Not Tina’s Cuban Sandwich
by: Three Many Cooks
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 6 Portuguese rolls, split and left together
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons lime juice, divided
- 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
- 1 red onion, halved and sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 1½ pounds thin-sliced boneless pork loin
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon each: garlic powder, cumin, oregano and sugar
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 cup plantain chips
Instructions
- Heat oven to 300 degrees; add buns and heat until toasty warm, about 5 minutes. Mix mayonnaise with 1 tablespoon of the lime juice and the pepper sauce. Toss onion slices with vinegar and a sprinkling of salt and pepper in a small bowl; let stand.
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over low heat. Drizzle pork with oil and sprinkle with garlic, cumin, oregano, sugar and a sprinkling of salt and pepper; toss to coat. Mix orange juice remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice.
- A few minutes from cooking, increase heat under pan to high. Add half the pork; cook turning only once until well browned on each side, about 4 minutes total. Transfer to a plate; set side. Repeat cooking remaining pork; add to plate and immediately pour orange juice mixture into skillet; reduce to a glaze (it happens very quickly). Return pork to pan; coat with glaze.
- When ready to assemble sandwiches, spread a portion of the mayonnaise mixture over each side of the roll. Top each half with a piece of pork. Top bottom half with a portion of plantain chips and then pickled onions. Cap with bun top. Halve and serve.
Know what’s even better than plantain chips? GARLIC plantain chips. Sounds like some Cuban sandwiches are on the menu for this weekend!
This looks good — a question? — is the pork cooked before you fry it or is it raw?
Hey Betty,
The pork is raw, but these super-thin pork chops are only about 1/4-inch thick and cook very quickly.
Hi you guys,
We love cuban’s and we’ll be in the city next week, so tell me, where is Tina’s? I promise I won’t tell anyone so Andy won’t have to worry about a big lunch crowd!
Hugs to you all.