Cuban Tostones Sandwiches

Course Main Course

Cuisine Cuban

Prep Time 2 hours

Cook Time 6 hours

Total Time 8 hours

Ingredients

For the Cuban mojo pork*:

6-7 lb pork shoulder/butt
8 garlic cloves peeled and minced
¾ cup orange juice freshly squeezed if possible
½ cup lime juice
½ cup olive oil
1 orange zested
1 lime zested
½ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup chopped mint leaves
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1-2 tsp kosher salt
1-2 tsp black pepper

For the tostones buns:

3 large green plantains
4-6 tbsp coconut oil or cooking fat of choice
kosher salt
water

For the Cuban sandwiches

Tostones buns
Pulled Cuban mojo pork
Sliced ham
Swiss cheese omit if doing Whole30 or dairy free
Whole dill pickles sliced lengthwise
Yellow mustard
Mojo sauce

Instructions

For the pork:

In a bowl, mix together minced garlic, orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, orange zest, lime zest, cilantro, mint leaves, oregano, and ground cumin. Mix together, taste to see how much kosher salt and black pepper is needed. Start with one teaspoon and go from there.
Pat your pork shoulder dry. Make a few small slits all over the pork shoulder.
Place pork shoulder in a large bowl or whatever container you want to marinate it in and pour mojo marinade over the pork shoulder making sure it’s coated.
Marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight, flipping it every so often if marinating in a large bowl.
Preheat oven to 300F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Place pork shoulder on baking sheet without the marinade and loosely cover with another sheet of aluminum foil. You want it sealed but still have enough room for air to circulate.
Roast for 3 hours, uncover pork shoulder, and roast for an additional 3-4 hours or until internal temperature is 195F and pork is tender.
Let the pork shoulder cool for about 30 minutes, and then pull apart, but don’t shred it. You still want big chunky pieces.

For the tostones buns:

Fill a large pot with water and salt, and bring to a boil.
Cut the ends of the plantain off, cut the plantains into 2-3 inch pieces (you should get about 3 pieces out of each plantain), and then cut the pieces in half length wise. You should have 6 pieces per plantain.
Add plantains to the pot skin on for about 11-12 minutes or until tender.
Remove plantains, cool slightly to handle and then remove the skin.
Smash the plantains into large tostones size buns using your hands or something with a large flat surface (plate, bottom of a pan, and etc).
Preheat skillet over medium heat with coconut oil. Stick a wooden chopstick or spoon into the oil, and if bubbles start to quickly form around it, your oil is hot enough.
Place plantains into the skillet (you may have to cook in batches) and fry until plantains are golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.
Season plantains with kosher salt and let drain on a paper towel lined plate.

For the Cuban sandwiches:

While still warm, lay two tostones buns on your surface. On the left side, smear it with yellow mustard, then swiss cheese, and then Cuban mojo pork (make sure it’s also still warm). On the right side, brush some of the mojo sauce and then layer a few pieces of ham, and then 1-2 slices of the sliced dill pickle. (You can add as much or as little filling as you want). Put the sandwich together, press down slightly, and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*You will have leftover pulled pork. You can make more tostones buns to serve more people or freeze it for later use.

Slow cooker method: cook on low for 10-12 hours depending on size of pork shoulder.

Instant Pot method: cut pork into large chunks, add it to the Instant Pot with about a cup of liquid from the marinade. Close the lid, seal it, and then press the "pressure cook" or "pressure" button, set the time for 90 minutes on high pressure. Once done, let the Instant Pot naturally release or wait 10 minutes before manually release. Shred the pork and crisp up in a skillet if you want!