For the pork (start this the night before):
- 2 lbs pork shoulder, in one piece
- Juice of 4 sour oranges (or 3 oranges + 2 limes)
- 10 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 Tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 Tbsp kosher salt
- Cracked black pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
For the sandwiches:
- 1 loaf Cuban bread (or a soft French baguette), split into 4 sandwich lengths
- 8 slices sweet ham (thin)
- 8 slices Swiss cheese
- 16 dill pickle rounds
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 2 Tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- Butter (extra) for the press
The night before — the pork:
- Whisk the sour orange juice, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a bowl. Score the fat cap of the pork shoulder in a crosshatch pattern.
- Put the pork in a zip bag or covered dish. Pour the mojo over it. Rub it into every crease. Refrigerate at least 8 hours, up to 24.
- Next morning: heat oven to 300°F. Transfer pork and half the marinade to a Dutch oven, cover, and roast until fork-tender — about 3 hours. Then uncover and blast at 425°F for 20 minutes to crisp the fat cap.
- Let rest 15 minutes. Shred or thick-slice — chef's choice. Keep warm.
To make the sandwiches:
- Mash the softened butter with the yellow and Dijon mustards until smooth. This is the whole difference — mustard-butter, not butter and mustard.
- Spread mustard-butter generously on both cut sides of each bread length.
- On the bottom half, layer: 2 slices Swiss, 4-5 oz warm pork, 2 slices ham, 4 pickle rounds, 2 more slices Swiss. Close the sandwich.
- Melt a small pat of butter in a large skillet or plancha over medium heat. Place the sandwich in the pan. Weight it — a smaller heavy skillet on top, or a foil-wrapped brick, or a proper plancha if you have one.
- Press for 3-4 minutes per side. You want the bread crackling-crisp, deep golden, with visible grill marks and the cheese all the way melted through.
- Diagonal cut. Serve immediately with extra pickles and a cortadito. Eat standing up if you're doing it right.
The trick: mustard-butter. Everyone puts mustard on their cubano. Almost nobody puts it IN the fat that gets pressed into the bread. This is the version that made me realize what home tastes like.
The lazy version: if you don't want to make the pork, a good grocery-store carnitas works. If you don't want to make the mojo, La Lechonera's bottled mojo criollo is the honest move — no shame.
