Redneck Cuban Sandwich

Howdy folks welcome back to the Redneck Cuban Kitchen. If you are a subscriber, you know that our goal was to make some homemade Cuban sandwiches with it after making Cuban bread last week! If you are not a subscriber, what are you waiting for? At the Cuban Redneck DIY Channel on YouTube, we do cooking and grilling on Tuesdays and DIY stuff on Fridays!

I am sorry, but I had to start this video with evidence of yet another victim of the cancel culture. As I have said before, I prefer the Miami Cuban Sandwich over the Tampa version. It is not because I am from Miami, but because its taste profile is more appealing to me and millions of others. The difference between the Tampa Cuban sandwich and the Miami version is salami! Rumors are that an Italian Tampa cafeteria owner created the Tampa version. I am more inclined to believe that over Tampa being the birthplace of the Cuban sandwich! Nevertheless, that did not stop the Tampa City Council from decimating it as the “signature sandwich of the city of Tampa” in 2012.

So, when Alton Brown from the Food Network did a blind test of the best Cuban sandwich in the Tampa area and came to the same conclusion as I did! It triggered an array of comments, to the extent that the video got pulled from YouTube despite having over a million views. I have been visiting Tampa for a long time and way before moving to Southwest Florida. I have had a lot of good Cuban food in Tampa. Including things like Igado a la Italiana and Boliche Cubano. Cuban dishes that are rarely prepared correctly. However, a Cuban sandwich with Italian meat like salami is NOT for me!

For those of us living outside Tampa or Miami having a Cuban sandwich is a treat! Primary because it is not something you see on the menu at local restaurants. Tow things keep a lot of us from making Cuban sandwiches at home. Number one is Cuban bread. We solved that with our last video! The second reason why many people don’t make Cuban sandwiches at home is that they don’t have a press! Yes, the Cuban sandwich is a pressed sandwich, and even if you get all the ingredients correct, if you don’t press it, it is just not a Cuban!

Presenting the Redneck Cuban Sandwich press! Please don’t hate it, this pressing method is very efficient, cheap, and I have seen worse! The Redneck Cuban Sandwich press is nothing more than a brick wrapped in aluminum foil! This contraction is very popular throughout the Caribbean in places like Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, where grilling or BBQ is very popular. But I was introduced to it by my friend Kyle. An Alabama-born, Florida grown redneck I met while living in the Florida Keys. It is because of this that I am calling my recipe the Redneck Cuban Sandwich.

The ingredients for Cuban sandwiches are pretty simple. They include Serrano ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard, mayo, and sometimes salami on Cuban bread. Salami is a Tampa thing, where you will find a sizeable Italian population but is not in an authentic Miami version!

To make a Cuban sandwich, we’ll start with a 12 -1 4 inch piece of fresh Cuban bread that we will split in half. Prepare the spread by mixing 1 part mayo, 2 parts mustard, and liberally covering the bread’s boh faces. We then make a row of pickles on the top part, followed by several Swiss cheese layers on both the top and bottom. To layer our meats, we’ll start with a few Serrano ham layers, followed by a few layers of roasted pork and another few layers of ham.

If you don’t have a press and will be using the Redneck Cuban Sandwich press, put about a tablespoon of butter on a large skillet. Once the pan has come up to temp and the butter has melted, place your sandwich right in the center, and the Redneck Cuban Sandwich press on top. Cook on low for about 3 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt. On my stove, the #3 setting is perfect! After the time has expired. Flip it, and repeat the process. Once complete, let your sandwich stand on top of a cutting board for a minute or two. This will allow the cheese to firm a little and cut at a diagonal!

My friend, you just made a homemade Redneck Cuban Sandwich! Enjoy it! My name is JC, and I look forward to having you as a subscriber. If you like Cuban food, please join our Facebook group – Cuban Food Nation!