Sheet Pan Cuban Sliders Recipe

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If you've found yourself drooling over every other scene of the movie "Chef," you're not alone. The Cuban sandwich is one of Florida's most popular foods, and its roots date back to the late 1800s, when Cuban immigrants brought the mixto to the bustling cities of Miami and Tampa. Though made many different ways, the true version you're most likely to encounter is stacked with ham, mojo-roasted pork, pickles, mustard, and Swiss cheese, then pressed until thin and melty on perfectly soft, semi-crusty Cuban bread (no grill marks). It makes an excellent panini for lunch, which is what inspired its popularity across Florida and the rest of the United States today.

Cuban sandwiches can be difficult to make at home because one of the two types of pork –- mojo roasted pork -– takes hours, if not days, to prepare. If you plan ahead and have a decent panini press, you might be able to swing it; but for something more casual, a shortcut might be the better way. These sheet pan Cuban sliders, made with porchetta, ham, a garlicky mustard sauce, Swiss cheese, and pickles, make it easy to serve a crowd without having to prepare roast pork hours in advance. Developed by Michelle McGlinn, these easy, melty, gently pressed sliders are a delicious (if miniature) version of the famous pressed Cuban sandwich, made quickly and effortlessly with the help of a pair of sheet pans.

The first thing you need to make these pull-apart sliders are King's Hawaiian rolls, which are typically sold as 12 rolls that need to be either torn or sliced apart from one another. If you can't find pull-apart rolls for this recipe, you can also use a large baguette sliced in half, then cut into 3-inch portions upon serving. From there, you'll need a deli-style roast pork (such like porchetta), a thinly sliced deli baked ham, Swiss cheese, yellow mustard, mayonnaise, garlic, sliced pickles, and butter.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Slice the rolls in half widthwise to create one large bottom and one large top bun. Transfer the bottom half to a sheet pan and set the top half aside.

Layer the sliders first with porchetta, then with ham, Swiss cheese, and pickles.

Stir the mayo, mustard, and garlic together in a small bowl.

Spread the mixture on the top buns.

Firmly press the top buns onto the bottom buns.

Brush the buns with melted butter on top.

Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Remove from the oven and immediately (while the sliders are still warm) use a second sheet tray to press the buns down slightly.

Serve the Cuban sliders right away.

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Porchetta is a type of roast pork, often made with pork belly that is seasoned, rolled, tied, and roasted until tender. The resulting pork, with flecks of rosemary, sage, and fennel throughout, is often eaten as-is or between bread in sandwiches. We turn to it here as an alternative to mojo-roasted pork in this particular recipe. It is also commonly sold in the deli at grocery stores, making it easy to buy and have on hand whenever you want to make sandwiches.

If you can't find porchetta and you don't have leftover pork to use, there are still other options that will work. You can simply choose a different ham from the deli counter, such as black forest, prosciutto, or speck, asking for it to be thick-cut to better replicate the texture of roast pork. You can also look for a baked ham and slice it yourself, or even use slices of sausage. You can also use deli-sliced roast beef, which will be a similar flavor and equally as easy to find. It may be a departure from a classic Cuban, but it'll still be delicious.

Cuban sandwiches are pressed after assembling in order to melt the cheese, bind the meats together, and crisp the exterior of the bread. It's the same idea as a panini press, but with traditional Cuban sandwiches, the pressing is done on a plancha, which is heavy and flat. This results in a uniquely thin, crispy sandwich, even thinner than most panini. The pressing is essential to a true Cubano as it changes the taste and texture significantly, but it does not need to be done with a panini press. 

If you don't press the sandwiches, the Cuban sliders will still be delicious, melty, and warm, but they won't have the distinctive crunch on the exterior and melding of flavors inside. To amplify the flavors, we suggest using a second sheet pan to press down on the sliders and recreate the flat shape of the sandwiches. To better crisp the top, you can also heat the second sheet pan in the oven and, using oven mitts, use the hot pan to press down on the sandwiches.

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