The Cuban

Directions

1. The Cuban
2. Heat panini press or other top and bottom grilling device for sandwiches.
3. Slice the rolls lengthwise and spread one side with mustard and the other side with mayonnaise.
4. Layer the ham, cheese, pork and pickles in whatever order you like. Press the two sides together.
5. Cook in the panini press until the grill lines are dark brown and sandwich is nice and warm.
6. Enjoy!! ;o)

1. Cuban Adobo Pork, Braise Roasted
2. Score the pork shoulder a few times about ¼ inch deep on each side.
3. Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic with the salt to make a paste. Add the cumin and sage leaves and pound a fe times to mix it into the garlic and salt. Add the pepper and the olive oil and stir to combine.
4. Rub the herb paste all over the pork should and into the crevices. Some people like to tie their pork shoulders up, but I generally don’t, as I find you get more crispy bits that way. You certainly may, if you wish.
5. Put the roast in a bowl you can cover or a lidded glass storage container and refrigerate for at least six hours or, preferably, overnight. Bring the meat to room temperature for about an hour before roasting.
6. Preheat the oven the 375 degrees.
7. Put the onion slices in a braising pan or Dutch oven. Put the meat in on top of that. Cook for about 20 minutes, then add the stock. It should come up about ¼ of the way up the meat. If it doesn’t, add a bit of water.
8. Cover and braise-roast for another hour, then turn the roast over. Add more stock or water if what you put in earlier has evaporated.
9. Cook for another half hour, then turn the roast over again and add more liquid if necessary. The onions will have released quite a bit, but depending on how much space there is on the bottom of the pan, it’s not uncommon for the pan to dry out. Add the carrots now, if using.
10. Return the roast, uncovered, for yet another half hour, then check the meat with a fork. It should be very tender and should pull apart easily. At this point, I usually flip the roast over again and cook it for at least another 15 – 20 minutes. For pulled pork, you want the internal temperature to be at least 180 degrees. I think 190 is better - the hotter it is, the more collagen has broken down, making the meat really luscious.
11. Let the roast sit for at least 20 minutes after removing it, before slicing.
12. The onions can be pureed with the pan juices, and more stock if you like, using an immersion or other blender, to make a nice sauce for the roast.
13. Enjoy!! ;o)
14. N.B. The photo showing a flatter sandwich with melted cheese was made with an earlier version of the Cuban sandwich roll I recently developed. I improved the shaping technique, using Mrs. Child's method for folding baguette dough into thirds. The other photo shows the improved roll, but shows pierino's Porchetta -- which worked really well in this Cuban --and not the adobo pork shoulder included here.
15. NB: This braise-roasted pork shoulder shoulder recipe draws on the method Alice Waters uses in “The Art of Simple Food.”
16. N.B. The prep time stated above does not include the resting time after you've rubbed the pork shoulder with the herb paste.