Ultimate cuban sandwiches

Sandwiches don’t always have to be small and flat. Instead they can be huge and packed with all of your favourite ingredients which is where this whopper comes in! This is a recipe that’s been created for one of our clients, Pilgrims Choice. It tastes just as a good as it looks.

Serves: 12 sandwiches

Ingredients

• 450g boneless pork shoulder
• Salt and freshly grounded black pepper
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 2 tbsp extra – virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic – peeled and smashed with the side of your knife
• 1/4 tbsp dried chilli flakes
• 1 medium onion – sliced
• 22ml of fresh orange juice
• 1 lime – juiced
• 225ml chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 french sticks
• 3 tbsp dijon mustard
• 8 slices of Pilgrims Choice cheddar
• 10 pickles
• 8 thin slices of deli ham
• Mixed lettuce
• Pesto to drizzle

Method

1. Begin by braising the pork shoulder. Tie the shoulder in 4 places with kitchen twine so it will hold its shape while being cooked or ask your butcher to do this for you. Season the pork with salt, pepper, cumin and oregano. 
2. Set the base of a pressure cooker over low-medium heat and add 30ml of olive oil. 
3. Add garlic and chilli flakes. As the oil heats up the garlic and chilli will infuse the oil. Add the pork. Add onions around the pork and brown slightly before adding orange juice, lime juice, stock and bay leaves. 
4. Secure the lid of the pressure cooker and cook for 20 – 25 minutes depending on the size of your pressure cooker. The pork should be tender when done. When done allow to cool in juices before removing the twine and slicing.
5. To prepare the sandwiches, split the bread in half then layer the sandwich with mustard, Pilgrims Choice cheese, pickles, ham, pork then more cheese (the cheese glues everything together). Season with salt and pepper in between the ham and pork layers. (Optional: drizzle a little of the pork braising liquid over the meat as well).
6. At this stage you can just melt your sandwich in a hot oven and add some lettuce and a drizzle of pesto or you can follow below for the fried method.
7. To cook, heat a large cast iron frying pan or grill pan over medium heat and lightly coat with olive oil. Place the sandwiches on the pan and top with another heavy pan and a couple of heavy weights (bricks or cans of tomatoes work well). Press down firmly and cook for 5 – 7 minutes per side until the sandwich has compressed to about a third of its original size and the bread is super-crispy. Enjoy!