Serves: 5 | Prep Time: 25 minutes + marinating and resting time | Cooking Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
For Porc From Wales Week 2021, we teamed up with West Wales-based food writer and broadcaster turned restauranteur Simon Wright to show why we should be choosing to source our porc locally.
Here’s what Simon says about his recipe:
“This our version of the Miami – Cuban classic and it has become something of an institution at Wright’s. The balance of ingredients is important and there is room here for you to adapt as you feel, but this is the basis of how we make the sandwich at Wright’s. Using locally sourced porc means quality of the meat really does shine through and takes a simple and honest dish like a Cubano that extra mile from good, to great.”
Ingredients
- 1kg porc belly
- 5 thick slices of gammon ham
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 4 tbsp mayo
- 1 tsp sriracha
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 200g grated Welsh Cheddar
- 5 large gherkin pickles, sliced
- 5 large fresh ciabatta buns, warmed
Method
1. Firstly, two days in advance of wanting to eat your Cubanos, rub the salt and sugar on both sides of the belly and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight.
2. Remove the porc belly from the fridge and put into a roasting pan. Cook at 240ºC / 220ºC fan / Gas Mark 9 for 30 minutes and then turn down to 180ºC / 160ºC fan / Gas Mark 4 for a further 2 hours.
3. Place the porc into a clean roasting tray and cover with baking parchment; place another tray on top, weighted, to press the porc flat. Leave to cool again overnight in the fridge.
4. Cut the porc into 10 roughly equal strips when you are ready to make the sandwich.
5. Heat a dry frying pan until very hot. Put the belly pieces in, skin side first, and sear on all sides until crispy and hot.
6. In the meantime, slice some freshly baked gammon ham (or the best quality pre-cooked you can buy) and combine the mayo with the sriracha and mustard powder.
7. Finally, assemble your Cubano in the warmed bun: and remember, in a sandwich, bread is two thirds of the equation so use the best quality fresh bread you can buy – at Wright’s we make it fresh every morning. Spread sriracha mayo on both sides of the cut bun and layer 2 porc strips per roll, then the sliced ham, one fifth of the pickles and Cheddar.
8. Your amazing porc sandwich is ready to eat! A word of advice: do not take it apart and eat with a knife and fork, it’s a sandwich and needs to be eaten that way (though cutting it in half is acceptable)!