FOOD: Cuban sandwiches, anyone? Satisfy your curiosity with Clyde Van Arsdall IV

My Heart is in Havana

The rise of the Cuban Sandwich

Story & Photos by Chef Clyde Van Arsdall IV

The movie Chef did more to popularize the Cuban sandwich outside of Florida than any other single event. Sofi a Vergara and hot-pressed pork sandwiches, you have my full attention. This regional sandwich is all the rage, but is it movieworthy? Why all the hype?

A Cuban sandwich, also known as a Cubano, is a pork lover's delight as it features two kinds of the “other white meat.” The fi rst, a slowroasted pork shoulder that has been marinated and cooked with a citrus-rich, garlic-forward mojo sauce. The second, thinly sliced ham, either honey roasted or smoked; both work well in this sandwich. Dill pickle planks, yellow mustard and Swiss cheese join the party between the two halves of a Cuban roll. Things heat up as the sandwich is buttered and pressed on a plancha. A plancha is like a panini grill without ridges, so it's fl at. The plancha presses and cooks the sandwich from the top and the bottom simultaneously. This squeeze causes the squeeze causes the cheese to melt, cheese to melt, fusing the fusing the ingredients into ingredients into what I can what I can only imagine only imagine is the taste is the taste of Cuba. of Cuba. Side note: Side note: If you're in If you're in Tampa, Tampa, genoa genoa salami is salami is part of part of the mix. In the mix. In Miami, the Miami, the addition of addition of said salami said salami is sacrilegious. is sacrilegious.

A Cuban sandwich is a pork lovers' delight featuring both ham and roasted pork.

Trust me when I say this is a serious riff . Floridians take their Cubans seriously.

I will give you a brief history of the sandwich and tell you where to fi nd a good Cubano here in San Diego. I will also leave you with everything you need to know to make a great Cuban sandwich at home. Let's press on.

How this sandwich came about is as much a stateside story as a Cuban one. Workers from Cuba, Italy, Spain and Germany came to Florida to work in cigar factories. The blending of these cultures led to the version of the Cuban sandwich most Floridians identify with today. The bread has Latin roots and is made with lard, but light and fl aky. The roasted pork marinated in mojo sauce is Cuban. The smoked ham comes from Spain and the salami, if you are in Tampa, comes from the Italians. The pickles, mustard and Swiss cheese are German in origin.

The Cubano Kings make the best Cubanos in town.

I won't bore you with the long rift between Tampa and Miami. All you need to know is that each city claims to have invented the sandwich. After much research, I feel that Tampa was ground zero as there is a recorded history of the sandwich before the establishment of Maimi as a city. However, Miami put this sandwich on the map. The only diff erence between the two versions is the addition of salami in Tampa. I will let the reader decide which is best; I know when to keep my opinion to myself.

The sandwich is simple, but don't let that fool you into just throwing it together. Unfortunately, I have had my fair share of bad Cubanos. Two factors that make or break an excellent Cuban are lack of moisture and fl avor. If the roast pork is dry and fl avorless, your Cubano will be too. My recent

La Caja China can hold a whole pig or in this case a couple of pork shoulders.

quest for a good locally made Cuban turned up several that missed the mark entirely.

Not everyone has the juice to make this sandwich from scratch, but not to worry—there is one local spot I can suggest that has excellent Cubans. I am in love with The Cubano Kings. Jose and his amazing Cubanos post up at a kitchen in Coronado on Thursdays; order them on Doordash from 9 a.m - 3 p.m. In addition to Thursdays on the island, The Cubano Kings sells sandwiches at several local farmers’ markets: Little Italy, Hillcrest and Pacifi c Beach. Cuba is a phone call away, so don't miss having one of these delivered. Don’t forget to let Jose know that I sent you.

The China Box, La Caja China

I would be remiss not to mention the China Box, La Caja China. Cubans love to roast whole pigs and often use this pork to make their Cuban sandwiches. Whole pigs are typically cooked in a metal-lined wooden roasting box called La Caja China.

The China Box can cook a whole pig in about four hours, almost half the time of traditional methods. The box emulates cooking something underground. The specially designed lid holds the fuel. Forty to fi fty pounds of charcoal, added in stages, cook the pig from the top-down. I should be able to tell you how this transfer of heat works but alas I went to Coronado High School, but I simply chalk it up to magic. The box got its name from native Caribbean people using the word Chinese or China as slang for anything exotic or magical. The box is both, so they started to refer to it as the China Box. The pork produced using this method is next-level good. This is due to the various parts of the pig being chopped and mixed to form a heavenly blend of fl avors. A sandwich vendor using this method can elevate his Cubano to cult status.

