Mojo Pork Cubano




Chef Tom cooks up a Mojo Pork Cubano (inspired by Roy Choi’s recipe for the film Chef) on the Yoder Smokers YS640. We were excited that our friends Troy from T-Roy Cooks and Justin from Baby Back Maniac could join us to get a little taste of the sandwich as well.

T-Roy Cooks – https://www.youtube.com/user/spacecowboytx
Baby Back Maniac – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFM3RsJ6Low9nX_OlS8_JA

Full recipe: http://thesauce.atbbq.com/videos-mojo-pork-cuban-sandwich/

source

50 replies
  1. Keith Hedger
    Keith Hedger says:

    There are several things done wrong here for a traditional cubano. Firstly, the pork should be sliced thin (and cold) on a slicer. The ham should not be pregrilled. The bread should not be toasted before assembly. When pressing the sandwich, and you won't hear me say this often, MARGARINE should be used, not butter. The cubano should be sliced at an angle longwise. And here's the big one…the cubano was NOT invented in Miami, it was invented in Tampa, long before a Cuban person ever set foot in Miami…before Miami was even a city! The cubano was devised to feed lunch to all of the cigar workers in Tampa which had the largest Cuban population in the country at the time. And in Tampa, the cubano includes salami!

    Reply
  2. Shawn Mitcham
    Shawn Mitcham says:

    I made this over the weekend. One literally split second twist I added was straining the marinade, then injecting the pork with it before putting it on the smoker. The pork was amazing and would have carried itself, but the whole sandwich together, wow….

    Reply
  3. Tony Casas
    Tony Casas says:

    What’s the sandwich from the movie scarface? When tony Montana & best friend manolo. Are selling sandwiches in the food truck before they meet the first big dealer. MAKE THAT SANDWICH. In the movie the costumer complains about the meat ? quantity. This is a video you should make cause I think you can do it right the first time and nobody going to be complaining about the meet quantity. Lol

    Reply
  4. Kings & Priests
    Kings & Priests says:

    Nice video but his is not Cuban Mojo Pork. Putting up a video and not telling your viewers what is traditional and what you changed is why this gets a thumbs down. You make money off of our food and don't represent it correctly. SMH You didn't even tell people why they are to use oranges and lines when that is not in the recipe. You are trying to replicate the taste of a Seville Orange (bitter orange). There is ABSOLUTELY NO MINT IN THIS DISH. LMAO

    Reply
  5. Jay Davis
    Jay Davis says:

    Tom your foods always looks so good. Sometimes I see your videos come up and some may not look like something I’d be interested in, but then I go ahead and watch it then boom ?, you make me believe in it. You are da man! ?

    Reply
  6. SRSobotka
    SRSobotka says:

    I'm going to have to correct you on this, because you're NOT making an authentic Cuban sandwich.

    For starters, you DO NOT need to gussy up the pork with any citrus-infusion, garlic or any form of flavoring. Just roast the pork with a little bit of salt and pepper, and let it cook in its own juices.
    Next, you MUST use AUTHENTIC CUBAN BREAD. Not buns. Not baguettes. Not any other kind of bread other than AUTHENTIC CUBAN BREAD. It is a long, narrow loaf, chewy inside, with a light crust that has a distinct, curly/knurled ridge along the back. This is caused because when the dough bakes, they put a PALM LEAF down the center before it goes in the oven. As it bakes, the leaf dries and curls and creates that distinctive ridge.
    Next you DO NOT TOAST the bread, or sear the pork or ham BEFORE building the sandwich!
    Then, this is the build and ingredients you need to make them (from the bottom up):
    — Cuban bread, sliced lengthwise.
    — Plain Yellow Mustard (you got that right at least)
    — Pickles (Again, you got this one right, but the cut doesn't matter, so long as you use DILL PICKLES)
    — Swish Cheese.
    — Salami (VERY IMPORTANT! This is key to an authentic Cuban!)
    — Ham (AGAIN< DO NOT GRILL THIS BEFOREHAND!)
    — Roasted Pork.

    You can add extra cheese if you want, before adding the top half of the bread. Also important is that this sandwich can be served COLD or PRESSED.

    I am from Tampa Bay, where we originated the Cuban Sandwich (NOT Cubano! NEVER USE THAT NAME!). I always have to correct chefs and cooks who go off-model when it comes to making our regional favorite. My Advice, DON'T rely on movie "recipes", but do your research and learn to make the AUTHENTIC item, next time.

