Summer quickly approaches, and with it, dozens of opportunities to show your grilling skills. You need a new repertoire of said skills to thrive in the ever-competitive Man B Que atmosphere. Why not try making an excellent sandwich on the grill? And while you’re at it, why not make it one of America’s greatest sandwich creations? And hell, since this sandwich was forged in the melting pot of immigrant America, we’re going to put our own spin on it. We’ve covered Cubanos once before – now we can get fancy with things. There’s an achiote paste paste mixed with oil that Jesse tells me isn’t very Mexican. There’s extremely salty country ham that goes way beyond the usual lunch-meat offerings in most sandwiches. There’s even some spicy brown mustard, to get some Germanic flavor. This sandwich will punch your mouth in the … uh … mouth.

Make the braised pork the day before and you can just assemble everything on the go. It will keep for a few days in the fridge, and there are a hundred uses for some good shredded pork. If you don’t feel like making a big process out of everything, then just substitute something easier. Try making the achiote oil anyway – it goes really well with pork.

The Setup

Sandwiches

- 2 Cuban loaves (Artemio’s is my go-to place), with the ends cut off, split into three sandwich-sized rolls each.
- 1 1/2 lb Achiote Pork (below)
- 1 lb country ham, very thinly sliced
- 1/2 lb Swiss cheese
- Dill pickle slices
- Spicy mustard
- Butter, softened
- Vegetable oil

Achiote Pork

3 lb pork butt, cut into 1″ cubes
1 large onion, chopped
1 cinnamon stick
3-4 strips of orange zest
2 bay leaves
10 whole cloves

Throw everything into the pot and add enough water to cover the pork by an inch or so. Bring it to a boil, then simmer it for a couple of hours, skimming off the foam in the meanwhile. When the water eventually evaporates, let the pork fry in its rendered fat until it’s got a nice texture. And there you have it – three pounds of delicious carnitas in one paragraph. Toss it with the achiote oil (below) and put it aside until sandwich time.

2 tbsp achiote seeds
2 tsp whole allspice
3 whole cloves
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp cider vinegar
4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
Salt, to taste
Olive oil, for consistency

Grind the achiote, allspice, cloves, and peppercorns together in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Mix in the oregano, garlic, vinegar, and salt – a blender is probably the easiest way to ensure an even texture. Begin adding olive oil to thin the texture. When it’s at a consistency you like, taste and add salt.

Cooking

1. Split the sandwich bread and butter the inside.

2. Find something both heavy and sanitary to press your sandwich. A landscaping brick wrapped in foil works wonders and costs 40 cents. Grill presses are fine, but masonry is how you make a man’s sandwich.

3. Assemble the sandwich to your liking. As a structural element, the cheese is a lot more useful on top than bottom. Feel free to add whatever the hell you want. You could substitute goat cheese for the mustard if you want, or just throw on whatever you’ve got going unused in the fridge. I tend to go with the following arrangement:

- Bread
- Mustard
- Pickles
- Cheese
- Ham
- Pork
- Mustard
- Bread

3. Heat the grill to high and set the pan above the fire to heat up. Add a thin coating of vegetable oil to the pan. Let the pan and oil heat through before doing anything further.

4. Carefully add the sandwich to the pan and press the brick directly down on it. Press hard – you want to flatten it as much as you can and get a sandwich that holds together when you flip it. It’s why crunchy French bread is a terrible choice for this instance. Leave the brick on while the sandwich cooks.

5. Let the sandwich cook for 2 minutes. Flip it and re-brick for an additional two and a half.

6. The cheese will melt and your sandwich will be warm throughout. It should be slightly charred, but not burned. If it burns, move the pan to a cooler part of the grill. Slice diagonally through the middle and curse the memory of that commie bastard Guevara.