Don’t be afraid to try making cubanos at home. If you do it right, you can get several meals out of the process. Cook your pork shoulder and serve with rice, black beans and fried plantains for dinner. Then the next day, use the left-over pork to make cubanos. Don’t forget to play some good Cuban music and serve some Cuba Libres. Grab a bottle of your favorite rum and some Mexican cokes, the ones in the in the glass bottle, as these cokes still contain cane sugar. Garnish with a squeeze of lime and fresh mint. The perfect toast is simply “Cuba Libre.” Enjoy!

Jose, of the Cubano Kings working the plancha.

• Clyde Van Arsdall is a thirdgeneration Coronado Local, chef and storyteller. For more stories and follow-ups to his articles go to oliveavenuesupperclub.com.

Andres' market on Morena sells two diff erent brands of mojo sauce. The fi re on La Caja China is located on top of the box.

Roasted Pork with Mojo Marinade

Olive Avenue Supper Club • One pork butt (6-10 pounds) • Mojo sauce Mojo Sauce (makes about a quart)

Ingredients: • 4 small heads of garlic peeled and separated (about 40 cloves) • 4 tsp salt • 1 cup of fresh bitter orange juice (Seville oranges) or lime juice • 1 cup of fresh orange juice • 1 cup olive oil • 2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped • 1 tsp ground cumin • ½ tsp dried oregano, crushed • Salt to taste

Instructions: 1. Crush the garlic cloves in a mortar and pestle or food processor and p ut them into a medium bowl. 2. Stir in fresh bitter orange or fresh lime juice and fresh orange juice, olive oil, chopped fresh oregano, cumin, dried oregano and salt to taste. Note: Andres’ Market on Morena carry both premade mojo sauce and bottled bitter orange juice. Specialty Produce has bitter oranges called Seville oranges if you want to squeeze your own. Braised pork shoulder • Set the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Directions: • Place pork shoulder in a dutch oven fat side up. Pour mojo marinade over pork shoulder. Mojo sauce should come halfway up the pork. If you need a little more liquid, use chicken stock to adjust the level. • Cook pork for 30 min at 425 degrees Fahrenheit, then turn the oven down to 325. Cook for another 30 minutes then turn the pork to brown on the bottom. Keep turning each hour to brown the other sides. • Remove and cool until it is safe to handle. • Shred, then chop pork. • Strain the remaining marinade of all solids and remove as much fat as possible. • Reserve a cup of the marinade to use as a sauce on the sandwiches. • Stir the rest into the chopped and shredded pork.

Cuban sandwiches being assembled before pressing. A fi nished Cuban sandwich is a thing of beauty, perfectly pressed and fused together.

The Cubano King's sandwich has a generous helping of roasted pork.

Cuban Sandwich, Cubano

Olive Avenue Supper Club (makes four sandwiches)

Equipment: • Panini press or two iron skillets

Ingredients: • 4 Cuban rolls (Bread and Cie ciabatta rolls) • Yellow mustard • Mayo (optional) • 12 slices of ham, smoked or honey-baked • 12 slices of salami (optional if you're not from Miami) • 2 cups chopped roasted pork, ½ cup for each sandwich. • 4 dill pickles sliced thinly the long way. (Store-bought pickle planks are too thick) • 8 slices of Swiss cheese • 8 tablespoons of mojo sauce. • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions: • Cut rolls in half horizontally. • Spread mustard on half ( I like mayo on the other half. Mayo is used in parts of Key West. It doesn't change the fl avor but adds moisture.) • Layer on three slices of ham folding each one over to add thickness. • Heat up and brown the pork before adding it to the sandwich. • Layer on about ½ cup of chopped pork, spoon on a tablespoon of mojo sauce, and season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. • Cover pork with the thinly sliced pickle planks. • Top with the two slices of Swiss cheese to cover. • Place the top of the roll on the sandwich. You are now ready to press it. Pressing: • If using a plancha or panini, butter the top of the roll and press hard to melt the cheese and brown the bread. • If using an iron skillet, place sandwich in a cold skillet and set it to medium heat. Use a second skillet to press the sandwich fl at. Once the bottom browns butter the top and fl ip. Once again, press hard to fl atten. • Cut the sandwich on the diagonal.