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pork tenderloin, bacon, french roll, mayonnaise, Swiss cheese, dill pickles, butter, bacon mustard
Method
Sauté, baked
Category
Sandwiches and Burgers
Cook Time
60 minutes
We crafted this recipe a couple of years back as part of a Pit Crew Picks series for Daytona. We dedicated it to Aric Almirola, AKA “The Cuban Missile.” And in his honor, this is no ordinary Cuban sandwich. Oh no, it’s not.
You’ve got the staples, such as pickles, Swiss, and mayo...but our Cuban is also rockin’ some delicious pork tenderloin and bacon! We’re double porking! Don’t put away your panini press, because you’re going to be making a lot of these!
Ingredients
1 ½ pounds pork tenderloin*
2–3 slices bacon, to taste
French roll, sliced in half
Mayonnaise, to taste
2 slices baby Swiss cheese, both sliced in half (for 4 pieces)
10 kosher dill pickle rounds
2 tablespoons butter
Bacon mustard, optional for serving
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Sear the tenderloin in a large skillet over medium heat for 4 minutes. Using tongs, flip the tenderloin and sear the pork’s other side for another 4 minutes.
Move the tenderloin to the oven and cook uncovered for 25 minutes on a baking sheet with a rack, flipping it halfway through.
Add into the oven the bacon, arranged in a single layer on a baking sheet. Cook for 12–17 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your bacon. Flip the bacon halfway through.
Once the tenderloin is done, remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Then thinly slice.
Liberally slather both inside halves of your French roll with mayo. Top the bottom slice with bacon, then several tenderloin slices, the cheese, pickle slices and then the top piece of bread.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. You can also use a griddle or a panini press if you have one. Add the sandwich, using another skillet or plate to press the sandwich into the butter until golden brown, about 3–4 minutes. Add another tablespoon of butter to the skillet and flip the sandwich, repeating the pressing and cooking process.
Cut sandwich in half and serve with bacon mustard, if using.
Recipe Note
Pro Tip:
This is a single-serving recipe, so you’ll have a lot of extra tenderloin. You can either use it in another recipe, eat it on its own, or turn this into a 6-serving recipe by adjusting the other ingredients accordingly.