    Reply
  7. william paulk
    william paulk says:

    The one thing that gets under my skin is when you have someone that says they are the authority on making the Cuban sandwich. I am a native of Tampa, Fl. I grew up eating this sandwich. No dought I'm sure the sandwich is good. I will say I appreciate the steps you took to create the pork. Using the citrus method is the true way. As a chef, I have used the remains of the fruit also to marinate the pork overnight. I also included red wine vinegar and red onions. I then cook the pork in the mojo with foil on top. Then last I would smoke the pork. The best thing about a Cuban is the traditional Cuban bread only made in Florida. A palm leaf is placed in the middle of the bread before baking. There is no way you can prevent the crumbs from this bread from falling into your lap while eating. Chef Tom good job. Thank you for not adding salalmi or mayo. https://youtu.be/gM2PlC_-WNU ( the art of cuban bread)

    Reply
  8. BloozeDaddy
    BloozeDaddy says:

    I like swiss on after the mustard and on the top also to keep everything together!!!! Not traditional but instead of just butter (which is great) try a mixture of olive oil / grated parmesan/ oregano on the bread.

    Reply
  9. Xquisitaz
    Xquisitaz says:

    Loved the movie and I've made these before. I just did them in a slider version recently with an agave slaw and used tenderloin steaks which was fun? This is a definitely a legit Cubano you made here other than well I'm not sure if you got the bread from La Segunda Central which you can actually order par baked online. Anyways good job and wish I was there to sample that ha ha

    Reply
  10. JRfoodie lovefun
    JRfoodie lovefun says:

    Is it wrong to butterfly cut it then marinade? Then roll pork before grilling? I was just thinking that it might help for the pork to obtain the flavor of the marinade as much as possible.

    Reply
  11. RR Chard
    RR Chard says:

    Hi Chef Tom,

    I love your videos and every recipe I've made was wonderful. Thank you for what you do because you've helped me become a better cook. I never saw "Chef" so I don't know the inspiration for your recipe, which I don't doubt is absolutely delicious. All your stuff is. But while the core ingredients are accurate, the techniques deviate strongly from the classic Cubano Sandwiches of both Tampa (the original) and Miami (the still outstanding variation). I don't say that as criticism in any way, I'd just qualify your recipe as a "Nuevo Cubano".

    Traditional Cubano Sandwiches (from either city) do NOT brown the inside surfaces of the bread, the better to absorb that mustard flavor. The crunch is strictly on the outside. The top and bottom layers are almost always Swiss Cheese, so that when it melts, it encompasses the meat and holds the whole sandwiches together, sealing it all in. Finally, I PROMISE that no traditional Cuban cook has EVER re-grilled the meats by the slice. It just doesn't happen. It looks wonderful and I'm sure it's delicious if you do it, but that's just not how the classic sandwiches are made.

    I'm not Cuban, but I've been to Ybor City (where the sandwich was born) many times and was on Calle Ocho in Miami tonight. I've been eating Cubano Sandwiches for almost fifty years. As a kid from the mid-west, they were one of the best things to come from moving to South Florida. Between the two cities, the biggest controversies are whether or not to include the dill pickles (Miami says NO) and whether or not to include sliced salami (Tampa says YES). Your Nuevo Cubano variations might escalate things to a whole new level of cultural war!

    Just teasing. Again, your stuff is great but I just wanted to point out that this recipe is FAR from the two traditional methods of making Cubano Sandwiches, but I bet it's still great. Thanks for helping people like me become better cooks.

    Reply
  12. Jeff Coombs
    Jeff Coombs says:

    Can you make some shirts that say, "Chef Tom is my Pit Daddy," in classic seventies text (because that yellow outline is like mustard on a pork butt..)? Add in a splash of ATBBQ.com. I'd wear one if I had it! 🙂

    Reply
  13. Lou Garcia
    Lou Garcia says:

    Excellent presentation and details. Authentic Cuban bread makes a difference with a pan con lechon. However, in a pinch, your call on the French bread is still good. Great job with the mojo. I use to watch my grandfather make it from scratch about 40 years a go to marinade a whole pig for our "noche buena" (Christmas Eve) traditional pork. Thanks for the walk down memory lane!!! Great job!

    Reply

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