I see the trains on the "meals at a glance" page now only go one direction.
I had the ribs on the Chief a while ago and they were good but really messy to eat. The Cuban sandwich on the San Joaquin is a good sandwich, not anywhere near as good as the one I had in Florida at Cuban delicatessen but still not bad at all.
I had the ribs on the N/B CONO and I agree, they were good and messy.
They also had a nice smoky flavor and were pretty tender too.
We make killer ribs at home in our smoker so I was surprised they were as good as they were but I just had to try them.
I also make a mean Cuban and love them, so I'm really interested in trying one of those.
I see that someone mentioned a panini machine - all you need is: a griddle and a weighted press to put on the sandwich, no machine needed.
A frying pan and foil wrapped brick will give you the same result.
They've been making Cubans long before panini machines made their debut into the mainstream.
The bread is key but as long as you use a
good french or italian loaf or roll you can get away without using authentic Cuban bread.
I sometimes use Bolillo rolls when my grocery store has them.
I've also had good luck with the sub rolls that are from Walmart's bakery, they have a really good texture and flavor.
Cuban Sandwiches are really simple but when those ingredients are heated, melted, and pressed together ....
It's really just a Cuban style, grilled ham & cheese sandwich.
For those that haven't tried one here's a great, recipe you might want to try out sometime:
Cuban Sandwich Recipe
My version of a recipe from 3 Guys from Miami
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 sandwiches
INGREDIENTS:
1 loaf Cuban, French (not a baguette), or Italian bread or 4 Bolillos or Sub/Hoagie Rolls
3 tablespoons butter
1 pound sliced (not shaved) mild flavored ham
1 pound sliced (not shaved) Cuban pork or roast pork - great use for leftovers
1/2 pound/ at least 8 slices sliced mild Swiss cheese - baby swiss is best
16 slices dill pickles - I find that Vlasic Kosher Dill Sandwich Stackers work and taste best.
Preheat a griddle or large frying pan to medium hot.
Too hot and you will have a burned sandwich before the cheese even melts.
Cut the bread into sections about 8 inches long.
Cut these in half and generously butter the inside of both halves.
Generously fill each sandwich with the ingredients in this order:
Pickles, roasted pork, ham, and cheese.
Melt a little butter in the pan and place the sandwich in the pan.
If the butter browns, your pan is too hot - clean the burned burned butter out with a wad of paper towels, lower the heat and try again.
Use a heavy skillet, sandwich/bacon press, or foil-wrapped brick to flatten the sandwich.
You want to smash the sandwich down to about 1/3 of its original size.
Grill the sandwiches for two to three minutes or until golden brown, then flip them over and grill until golden brown on the other side.
Once the cheese is melted and the bread is golden brown on both sides, the sandwiches are done.
Slice each sandwich in half diagonally and enjoy!
