Smoked Cuban Sandwiches

If you’re a pork lover, no sandwich can hold a candle to the Cuban. Loaded with two kinds of pig, the Cuban sandwich is stuffed with smoked pulled pork and topped with ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard, and complete with a soft-on-the-inside-crispy-on-the-outside bun.

Ingredients:

• (2) 3-1/2 lb pork bone-in shoulder roasts

• (12) Cuban rolls or ciabatta buns

• (24) slices Black Forest deli ham

• (12) wedges of Laughing Cow creamy swiss cheese

  • Note: or you can use (24) regular swiss cheese slices

• (6) dill pickle wedges, cut into chunks

• Honey Dijon or yellow mustard

For the brine:

• 3 cups apple juice or apple cider

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar

• 2 cups orange juice

• Zest from 1 orange

• 2 tbsp. cumin

• 3 tbsp. minced onion

• 2 tbsp. garlic powder

• 2 tbsp. pink Himalayan salt

• 2 tbsp. whole black peppercorns

For the rub:

• 1/4 cup John Henry’s Pecan rub

• 1/4 cup cumin

• 2 tbsp. minced onion

• 1 tbsp. cayenne

• 3 tbsp. garlic powder

• 2 tbsp. smoked paprika

Instructions

For the brine:

• Add all brine ingredients to a stock pot or large bowl. Place pork roasts in brine, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before smoking. If the brine does not completely cover the pork roasts, flip them half way through the brining process.

For the rub:

• After removing pork roasts from the brine, pat them dry with paper towels.

• Mix all rub ingredients together in a small bowl. Generously coat the pork roasts with the rub. Add more of the spices if needed.

Smoking:

• Set up the smoker for cooking at 225°F. Make sure you have plenty of smoking wood chips (we used apple wood) and charcoal to last a good 10+ hours.

• Place pork roasts directly on the grates of your smoker and smoke until internal temperature reaches 165°F.

  • Tip: to help keep the pork from drying out, either spritz the pork roasts with apple juice/cider in a small spray bottle every hour or so -or- add a small pot of water inside of the smoker (we chose the latter).

• Once the pork roasts reach 165°F, wrap them in foil and continue to cook until internal temperature reaches 200°F in the very center. At this point the meat should be very tender. If it is still tough, continue to cook until tender and bone feels as if it will remove easily.

• Remove from heat and let rest for 30 minutes before pulling the pork.

Cuban Sandwich Assembly:

• Start by either spreading Laughing Cow creamy swiss cheese on bun (1 wedge per sandwich—1/2 on bottom bun, the other 1/2 on top bun) -or- by placing swiss cheese slices on the buns (2 slices per sandwich—one on bottom bun, one on top bun).

• Add a heaping 1/3 cup (or more, depending on bun size) of the shredded pork.

• Add about 1/2 of a pickle’s worth of pickle chunks.

• Layer on two slices of ham per sandwich.

• Top with honey Dijon or yellow mustard, amount is your preference.

Note: The traditional order of assembly goes as follows: spread mustard on the bread, then add ham slices, then pickles, then pork, then swiss cheese, then press the sandwich using a sandwich press/panini maker.

Smoked Cuban Sandwich

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Yield: 12 +

Author: Crystal Magiera

Prep time: 10 MCook time: 10 hourTotal time: 10 H & 10 M

Ingredients:

• (2) 3-1/2 lb pork bone-in shoulder roasts
• (12) Cuban rolls or ciabatta buns
• (24) slices Black Forest deli ham
• (12) wedges of Laughing Cow creamy swiss cheese
• Note: or you can use (24) regular swiss cheese slices
• (6) dill pickle wedges, cut into chunks
• Honey Dijon or yellow mustard

For the brine

• 3 cups apple juice or apple cider
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups orange juice
• Zest from 1 orange
• 2 tbsp. cumin
• 3 tbsp. minced onion
• 2 tbsp. garlic powder
• 2 tbsp. pink Himalayan salt
• 2 tbsp. whole black peppercorns

For the rub

• 1/4 cup John Henry’s Pecan rub
• 1/4 cup cumin
• 2 tbsp. minced onion
• 1 tbsp. cayenne
• 3 tbsp. garlic powder
• 2 tbsp. smoked paprika

Instructions:

For the brine

1. Add all brine ingredients to a stock pot or large bowl. Place pork roasts in brine, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before smoking. If the brine does not completely cover the pork roasts, flip them half way through the brining process.

For the rub

1. After removing pork roasts from the brine, pat them dry with paper towels.
2. Mix all rub ingredients together in a small bowl. Generously coat the pork roasts with the rub. Add more of the spices if needed.

Smoking

1. Set up the smoker for cooking at 225°F. Make sure you have plenty of smoking wood chips (we used apple wood) and charcoal to last a good 10+ hours.
2. Place pork roasts directly on the grates of your smoker and smoke until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
3. Tip: to help keep the pork from drying out, either spritz the pork roasts with apple juice/cider in a small spray bottle every hour or so -or- add a small pot of water inside of the smoker (we chose the latter).
4. Once the pork roasts reach 165°F, wrap them in foil and continue to cook until internal temperature reaches 200°F in the very center. At this point the meat should be very tender. If it is still tough, continue to cook until tender and bone feels as if it will remove easily.
5. Remove from heat and let rest for 30 minutes before pulling the pork.

Sandwich assembly

1. Start by either spreading Laughing Cow creamy swiss cheese on bun (1 wedge per sandwich—1/2 on bottom bun, the other 1/2 on top bun) -or- by placing swiss cheese slices on the buns (2 slices per sandwich—one on bottom bun, one on top bun).
2. Add a heaping 1/3 cup (or more, depending on bun size) of the shredded pork.
3. Add about 1/2 of a pickle’s worth of pickle chunks.
4. Layer on two slices of ham per sandwich.
5. Top with honey Dijon or yellow mustard, amount is your preference.
6. Note: The traditional order of assembly goes as follows: spread mustard on the bread, then add ham slices, then pickles, then pork, then swiss cheese, then press the sandwich using a sandwich press/panini maker.

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