So I've been wanting a good Cuban sandwich for a while now. Atlanta doesn't have anything like what we had down in Ybor City in Tampa so...
Take a boneless pork shoulder. If you can't find shoulder, a loin will work as well. coat it in kosher salt, black pepper, sprinkle on some cumin and oregano. If you can't smell the cumin you didn't use enough. Tie it up with kitchen twine so it doesn't fall apart on you.
Put it in an Instant Pot with some olive oil on the bottom
enough orange juice to go halfway up the pork. Use regular oranges, not the sweet varieties
enough lime juice to get to 3/4 up the pork (the orange to lime juice ratio should be 3:1)
slice an onion and throw it around the sides
two tablespoons of minced garlic or 4 cloves into the juice
about a tsp of dried red peppers (the kind you use on pizza) into the juice.
add enough chicken stock to cover the roast.
Cover it and use the meat/stew setting on high for 25 minutes per pound of pork. You need the internal temperature to get to 145, but you can't measure it in a pressure cooker without releasing the pressure. Err on the side of safety The pork should be extremely tender when you stick a fork in it, almost to the point of falling apart.
Once the pork finishes cooking, vent the pressure and uncover the pot. Let the pork cool a bit while sitting in the juices.
the rest is easy...
layers in a Cuban are:
bread bottom - use Cuban bread...duh!
swiss cheese
ham (deli ham is acceptable)
salt and pepper
pork
bread and butter pickles
swiss cheese
Dijon mustard
bread top
When you're assembling it, it should look like this:
Stick it together
Cut it into portions
Brush both sides of the roll with melted butter
If you have a Sandwich press, use it to flatten and grill the Cuban (400 degrees on top and bottom is perfect)
If you don't have a sandwich press, you can use a grill pan or a skillet for the bottom side
Take a brick and wrap it in foil
Take another pan and set on top of the sandwich while grilling the bottom. Put the brick in the top pan
Press down, you want the Cuban to come out nice and flat... The outside should be crispy and the inside a bit on the chewy side.
Enjoy!