Cubano Sliders, Tampa Style

Cuban sandwiches or Cubanos are one of my fave sandwiches ever.

I probably have been making them my whole life, I just didn’t realize that I was making a Cubano!! A classic Cuban sandwich, which is really just a ham and cheese sandwich at heart, became a thing within the Cuban immigrant communities in Florida back in the day.  As these expatriates moved around Florida, from the Keys to Tampa, they brought their sandwich with them.  I think most of us became exposed to this sandwich, either on trips down to the Sunshine State, or from watching movies where the process of making a great Cubano is a labour of love.

A true Cubano starts with Mojo Pork Roast.  After marinating in citrus, oregano, garlic etc, the loin or shoulder of pork is slow roasted till it is fall apart tender.  Then this get sliced up thinly and added to the soft cuban bread to begin the sandwich making process.

Good ole fashioned yellow mustard get spread on either side of the soft, slightly sweet breadroll.  Then the layering begins.  First some swiss cheese (this will help everything hold together as it melts) on one half. The tender, succulent and flavourful pork roast slices are piled up on the cheese. Garlicky pickle slices are piled on. Then slices of ham (think Black forest or other shaved ham) are added, and then finally some more Swiss cheese gets laid over everything.  The top of the breadroll is pressed down on the huge mound.  And the top gets buttered.  Place this on a panini press and grill until the cheese melts over everything and the meats are gently warmed through.  The outside of the bread gets crispy.  It may sound very pedestrian, but I’m telling you, this is a case of the ‘Total being greater than the sum of the parts’.  The pickles help cut through the richness of the meats.  The tangy mustard balances the swiss cheese.  And all the textures are just awesome!

What to do if you don’t own a Panini Press

I don’t own a panini press, so I just use a cast iron skillet, with another smaller cast iron gently pressed on top to mimic the action of the panini press.  I turn it half way through so that the heat from the bottom skillet makes it through to both sides of the sandwich.  It works just fine.  Since it is pretty hard to find true Cuban breadrolls up here in Toronto, I use ciabatta buns.  Their outside crust isn’t so thick or hard that it makes eating this a messy endeavour once grilled.  You want to use breads of some sort that have structure, but are still fluffy on the inside.  French bread is a good option as well.

A Tampa Cubano

Here is where my uninformed younger self already agreed with the Cubans living in Tampa, Florida.  There the classic Cuban sandwich gets an extra ingredient, some salami!  Yep, some Genoa or other similar salami is slipped in with the ham and pork.  I love this addition.  I usually use a hot Genoa or even Soppressata.  It really adds some dimension and just a little kick! 

Difference between a Classic Cubano and these Cubano Sliders

To make the classic Cubano I described above, you have to start with roasting off some pork.  Which is fine if you have the time.  I will share the Mojo Pork recipe that we love and eat, one day soon.  Once this roast has moved on to the leftovers stage, then the time to make Cubanos has arrived.  But that’s not for today.  Today I am giving you the cheaters version!!  Because sometimes you just want the flavours, without all the work.  And sometimes you want a fun meal, but don’t need to feed a crowd.  So I am showing how you can make these sliders to feed just three or four.  Add some tostones, chips or even my Classic Beer Battered Onion Rings, and you have the perfect game day grub meal!

Cubano Sliders, Jen Style!

You’ll start with slider buns, as many as you think you need to feed the group.  Depending on the size of the buns, and how filled they get, I usually am content with two sliders, but some guys will definitely eat three, so I will leave it up to you to make that call.  Once you have the buns, then it is just the matter of assembling the filling parts.  Since we are omitting the roast pork slices, you can make up for it with a good amount of ham.  So ham, check.  Yellow mustard, check. Swiss cheese, check, Genoa or Soppressata salami, check.  And most of all, pickles!!  And just to let you know, this is exactly what I was making between two slices of seeded multigrain bread since I was like 12 years old!

Once everything is layered between the sliced slider buns, place them into a baking dish that has been lightly sprayed.  On the top of the sliders, brush on some melted butter that has some grainy mustard and Everything Bagel mix.  Then cover the baking dish with foil and bake in a 350F oven till the cheese has melted.  This may take 30 minutes or so.  For a quick Everything Bagel mix blend, see my Everything Bacon and Apple Breakfast Biscuits recipe.  Or if you get the opportunity, my favourite one to purchase is at Trader Joe’s, which I had no idea you can purchase on Amazon!  But if you can get to Trader Joe’s all the better.

Prep for these couldn’t be easier. You can have these ready to go, minus the butter topping, a good hour or so before you want to bake them up.  Just have them assembled and slide the baking dish into a plastic bag or cover with a wrap of some sort.  Then once everyone has arrived, or the chips or fries, or onion rings are just being made, pop them into the oven, and they will be ready while you work on making the drinks.  

You can serve these up with cervesas, unless of course you are more of a Mojito lover! Add something crunchy on the side, and I hope your team wins!!  

Love Jen

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Cubano Sliders, Tampa Style

An easy slider version of the classic Cubano ham and cheese sandwich! Game day food!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Cuban

Keyword cheese, cubano, ham, sandwich

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 8 slider buns
• yellow mustard
• 320 grams (11 1/2 oz ) shaved or thinly sliced ham (40 grams or 1 1/2 oz per slider)
• 8 or more Genoa or Soppressata slices
• 18 or so slices of dill pickles enough to cover the slider ingredients
• 8 or more slices of Swiss cheese
• 2 tbsp butter melted
• 1 tsp grainy mustard
• 1 tsp Everything Bagel spice mix

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F, and spray a baking dish large enough to hold the number of sliders you are using.
2. Slice all the slider buns in half. Spread mustard on both sides of the buns.
3. Divide the ham between the sliders, placing an equal amount on each bottom.
4. Layer the salami, and the pickles over the ham.
5. Finish with the swiss cheese on each slider. Cover with the mustard spread toppers.
6. Stir the melted butter with the grainy mustard and everything bagel mix. Brush the tops of the sliders with the melted butter mixture.

7. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in the centre of the oven till the cheese has melted and the meats are warmed through, about 30 minutes.

8. Serve with chips, tostones, onion rings or fries.

Recipe Notes

The amount of ingredients is only a suggestion. If you want more cheese, go for it, and place some under the first layer of ham. Also go for more ham if this interests you.
To get a quick recipe for the Everything Bagel mix see here in my Everything Bacon and Apple Breakfast Biscuit recipe.
To get the onion rings recipe, just click here!