Last night I experimented with a sandwich I've only eaten once but LOVED: a Cuban Sandwich. My first taste of a Cuban was at a restaurant on our corner, Salud (a Spanish tapas bar and restaurant -- awesome food). I have, since then, become more and more obsessed with sandwiches that feature pickles as an ingredient. For example, Lenny's, a popular NYC deli does an amazing sandwich with a fried chicken cutlet, smoked mozzarella, pastrami, tomatoes, and pickles (*cue mouth watering here*). But I digress.....
Back to the Cuban! SO I looked up the basic ingredients of the Cuban sandwich which are Pork Tenderloin, Ham, Swiss Cheese, Pickles and Mayo, and decided this was not only easy, but sounded fun to assemble. I also knew Justin has an affinity for anything sandwich related/on a baguette, so it was a win win.
Saz's Cuban Sandwich
1 1/4 lb Pork Tenderloin
Spice Rub (see below for my Saz-Rub Combo)
6 slices of Swiss Cheese
Ham
Mayo
2 Pickles diced
1 large Italian Loaf of Bread
Saz-Rub: The Saz-Rub was inspired by the pork spare rib rub that Justin makes every time I beg him. I make it in a large quantity and put it in an old, empty spice container so as to be able to sprinkle it on whatever I want (however, this rub works particularly well with Pork dishes). The recipe below is for a smaller serving size but can be doubled, tripled, etc to make more.
4 tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Garlic Powder
2 tbsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Oregano
1 tsp White Pepper
3 tsp Paprika
2 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Ginger
Now onto the cooking portion of the show....
>On a broiling pan, lay down your Pork Tenderloin and liberally season with the Saz-Rub (or rub of your choice) on both sides of the meat.
>I called the Saz-Rub "Bojo Rib Rub" since it was modeled after Justin's Rib Rub - but make no mistake, Saz-Rub is quite different....plus, Justin won't divulge the ingredients to his rub, not even to me, so I had to go off my taste buds to try and re-create it...
>Next, I like to lay out my ingredients, especially when it's the type of dish that requires and assembly line-esque process to creating. So get your Cheese, diced up pickles, ham and bread all set up for the magic that is about to occur.
Pickles!!!
I used a honey glazed ham already cooked, and then sliced it as thin as I could -- but you can use deli meat or any type of ham that you fancy!
>Cook your Pork Tenderloin in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until done. Flip your meat over after the first 15 minutes.
The Brown sugar in the Saz-Rub caramelizes and gets this great crust on the outside of the Pork (Yummm!)
>Now it's time to assemble! Cut your loaf of bread in half length wise and spread a generous helping of Mayonnaise on one side of the bread. Next, lay down your Tenderloin.
>And then place the other side of the bread on top. Now here's the thing that will take this sandwich to the next level....you're going to press it like a panini!!! The cheese will melt, the meats will become all warm and the bread will get nice and crunchy! Since most of us don't own a panini press, I use my George Forman Grill! You can also use a griddle or grill to try and achieve that panini texture and melty gooey yummyness.
And Ta-Da! You've got an incredibly tasty Cuban Sandwich! Justin and I both devoured ours and I deemed it a blog-worthy recipe for sure. Justin also informed me that mustard can be added to a Cuban, but personally, I thought this recipe packed enough flavor to satisfy the palate! Enjoy!
Cuban Sandwich goodness.
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