A dark brown wooden cutting board on a white surface. On the board is a roast pork with 6 slices of pork layed out in front of the roast. Th roast is stuffed so there is a swirl of yellow and green from the mustard and pickles and you can see creamy white swiss cheese oozing out

Cuban Style Pork Roast

Perfectly roasted pork stuffed with tangy mustard, creamy swiss, ham and tart pickles

Unless you never turn on any cooking shows, you’ve more than likely have heard of the Cuban sandwich

Though there seems to be a lot of speculation around this sandwich the most constant thread is that the origins came over to Miami, Tampa and Key West by immigrant Cuban workers

No matter what the truth is there is no denying that the combo of roast pork, ham, swiss, mustard and pickles is just fantastic and we are grateful to whomever got this sandwich started

We decided the only way to improve on this classic is to roast them all together

And thus the Cuban style pork roast was born!

We are starting out with this beautiful 3.5 pound center cut pork loin roast

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With a sharp knife make a thin cut along the fat cap making sure not to cut all the way through

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Flip the roast over and continue to cut as you roll the pork away from the knife

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And there you have it!

A nice filleted pork roast

Remember you can certainly have a butcher do this step for you

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Next we will need 4 tablespoons of mustard (we used dijon) and 1/2 teaspoon each of kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder

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Spread the mustard over the pork and sprinkle with the seasonings

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Next we will need some swiss cheese and ham

I would have preferred slightly thicker sizes of cold cuts but I worked with what I had

Keep that in mind as they will hold up better in the roast

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Lay the swiss out along the pork

We used 8 slices

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Next is the ham

We also used 8 slices

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Since 8 seems to be the magic number let’s continue and use 8 dill pickle slices

I like to press the pickle slices in paper towel to draw out some of the excess moisture

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Lay the pickles on the pork

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Now start rolling the pork from the left to the right side trying to keep it tight

We basically want the pork back to its original shape with the fat cap back on top

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And there you have it!

Back to square one!

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Lay butchers string out at 1-1 1/2 inch intervals under the roast

The string will help the roast maintain its shape

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Tie the roast up and snip off the excess string

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Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil on the roast

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Rub the oil all over the roast

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Sprinkle the roast with some kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika

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I like to let the roast sit for awhile to allow the seasonings to penetrate the meat

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Preheat your oven to 350 F

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat in an oven proof pan

Once the pan is lightly smoking lay the roast fat cap side down and sear 1-2 minutes

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Sear on all sides

Why put a sear on meat you’re going to roast anyway?

When you sear the roast you form a crust on the outside.  Not only does this amp up the flavor it helps seal in the natural juices

Notice I use my meat fork as a little helper when searing the sides

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Once seared on all sides remove the roast and set aside

I’m going to line the pan with some veggies

This will keep the roast suspended off the bottom of the pan which will help keep it from sticking

The veggies will also add flavor to whatever juice we get from the pork

I used 1 stalk of celery, 1 carrot and one onion all sliced thinly

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Lay the veggies in the bottom of the pan

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Pour in an inch or two of chicken stock

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Lay the roast across the veggies and place in the oven

Cook for 45 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 145 F

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Remove the roast from the oven and set aside to rest for at least 10-12 minutes

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Remember to remove the butcher string and discard

Now you can slice the roast and serve

We like this simply with some beans and rice however you can certainly wrap this up let it cool and slice it deli style for a true Cuban sandwich

Any way you decide to cut it you won’t be sorry!

A dark brown wooden cutting board on a white surface. On the board is a roast pork with 6 slices of pork layed out in front of the roast. Th roast is stuffed so there is a swirl of yellow and green from the mustard and pickles and you can see creamy white swiss cheese oozing out

Enjoy!!!

Simply Sundays! ~ Cuban Style Pork Roast

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Print

Ingredients

3.5 pound center cut pork loin roast

4 tablespoons of dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt (plus more for the exterior)

1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper (plus more for the exterior)

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder (plus more for the exterior)

1/2 teaspoon of onion powder (plus more for the exterior)

8 slices of swiss cheese

8 slices of ham

8 dill pickle slices

2 tablespoons of olive oil

paprika

1 onion

1 carrot

1 celery stalk

chicken stock

Directions

With a sharp knife make a thin cut along the fat cap making sure not to cut all the way through a 3.5 pound center cut pork loin roast.  Flip the roast over and continue to cut as you roll the pork away from the knife until you have a flattened pork fillet

Spread 4 tablespoons of dijon mustard on the pork and sprinkle with a 1/2 teaspoon each of kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder

Lay the swiss out along the pork.  We used 8 slices.  Next lay out 8 slices of ham.  Press 8 dill pickle slices between paper towels to draw out any excess moisture.  Lay the pickle slices on the pork

Start rolling the pork from the left to the right side trying to keep it tight until the pork is back to its original shape with the fat cap back on top.  Lay butchers string out at 1-1 1/2 inch intervals under the roast.  Tie the roast up and snip off the excess string

Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil on the roast.  Rub the oil all over the roast.  Sprinkle the roast with kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and some paprika.  Let the roast sit for awhile to allow the seasonings to kind of penetrate the meat

Preheat your oven to 350 F.  Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat in an oven proof pan.  Once the pan is lightly smoking lay the roast in fat cap side down and sear 1-2 minutes.  Sear on all sides

Once seared, remove the roast and set aside.  In the pan layer 1 sliced onion, 1 sliced carrot and 1 sliced celery stalk.  Pour in an inch or two of chicken stock. Lay the roast across the veggies and place in the oven.  Cook for 45 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 145 F

Remove the roast from the oven and set aside to rest for at least 10-12 minutes.  Remove the butcher string and discard.  Slice the roast thinly and serve

Tools used to make this recipe

Architec Carving Board, Gripperwood

Mini Prep Glass Bowl

Simply Bamboo Maui Bamboo Cutting Board

ZELITE INFINITY Chef Knife 8 inch

Regency Natural Cooking Twine 1/2 Cone 100% Cotton 500ft

@Simply Sundays 2020
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