Pressed Cuban Sandwiches

My Pressed Cuban Sandwiches consolidate pulled pork broil, store ham, Swiss cheddar, dill pickles, and a lively mustard aioli – all heaped high on top of dried up bread of your decision. An incredible sandwich for hungry peeps!

These straightforward hoagie moves utilize the batter for my Chewy French Bread, a basic 5-fixing formula. The lone contrast is the manner by which you shape and heat them. SO natural to make. You should attempt it. Obviously, you can utilize locally acquired bread in it’s place.

Ingredients

For sandwiches:

• 8 french bread buns – or any crusty bread
• 16 slices deli ham
• 8 slices swiss cheese
• 8 large dill pickles – sliced thin
• butter – for cooking in skillet
• mustard aioli – see below

For pulled pork:

• 2 pound pork shoulder – cut into 3 inch chunks
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• some barbecue sauce – add some sweet bbq sauce to the finished pork for another flavor punch!

For the Mustard Aioli:

• 3 cloves garlic – sauteed in a bit of olive oil
• 1/2 cup mayo with olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons stone ground mustard
• 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper – to taste
• a squeeze of lemon juice

Instructions

For the pulled pork:

1. Make the dry rub by combining the sugar, salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne, and garlic powder. Mix ingredients and coat liberally over the pork shoulder chunks.
2. For instant pot: Sear the pork shoulder in some neutral oil (like avocado oil or canola oil) in the instant pot on “SAUTE” function. Brown it on all sides – you may need to do this in batches. Then pour in the chicken broth and juice from the citrus. Clear instant pot and change setting to “PRESSURE COOK”. Set it at 45 minutes. When the 45 minutes are up, let it do a natural release for 15 minutes. Then release the pressure carefully, and remove the pork from the IP. Shred the pork when it’s cool enough to handle, and then pour a bit of the cooking liquids over top (for storing purchases).
3. You can also make the pulled pork in the oven, slow cooker, or on the grill.

For the mustard aioli:

1. Saute the garlic and let cool slightly. Then mix it with the remaining ingredients – the mayo, stone ground mustard, yellow mustard, salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

For the sandwiches:

1. You can make your own hoagie rolls for these sandwiches, or use store bought bread. See blog post for the details for how to make the bread!
2. Make the sandwiches. Take a hoagie roll and slice in half. Add a smear of mustard aioli, followed by a couple of slices of deli ham, pulled pork, some dill pickle slices, swiss cheese, and the top half of the hoagie. Repeat with remaining sandwiches.
3. Heat up a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Melt some butter in the skillet and place the sandwich in the middle of the skillet. Place a smaller skillet on top, and use your hands to press down. Cook for a few minutes, or until golden brown. Then Flip the sandwich (carefully) and repeat. You may need to add a bit more butter. Repeat.
4. Serve the sandwiches with some extra mustard aioli and some classic salt and pepper chips!

Notes

• If you want to add another flavor punch, add some sweet barbecue sauce to the finished pulled pork!

Nutrition

Calories: 547kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 2704mg | Potassium: 558mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 547IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 218mg | Iron: 13mg