Hey grill masters, let’s kick off the holidays right with an epic Grilled Cuban Sandwich recipe and a chance to win big! I’m teaming up with Cowboy Charcoal to bring you this hearty sandwich and to give one lucky winner some awesome prizes! Keep scrolling for all the details about how to enter using your social media influence—big or small! You can also check out the details on my Instagram!
Post sponsored by Cowboy Charcoal
In the meantime, let’s talk about this grilled sandwich. We’ll roast our holiday ham and layer it with leftover pulled pork, Swiss cheese, crispy pickles, and tangy mustard. Then, the whole thing gets toasted to perfection on the grill in a cast iron pan. This is the ultimate pork sandwich, and it’s gonna be one of your favorite food memories of the holiday season.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Cuban Sandwich
- What’s so special about Cowboy Charcoal anyway?
- Ingredients Round-Up for the Cuban Sandwich
- How to Make the Grilled Cuban Sandwich
- What to Serve with the Grilled Cuban Sandwich
- Leftovers & Reheating Instructions
- More Pork Please
- 🔥 Giveaway Alert! 🔥
- FAQs
- This sauce is FYR!
- Grilled Cuban Sandwich Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Cuban Sandwich
While it’s not a traditional Cuban sandwich, I promise it’s a fun twist. Get ready for the ultimate toasty pork and melted cheese sandwich, which is undoubtedly so freakin’ delicious. What I really love is the versatility! Swap types of pork based on what you’ve got – a little honey ham, pork shoulder, or even a pork roast. Whatever you layer between that pressed, crispy bread with its golden sear, you can’t go wrong. It’s a perfectly satisfying sandwich for any hearty meal lover.
What’s so special about Cowboy Charcoal anyway?
Cowboy Charcoal is the real deal for grilling, bringing 100% natural hardwood that not only cranks up the heat but also gives your food that legit smoky flavor. Unlike those chemical-packed briquettes, this stuff burns hotter, lights up fast, and consistently brings out those wood-fired vibes in everything you cook. In other words, it’s pure, clean fuel for epic grilling—perfect, especially for making a killer grilled Cuban sandwich.
Ingredients Round-Up for the Cuban Sandwich
The ingredients for the grilled Cuban sandwich recipe couldn’t be any more straightforward. You’ll want to head on over to your local grocery store and pick up these tasty ingredients.
- For the Best Ham – On your Compart Duroc Ham, you’ll rub on some canola oil and your favorite BBQ rub. If you’re looking for some inspiration for the seasonings, check out my killer spices!
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shop over the fire spice lines
- Cuban Sandwich – You’ll need some leftover pulled pork, Swiss cheese slices, dill pickle chips, yellow mustard, canola oil, and Cuban bread or buns.
How to Make the Grilled Cuban Sandwich
Prep the Ham
To kick things off, start with the Compart Duroc Ham, rubbing it down generously with your favorite BBQ rub. Check out my Big Bad BBQ Ale Seasoning or Maple Bourbon Rub if you need some ideas!
Next, fire up a rotisserie over medium heat, aiming for around 325F for indirect cooking. Once you’re set, skewer that ham and let it cook for about an hour, give or take, depending on its size (you’ll want to aim for an internal temperature of 145F). If you’re craving an extra hit of flavor, go ahead and add a bit more seasoning as it cooks.
Once it’s hit the proper internal temp (145F), then remove the ham from the rotisserie. Let it rest for 2o minutes before slicing. You can serve the ham by itself from here, but we’re going to continue on and make the Grilled Cuban Sandwich!
Build the Sandwich
Now, for the Cuban sandwich assembly! Grab your Cuban bread or buns. If you can’t find the real deal, Italian or French bread works great, too. Then, load it up with the essentials: a hearty layer of Swiss cheese slices, a few slices of that warm ham, a handful of pulled pork, drizzle of yellow mustard, and then lay down the dill pickles. Stack ‘em high, and get ready to press!
Grill It Up
Get the grill to about 300F. Place your sandwich on the grates and then grab a cast iron skillet (or similar) and press down hard with the heavy skillet or even a foil-wrapped brick. Grill each side for a couple of minutes until the cheese melts and that bread turns golden brown and crispy.
