Level up your sandwich game by making the copycat version of Cheesecake Factory's Cuban Sandwich. It's mounded with tender, slow roasted pork, slices of ham, melty cheese, pickles, and toasted to perfection.
6sandwich rollsyou can use Cuban bread or white sandwich rolls
24slicesswiss cheeseabout 1 pound
1lbsliced Virginia ham
dill pickle slices
6tablespoonsyellow mustardor to taste
6tablespoonsmayonnaiseor softened butter to coat bread for toasting
Instructions
In the bowl of the slow cooker, mix together the olive oil, garlic, cumin, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, pepper, and orange zest.
Place the pork roast into slow cooker and turn to coat in the seasoning mixture. Once it’s fully coated, set the roast, fat side up, in the pot.
Squeeze the juice from the orange into the pot and tuck the whole orange pieces (the halves that are left after squeezing out the juice) in with the roast. Add the lime juice to the pot.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 6-8 hours on high until the roast falls apart. (Time will vary depending on size of the roast. Test doneness by pulling at the meat with two forks - it will easily pull apart without effort when it is done.)
Remove the roast from the slow cooker and trim the fat. Gently pull apart the sections and remove large pieces of fat and discard.
Shred the meat and/or chop into bite-sized pieces.
To assemble the sandwiches, slice open a bread roll. Spread one tablespoon of mustard on the insides of each side of the roll.
Layer two slices of swiss cheese on each side of the roll (the cheese will melt and help “glue” both sides of the sandwich together.) Add pickles to one or both sides of the bread.
On one half of the roll, mound several pieces of ham. On the other half, mound about ½ cup of the prepared pulled pork.
Carefully close the two sides of the sandwich together. Spread mayonnaise or softened butter on the outside of the sandwich roll (both sides).
Heat a cast iron skillet on medium heat. Transfer the sandwich (you may be able to fit two at a time) into the hot skillet. Use another heavy pan or a spatula to press down the sandwich, cooking until golden brown on one side. Flip the sandwich to cook on the other side, and continue to press down on the roll to make a grilled compacted sandwich.
Notes
This Cuban style pulled pork has so much flavor - the notes of citrus really shine through and it has some spice from the cumin and the red pepper flakes.Use leftover pork for enchiladas or tacos.Pork shoulder (butt roast) varies in size. Choose a roast that will fit in your slow cooker. The seasonings are plenty to season up to a 5 pound roast.We used mayonnaise to toast up the bread, but you can use butter if you prefer.A panini machine can also be used to press and toast the Cuban sandwich. There may be leftover pork beyond 6 sandwiches.You can, of course, vary the amounts of everything in each sandwich for personal preference.