Crock Pot Cuban Pork Sandwiches

Crock Pot Cuban Pork Sandwiches are my simple weekday way to feed my Cuban sandwich cravings. Let the pork cook low and slow all day and then the sandwiches come together super quick when you are ready to eat. 

This recipe dates back to 2013. I just made these again for the 3683687564th time last week and yup — still worth sharing! They are so great for busy weeknights but also! They totally feed a crowd. Mark this as one of my favorite meals ever. Photos are updated but my crazy lady text remains the same. 

Sometimes

Sometimes I look at the clock and it’s almost 7 pm and we still have not eaten and it feels like Chad just got home even though it’s been an hour and the boys are all sprawled out with homework and Minecraft and are mostly making way too much noise and I feel like I’ve been standing at the kitchen sink all day making messes and cleaning them up and I just wanna get the food on the table in a hurry and…

…Breathe.

Days like that (which is most days if we are being really honest here) I am so so so happy I have a slow cooker.

I am mostly a much more organized person at 10 am. The house is quiet. I’m all full of coffee. My mind is on work and notes and I have not yet washed my first sink full of dishes.

10 am is the perfect time {for me} to start dinner. There is no trying to forge a healthy after school snack while I marinate chicken at 10 am. There are no papers to sign or spelling questions or memorizing the periodic table (oh yeah– today we totally did that). Plus the crock pot affords me the luxury of pretty much just throwing things in and then forgetting all about it. No valuable brain space required!

That is important for me, because by the time we eat dinner I am like a brainless robot and I really just wanna eat and clean up so I can sit down for a second and do something important like pin things.

I’m so glad you guys understand me.

These sandwiches basically save my dinner life.  And I’m not even exaggerating. PLUS my kids lovelovelove them and Andrew will wander in the kitchen every few weeks and ask me if we can have those sandwiches again? You know the ones with the meat and ham and cheese and pickles? Yeah those.

I figured at this point it was pretty important that I share these with you.

Obviously these are not any kind of authentic Cuban pork sandwiches because I am not Cuban. I am just a mom that likes to feed people. But the flavors are there — pickles and ham and tender pork and Swiss. The pork has a delicious hint of citrus and more pickles … GARLIC pickles. I love it.

I imagine if you are somewhere with lots of beautiful culture you could get your hands on some Cuban bread. I am not that fortunate and so I went with sourdough. So don’t lecture me about my lack of authenticity. Just eat sandwiches.

Love a good sandwich? You should also try…

Super Bird Sandwich

Philly Steak and Grilled Cheese

Continue to Content

Yield: 6-8 sandwiches

Crock Pot Cuban Pork Sandwiches

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours

Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes

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Ingredients

For the Pork:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 1/2 pounds lean pork (I used a boneless roast)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup diced pickles
• zest of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup lime juice

For the Sandwiches:

• Sliced Cuban bread (or and bread that's great for pan grilling!)
• thinly sliced Swiss cheese
• thinly sliced deli ham (cooked ham)
• garlic Kosher dill pickles! (sandwich slices make this a breeze)
• mustard

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Place the pork roast in the skillet, season it with the salt and pepper, and brown it on all sides.
2. While the pork is browning place the slices of onion in the bottom of the crock pot.
3. Nestle the browned pork down on top of the onions.
4. In a medium bowl whisk together the tomato paste, orange juice, diced pickles, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour it over the pork.
5. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours. If the crock pot looks dry you can add a little more orange juice or some chicken broth while cooking (this will mostly depend on the fat content of your meat).
6. Shred the pork in the crock pot and toss it with the onions.
7. To build the sandwiches, place a slice of Swiss on your bottom slice of bread. Top with a heaping portion of shredded pork. Then add a slice of ham and pickles. Spread mustard on the top slice of bread, add another piece of Swiss cheese and then grill on the stove or in a panini press. Serve immediately.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Crock-Pot SCCPVL610-S-A 6-Quart Cook & Carry Programmable Slow Cooker with with Digital Timer, Stainless Steel
• 
  Cuisinart GR-4N 5-in-1 Griddler, Silver, Black Dials
• 
  J.A. HENCKELS INTERNATIONAL 31161-201 Classic Chef's Knife, 8 Inch, Black

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

18

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 143Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 179mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 12g