Then pull the grilled cuban sandwiches off, slice it in half, and get ready to chow down on the best Cuban sandwich recipe made with your favorite holiday ham.
Cheers to another awesome recipe made with the help of the best Compart Duroc Ham and Cowboy Charcoal!
What to Serve with the Grilled Cuban Sandwich
Round out this epic sandwich with some crispy French fries, sweet potato tots, or a fresh side salad if you’re feeling a bit healthier. And for an extra hit of flavor, add a tangy mojo pork marinade for dipping. These sides bring the perfect balance to go with your pressed sandwich.
Leftovers & Reheating Instructions
To bring that Cuban sandwich back to life on the grill the next day, start by keeping the meats, cheese, and pickles separate from the bread when storing in the fridge. Wrap the meats in aluminum foil and place them in an airtight container.
When you’re set to reheat, fire up the grill to medium heat, around 350F. Warm the ham and pulled pork inside the aluminum foil so that it’s not stone cold when you re-assemble your sandwiches. After the meat is nice and warm, layer it onto the fresh bread and follow the steps above, using the cast iron pan.
If you’re all about sandwiches, you’ve gotta check out my round-up of the Best Sandwich Recipes.
More Pork Please
🔥 Giveaway Alert! 🔥
We’re kicking off an epic holiday giveaway with Cowboy Charcoal to bring one lucky winner everything they need to fire up their holiday cooking! Here’s everything you need to know.
Deadline: Enter on Instagram by Thursday, November 14th at 11:59 PM PST. The winner will be selected by random draw and notified via DM on November 15th before being announced by Over the Fire Cooking on Instagram and Facebook.
How to Enter: Follow @cowboycharcoal and @overthefirecooking, then tag your friends in the comments. Each tag counts as one entry—tag one new friend per comment for more chances to win.
Prize Package: The winner will receive a Compart Holiday Ham Roast, an Over the Fire Cooking Spices Gift Box, two Cowboy Charcoal Oak & Hickory Lump Bags, one Cherry Chunk Bag, one Hickory Chunk Bag, and a Firestarters Bag.
FAQs
You can score Compart Duroc Ham at select spots across the country and straight from their online store, shipped right to your door. Around the holidays, you’ll find it at specialty meat shops, and you might even see it on Instacart for delivery in some areas. Hit up your local butcher or grab it online to bring that next-level ham to your table.
Absolutely! This sandwich easily adapts to your preferences. Try pork tenderloin, black forest ham, or even genoa salami if you’re feeling adventurous. Mix it up based on what you have or what you’re craving.
If you can’t find authentic Cuban bread or buns, Italian bread, French bread, or even soft white bread can work too. Look for something soft but sturdy to hold up to pressing and grilling.
Authentic Cubano sandwiches started in Cuba as an easy, tasty meal for workers and really took off in South Florida, especially in Miami and Tampa. The best Cuban sandwiches are loaded with the tastiest roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard on that classic Cuban bread. Tampa Cubans even throw in some Genoa salami for a unique twist.
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This sauce is FYR!
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Grilled Cuban Sandwich
Ingredients
Ham:
- 1 Compart Duroc Ham
- 3 tbsp BBQ Rub
- Canola Oil as needed
Cuban Sandwich:
- 2 cups leftover Pulled Pork
- 8-10 Swiss Cheese Slices
- Dill Pickle Chips as needed
- Yellow Mustard as needed
- Canola Oil as needed
- Cuban Bread or Buns
Instructions
Ham:
- Preheat a rotisserie to 325F cooking indirectly.
- Skewer the ham onto the rotisserie and place on the grill to cook for about 1-1.5 hours or about 20 minutes per pound. Add more seasoning as needed.
- When the ham has reached 145F internal, pull off and let rest for 20 minutes. Then slice up and keep warm.
Cuban Sandwich:
- Add to your Swiss cheese, sliced ham, pulled pork, yellow mustard and dill pickles. Repeat until you have built all your sandwiches.
- Preheat a grill to a medium low heat (around 300F) and grab a heavy cast iron skillet (or similar).
- Add the sandwich to the grill and use the skillet to press down hard to sear the bread. I put a piece of foil between the sandwich and the skillet to prevent sticking.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes per side until the cheese is melted and the bread is crispy. Pull off once done.
- Serve and enjoy!
