What a special sandwich we got here, oh boy. The roasted pork, the ham, the mustard, the pickles, and the bread all pressed together. It’s all so soft, then you get the pickle crunch in the middle. The sandwich has to be built so that the ratio is perfect. The bread needs to be toasted just right. The filling can’t be smushed because it will slide all over the place. The ham can be just OK, but the roasted pork is what you can really judge the sandwich on. That beautiful roasted pork is so crucial. Not too fatty and not dry. We all know that dry roasted pork tastes like cat food.

Serves: 4 to 6
Prep time: 2 days

INGREDIENTS
Roasted Pork

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp light brown sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 pounds pork butt
340ml Coca-Cola

Sandwich

2 loaves Cuban bread (or substitute French or Italian bread)
Yellow mustard
Mayonnaise
227g Roasted Pork (see above)
227g sliced ham (old-ass ham in your fridge preferred)
227g Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
4 large dill pickles, sliced lengthwise
Unsalted butter

METHOD

In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, orange juice, lime juice, brown sugar, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, and garlic. This will be your marinade. Score the surface of the pork shoulder with a sharp knife to allow the marinade to penetrate. Place the pork shoulder in a 10L jumbo Ziploc bag. Pour the marinade over the pork shoulder, making sure to coat it evenly on all sides. Use your hands to rub the marinade into the meat. Let this marinate in the fridge overnight.

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Take the pork out of the bag and let any excess marinade drip off. Place it into a large roasting pan. Pour the Coca-Cola into the roasting pan, around the pork shoulder. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil, ensuring it is sealed to keep the moisture inside. Roast the pork until the meat is tender and easily pulls apart with a fork, about 2 hours. Every 30 minutes, baste the pork with the pan juices to keep it moist and flavorful. Re-cover it with the foil each time.

Once the meat is tender, remove the foil and increase the oven temperature to 205 degrees Celsius. Roast the pork until the top develops a crispy, golden-brown crust, an additional 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the roasted pork shoulder from the oven and let it rest for at least 30 minutes before slicing or shredding it. Alternatively, you can cool this in the fridge overnight; it will be much easier to slice thinly. You’ll need only 227g of the roasted pork to make the sandwiches.

Make the sandwiches. Preheat your oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Preheat your griddle or panini press over medium heat. Slice the bread horizontally and spread a thin layer of mustard on the bottom half of the bread. Spread mayonnaise on the top half. Layer the roasted pork on the bottom half of the bread, followed by the sliced ham. Add the Swiss cheese on top of the ham, and then place the pickles evenly over the cheese. Place the top half of the bread on the filling and spread a thin layer of butter on the outside of the sandwich.

Place the sandwich on the preheated griddle with a weight or use a panini press and press it down gently. Cook until the bread is toasted and the cheese has melted, 5 to 10 minutes on each side. Then throw the pan in the oven until the cheese has fully melted, 10 minutes. Take it out, slice it diagonally, and enjoy!Images and text from Soups, Salads, Sandwiches by Matty Matheson, photography by Quentin Bacon. Murdoch Books RRP $49.99.