeaway ?

[gracoman]

I'd go Tampa style and that looks delicious!!!

I bought the salami and forgot to put it on

[gracoman]

Not a pickle guy but that sandwich looks really tasty.

Ah, the pickle thing. I used to be the same way but little by little over the years I have come to appreciate them. The good ones that is.

Have you ever noticed the different color, smell, and texture of a good deli pickle when one arrives with your restaurant sandwich? Not all places do that but this is where I began trying bites. A fresh light yellowish green crisp deli pickle is really nothing at all like those nasty dark green throughout floppy abominations I used to think pickles were.

I'll never be one to sit down and just eat a pickle because I like them so much but a good quality deli style kosher dill goes great with some things and this sandwich screams for pickles.

I must admit, I was a bit apprehensive at how many the recipe called for but I laid 'em on anyway and surprised myself by thinking halfway through "Needs more pickles"

A couple of things I've learned as a reformed pickle hater. Always buy whole pickles and slice them yourself. Always buy pickles from the refrigerated section at your local market. The quality of a jar of good refrigerated pickles starts to go down when the jar has been opened. Pickle price has nothing to do with pickle quality. I've thrown out $10.00 jars because ... gross

Wow! Where did that come from

[BBQ Engineer]

A thing of beauty...and I fall into the more pickles group!

[tenacious bee]

Well now. That looks great. Gotta try this!!

[gracoman]

A thing of beauty...

Yup. There's a reason why this sandwich is a classic since the 1880's

The following is from Whats Cooking America

"The Cuban sandwich, also known as the cubano, is a popular meal in south Florida where many Cubans have settled since the early 20th century. These tasty, toasted Cuban sandwiches are definitely Tampa and Miami, Florida's favorite snack. These treats can be found in most restaurants in these cities, but the best places to buy them are from the street corner-snack bars, called loncherias.

Every Cuban sandwich aficionado believes in their own version of this sandwich. In fact, they're usually passionate about this and will readily debate among themselves the finer point of how to make a Cuban sandwich. No visit to Tampa or Miami would be complete without sampling the cities claim to fame - the Cuban sandwich.

The sandwiches have a submarine-style layering of ham, roast pork, cheese, and pickle between a sliced length of Cuban bread. The key to a great, versus a good, Cuban Sandwich lies in the grilling. A great Cuban sandwich is grilled in a sandwich press (called a plancha) until the ham, pork, and pickles have warmed in their own steam (the steady application of heat and weight fuse the meat, cheese, and bread into a delectable and compact treat). One of the greatest sins in Cuban sandwich preparation is too light a press. A heavy hand on the press pushes all the juices and flavors together while still achieving the desired crunch crust. These sandwiches use no mayonnaise, lettuce, onions, bell peppers, or tomatoes; however, butter and mustard are optional. Cuban sandwiches are sold hot (pressed) or cold (room temperature).

The most important part of a Cuban sandwich is the bread. It is not ordinary bread, but Cuban bread. Believers say that true Cuban bread cannot be found outside of Tampa or Miami. Italian bread or French bread are acceptable substitutions in other parts of the country, but they are not the same. Cuban bread is noted for its split or bloom down the middle of its crust. This long, crusty loaf features a tender, but not chewy, interior. Cuban bread is best when it is eaten on the same day that it is made, as Cuban bread contains lard. After a day or so, the lard hardens, and the bread gets dry."

[tenacious bee]

There is a pretty good movie called "Chef" where the cuban sandwich is pretty much the co star. I've been wanting to try making them since I saw it a year ago. I've had a few locally and they were nothing special. Basically a ham and roast beef sandwich on Italian bread with a spatula press. There should be some law against calling those Cuban sandwiches.

[gracoman]

Chef Roy Choi developed the recipe I used for the movie "Chef"