Jon Favreau, the lead actor in the 2014 movie "Chef," whose food porn was so mouthwatering and inspiring that even the toughest cooking/movie critics were impressed, just released the recipe for the star of the film: the Cubano (Cuban sandwich). The food enthusiast posted the full recipe to Reddit's Food thread.
The recipe was developed by famed L.A. chef Roy Choi, who worked behind-the-scenes on the movie and made sure the restaurant and food details were perfect, reported Eater. Watch Favreau talk about the sandwich's significance in an interview uploaded by The Movie Interview.
Favreau made Cubanos for the first time since the movie last week for his Super Bowl party, reported Foodbeast.
Without further ado, here's Choi and Favreau's go-to Cubano recipe. It's all from scratch and takes a good amount of time and effort, but boy is it worth it.
Cubano Sandwiches by Roy Choi, shared by Jon Favreau.
Brine:
4 cups orange juice
3.5 cups water
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup spiced rum
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup sugar
lots of minced garlic
1 tbs fresh thyme
1 tbs fresh rosemary
1 tbs fresh oregano
1 tbs fresh sage peppercorns
3 bay leaves
Mojo Marinade:
6 lb pork shoulder
2/3 cups olive oil
2/3 cups cilantro
4 tbs mint leaves
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
7 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ tbs grated orange peel
2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
2/3 tsp black pepper, ground
2/3 tsp fine sea salt
Other items:
Loaves of baguette
American yellow mustard
Swiss cheese
Pickles (sliced lengthwise)
Butter sliced ham
Instructions:
Brine pork shoulder for 12 hours. Prepare mojo marinade.
Remove pork from brine and pat dry. Marinate pork shoulder in mojo marinade for at least 2 hours.
Slow roast pork shoulder until 170 degrees internal temperature (should still be a light pink on inside).
Baste pork with marinade throughout roasting. Let pork rest until cool enough to handle. If time allows, refrigerate to make it easier to slice.
Thinly slice, then grill.
Cut baguettes approximately 9 inches long. Butter inside of baguette and then toast until golden brown.
From bottom up, layer: 1) grilled sliced pork 2) grilled ham slices 3) Swiss cheese 4) pickles sliced thinly lengthwise. Slather mustard from edge to edge on top bun. Close sandwich. Generously brush melted butter on top of bread. Press until golden brown.
