Jul 14 2026
Restaurants›Belle's›Cuban Panini Recipe

Cuban Panini Recipe

Inspired by Belle's
Time4h
Serves4

slow roasted pork, ham, pickles, dijon & swiss cheese pressed on asiago baguette

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Ingredients

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Sandwich

Slow-Roasted Pork (if making from scratch)

Method

Slow-Roasted Pork (if making from scratch)

  1. 1

    Prepare marinade

    Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). In a bowl combine minced garlic, orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper to make a loose marinade.

  2. 2

    Marinate pork

    Place pork shoulder in a roasting pan or baking dish. Pour the marinade over the pork, turning to coat. Let rest at room temperature 20–30 minutes or refrigerate for up to 4 hours for deeper flavor.

  3. 3

    Roast

    Cover the pan tightly with foil and roast in the preheated oven for 3 to 3.5 hours, until pork is very tender and pulls apart easily with a fork.

  4. 4

    Shred and reduce juices

    Remove pork from oven, transfer to a cutting board and shred with two forks. If there are cooking juices, skim off excess fat and spoon a few tablespoons of the juices over the shredded pork to keep it moist.

  5. 5

    Cool for sandwich

    Allow shredded pork to cool slightly. Measure out about 12 oz of shredded pork for making four sandwiches (approximately 3 oz per sandwich). Reserve remaining pork for another use.

Sandwich Assembly & Grilling

  1. 6

    Prep bread

    Slice the asiago baguette in half lengthwise to create two long sandwich pieces. If making four sandwiches, cut the baguette into four equal lengths and then slice each length open.

  2. 7

    Butter bread

    Spread softened butter (or brush olive oil) evenly on the outside faces of each bread piece. This helps achieve a golden crisp crust when pressing.

  3. 8

    Spread mustard

    Spread about 3/4 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard on the inside of each bottom half of the bread (adjust to taste).

  4. 9

    Layer fillings

    On the mustard-coated bottom half, layer 2 slices Swiss cheese, 2 oz shredded slow-roasted pork, 2 slices ham, and 2 pickle slices. Repeat the layers for additional sandwiches so each sandwich has pork, ham, pickles and cheese. Finish with another 2 slices Swiss cheese on top of the filling (cheese above and below helps it bind when pressed).

  5. 10

    Close sandwiches

    Place the top half of the bread on each sandwich, buttered side up.

  6. 11

    Preheat press or panini grill

    Preheat a panini press, electric grill or heavy skillet/griddle over medium-high heat until hot. If using a skillet, you can press sandwiches with a heavy skillet or a foil-wrapped brick.

  7. 12

    Grill/press

    Place the sandwiches on the hot surface and press with the grill lid or weighted skillet. Cook 3–5 minutes, then check: bread should be deeply golden and cheese melted. If not using a press, flip the sandwich after 2–3 minutes and press with the heavy skillet, cooking another 2–3 minutes until cheese is melted and bread is crisp.

  8. 13

    Rest and slice

    Remove sandwiches from the press and let rest 1 minute to set. Slice each sandwich in half on the diagonal and serve immediately.

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