Classic Cuban Midnight (Medianoche) Sandwich

This is a good version of the Cuban as we know it but not the original, love all the different versions. Pork is spicy roasted, ham is also fresh not processed, good swiss cheese, dill pickles,cover the sandwich along with the mustard sauce.Cuban bread crispy on outside soft inside, heat on both sides, press with spatcular.do not melt cheese. This is from my brother- in-law, who is from cuba.

We use regular sub rolls from the grocery bakery. We spread a very thin coating of butter on the outside and lightly sprinkle them with garlic salt and black pepper. Once you grill them, they are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Inside, we used thinly sliced deli ham and left over pork tenderloin from the night before, swiss cheese, mayo, mustard and fresh pickles such as claussen's. We grilled them up on the Foreman grill, pressing hard to flatten them out and heat everything through. I have yet to make these without rave reviews!! I now have a new favorite sandwich! Very easy to make and fantastic!! Thanks.

I've been making these sandwhiches for years only I use a club roll like a Paninni bread and 86 the maoy and mustard I use cilantro, parsley, garlic, hot chile flakes and olive oil, puree in food prosessor to make a pesto and spread that on the roll, you'll love it better and it's better for you

This sandwich sounds like the real Medianoche to me. I have a Cuban-American cookbook from Miami, "Memories of A Cuban Kitchen" that includes the same recipe. Egg buns are a good bread to use - sweet and big enough in the dinner size. Most international bakeries/delis have egg buns. Thanks for thiss classic, yummy recipe!

I am addicted to this sandwich as made at a Cuban bakery in Glendale, CA. and I have to say that this is close to town in flavors, BUT it is missing the garlic! I always smash a garlic and rub it on the cut side of the bread before spreading the mayo and mustard, and then follow the rest of the recipe as indicated -now that is a WOW of a Cuban sandwich! The reason for the added garlic flavor is that "traditional Cuban roasted pork" is loaded with garlic and that is the special flavor to this sandwich that you will not find in regular store bought sliced roasted pork. Try this trick to see the difference - Otherwise, this is a winner of a sandwich!

This is the sandwich we make using the leftovers from Cuban Pork Roast I from AR. Using other pork types just pales in comparison.... Always awakens the taste buds with so many different flavors. One of our favorites! Thank you Pretty Pink Bullets for the submission for all to enjoy!

I grew up in Tampa Florida and I remember my parents packing my sister and I up and driving into Ybor City for Cuban sandwiches and deviled crabs. Other than the mayo, I made as directed and they took me back to my childhood. Great recipe!!!!!

Although I just used a hoagie roll instead of a sweet roll this was awesome-- I did use my George Foreman Grill to press the sandwich together-- although it had some cute grill marks across the bread it was sooooo easy to do instead of the heavy pressing with a skillet etc. Family loved it of course

We also added Italian dressing and we didn't have sliced dill pickles, but we substitued dill pickle relish and it turned out great. This is definately a hit with our family and will our new use for left over pork loins. Thanks for the great recipe.

My deli did not have pork to thinly slice, so I roasted a pork loin fillet seasoned with just salt and pepper and sliced it into thin cuts. I used brown sugar deli-sliced ham and sandwich-sliced Tabasco pickles. I used a cast iron skillet to press the sandwiches and found medium heat worked best (rather than medium-high). Tasted truly authentic! Can't wait to make again!

Oh, wow! I used some of a leftover french loaf since the store didn't have any sweet rolls other than the onces that are really small. I used spray butter, smoked ham, and some black pepper pork sandwich meat. Soooo good. Next time, I'm going to use a honey mustard recipe that I got off of the site instead of mustard/mayo on the sandwich. Thank you so much! This is definately a keeper!

Yum, the only thing I can compare these to is a Po'Boy. They are great. The plate trick really works too. I just brushed with a little olive oil to help crisp them. I used regular sandwich rolls too.

I have made this many times and it is very good...I was born in Ybor City, Fl and am of Cuban decent...It irks me when people in restaurants call their sandwiches "authentic" Cuban...If it's not on real Cuban bread, it is not an "authentic" Cuban sandwich...Otherwise, very good sandwich...

My new favorite lunch! I followed the recipe exactly, except I used just regular panini rolls and didn't measure the mayo and mustard, just put on to our tastes. Used leftover pork I had from a roast, and it was fantastic! I used my George Foreman to grill for a couple minutes. I can't wait to make this again!

I was looking for a good recipie, and I found it! I love cuban sandwiches. For an interesting twist buy the prepared pulled BBQ pork in your deli section and heat that up and use that for the pork. Makes for a taste explosion!!! Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful recipe.

This is my favorite kind of sandwich! I used homemade Crusty Cuban Bread instead of rolls and pulled pork instead of sliced. Perfect!

