Editor's note: Chef, nutritionist, and cooking teacher Lourdes Castro shared this recipe from her cookbook, Latin Grilling. It's part of a festive Cuban party menu she created for Epicurious and a great way to use up leftover grilled pork .

As soon as someone finds out about my Cuban background, a Cuban sandwich question is never far away. It's no wonder, since Cuban sandwiches have recently popped up on menus all over the country. While many have gotten close to re-creating the real thing, I feel most miss the mark. So here is a step-by-step guide to creating an authentic sandwich Cubano. This is also a great way to use up the leftovers from your Cuban pig roast!

Recipe information

Yield
Serves 8

Ingredients

1 loaf Cuban bread, sliced lengthwise

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened

3 tablespoons yellow mustard, or to taste

1 1/2 pounds boiled ham, sliced

1 1/2 pounds roasted pork , sliced

1 pound Swiss cheese, sliced

1 cup dill pickle chips, or to taste

Preparation

Assemble the sandwich
Step 1
Spread 2 tablespoons of the butter on one half of the bread loaf and a thin layer of mustard on the other. Place 1 to 2 layers of ham, pork, cheese, and, finally, pickles on the buttered bread and top with the mustard-spread bread.
Wrap the sandwich in foil
Step 2
Smear the remaining butter all over the outside of the sandwich and wrap it completely in aluminum foil.
Press and grill the sandwich
Step 3
Heat your grill to high (550°F) and close the lid. Wait at least 15 minutes before lowering the heat to medium-high (450°F) and continuing.
Step 4
Before grilling the sandwich, press down on it with your hands to flatten it. Place the wrapped, flattened sandwich on the grill and top with a brick, grill press, or any other heavy, heat-resistant object. Close the lid and grill for 5 to 6 minutes per side.
Step 5
Remove the wrapped sandwich from the grill and take off the foil. Return the sandwich to the grill and grill for about 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until both pieces of bread are crispy and golden brown.
Slice and serve
Step 6
Remove the sandwich from the grill and cut at an angle into small sandwich wedges (triangles). Place on a large platter and serve while still hot.

Cooking notes

Ingredients
Cuban bread
Made from white flour, yeast, and a bit of lard, this bread has a very thin crust and soft middle filled with tunnels. Cuban bread is distinguished by the palm frond placed lengthwise down its middle prior to baking, its length (almost 3 feet), and its somewhat rectangular shape.

Advance preparation
The loaf sandwich can be prepared and wrapped in foil a few hours in advance. Press and grill right before serving.

Reprinted with permission from Latin Grilling by Lourdes Castro, © 2011 Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc. A Miami native, Lourdes Castro has served as a personal chef and nutritionist for high-profile clients, such as Cristina Saralegui and professional athletes, and as an associate of the James Beard Foundation. A highly regarded Latin chef and cooking teacher, Castro is the author of Simply Mexican and Eat, Drink, Think in Spanish. She currently teaches food science at New York University and is the director of the Culinary Academy at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida. Find out more at Lourdescastro.com

TagsSandwich Cuban Caribbean Ham Meat Swiss Cheese Cheese Dairy Pork Main Dinner Brunch Nut Free Grilling Cookbooks

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Reviews (18)

Ok...this is a great sandwich. Having lived in the Tampa Bay Florida area it's a discretionary tale that you learn; authentic cuban sandwich made right is the best! However I have one problem with every recipe. There's nothing greater in a sandwich than building the perfect cuban... ...And then opening the foil to find unpalatable black charred bread. 550? Reduce heat to 450? NOOOOOOO! If you are a home chef known for the dishes you do very well do yourself a favor... I don't care about the semantics and fine points anyone thinks I'm missing. The best sandwiches I had in Tampa were heated in a large press for around 5 minutes. These presses were damn sure not heated to 550 and I would be shocked if the got above 350. Do yourself a favor. It can be a small George Foreman grill or you can go bigger but don't follow the heating instructions here or on the other zillion Cubano recipes. Other subscribers have pointed to the butter burning the bread. Nope, I mean it could happen to anything at 450° seriously. Great, great recipe honestly. Just "Don't do it" The heating I mean. That's my 2 cents.
- Floyd2k
- Trion,GA
- 4/15/2022
You promised me this recipe and then you don't deliver. Thanks a lot:(
- Anonymous
- nj
- 3/30/2022
Burnt. Inedible. Should have read other reviews first.
- MSerpa
- 7/17/2020
Almost good. Cook times should be cut in half. 5 to 6 minutes per side on a 450 grill resulted in very charred bread. That's even without extra unwrapped cooking. The inside was great however. I would cook 2 to 3 min on a side at 450 and don't even bother cooking unwrapped.
- rtremant
- Texas
- 1/8/2020
Like everything in Cuba , (after castro) the cuban sandwich suffered a change the cuban sandwich was made as it's descibed in this recipe ,but forever lost the mortadella That still missing to this day
- orlandovoc
- Miami
- 3/5/2017
Delicious sandwich, EASY to make. I would make this again, everyone enjoyed them and asked for seconds...
- bggoumet
- EcuadorEcEEcaEcuad
- 9/21/2016
The ¿Cubano¿ is probably one of my all time favorite sandwiches; even though I¿m an old Irishman from NYC. The only thing I do differently is to not use butter; butter, margarine, all that stuff¿ I hate it. And yes, even we who have cheffed professionally have our personal dislikes even though we cook with them every day. I found that coating the outside of the bread, definitely not the inside, with mayo, provides a more even, crisp and rich outer shell when pressed. I use this for all of my Panini¿s as well.
- christopher51
- Lugoff, SC
- 10/3/2015