Pretty darn good. I do it a bit different... Use a firm baguette instead of roll. No mustard. Instead of mayo do garlic aioli. Instead of pickle use sweet banana peppers. YUM. Also, add chopped cilantro.

Loved it!! Thanks for sharing!

This was good, similar in flavor to a ham'n'cheese with a twist, to my taste. However, my better half really liked it! I had to improvise with the griddle/skillet thing, and I do say that 8 minutes (4 min. a side) was a bit too long- it got a little too *carbonized*. If your pan is hot as it should be, 3 minutes is plenty!

I bought a loaf of the real-deal cuban bread (the kind where they put a palm frond right down the center of loaf) from an authentic cuban bakery in Tampa which elevated this to a 5-star recipe...yes, the bread is that good!! I thought 1/2 cup mayo was too much for my taste, so I cut that back drastically. I used reduced-fat mayo and spread just enough on the bread to moisten it and then spread some mustard on top of that. I used my panini pan to get the pressed effect, and did add some really flavorful Campari tomatoes before cooking. Nice, nice sandwich for lunch today.

This is the real thing folks. I'm of Cuban descent and live in Miami and this is a wonderful recipe. I would argue that mayo is not an original ingredient in a Medianoche or a Cuban Sandwich but you can always leave it out. I make these for parties, cut the sandwich into fours, put toothpicks through them and place them on platters. They are always the first to go. Great Recipe!

Very easy and very good. There is a vendor near by job who sells these and I love them , but this recipe is far better than his medianoche sandwiches. YUM NOTE: I used my George Foreman grill to make these and it worked great.

One of my favorite sandwiches ever! This turned out perfectly, thank you :o) I used leftover sliced pork roast for this and it was awesome. Definitely don't skimp on the mustard and pickles!! I actually had spicy kosher pickles so I think that took this recipe up to ten stars. The frying pan method worked just fine so I didn't have to dig out my george foreman grill. thanks again for this recipe!

Very good... exactly like I used to buy in a cuban deli.

If you cant find roast pork at your deli, do this. I take a pork tenderloing and marinate in Mojo Criollo overnight to give it that authentic Cuban flavor. Then roast slowly in oven at 300 degrees until done. Then I shred it, this is how they used to do it when I was growing up in Tampa. It was delicious.

Those of us who used to live in Florida and - quite honestly - took these sandwiches for granted THANK YOU!! WOW - a great sandwich that reminds me of living in Tampa, although the bread was not particularly sweet. A keeper!!

I've eaten a LOT of Cuban sandwiches (never in Cuba, mostly in Key West) and this tastes as good as the best I've ever had - even though I'm low-carbing it these days and made it with a low carb Tortilla and it wasn't pressed in a grill. FABULOUS recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!

I had a hard time finding pork lunchmeat- so I bought a pork tenderloin that was already marinated, baked it and sliced it up for the sandwiches- very very good! We don't use sweet rolls, but a nice crusty Italian roll. Everyone loves these!

I love making these sandwitches as they are easy and can be combined with whatever you have on hand. I would recommend using olive oil instead of butter as well.

Perfect! Wouldn't change a thing!

it sounds good, but not the cuban original recipe; no sweet bread, we use cuban bread, crispy and dry outside and no mayo, instead butter should be use...I'm born and raise in Cuba, my mother has cuban restaurants all her life... but it seems a good variation..

Loved this! It tasted just like one I had at Walt Disney World recently. My only change was using mozzerella cheese instead of swiss (didn't have swiss on hand).

Delicious, but I did make some changes. I used an equal amount of mayo and mustard, blended, and added a shake or 2 of garlic powder. I also used roasted turkey and roast pork and provolone cheese and sub rolls. Guess that's pretty different than the original now that I've written it! Nevertheless, this was a good guide to use, and the sandwiches were a hit. They'll be a regular.

Wendy, these are great! I used soft kaiser rolls, mixed in a bit of italian dressing with the mayo and mustard and there was plenty of meats for 6 huge sandwiches. Luckily my deli had sliced roast pork! I too brushed them with olive oil before pressing them in my griddle and they crisped up so nicely. Served with black bean soup. Even my little girl loved her sandwich AFTER she yanked the pickles off!

Excellent! I used extra lean pork and ham, reduced fat swiss, and light mayo. My husband said it was the best he'd ever had.

THIS WAS THE BEST, AND SO EASY FOR ONE ON THE GEORGE! I DIDN'T HAVE SLICED PORK, BUT USED CARNITAS INSTEAD. THE GARLICKY FLAVOR MADE THIS SANDWICH A KEEPER.

awesome...I don't think I came up for air!!!! I used leftover roast pork from the night before and it was great way to use it up!!

Excellente! I used a cast iron skillet to weight the sandwich as it cooked. Very authentic!

I had seen this made on the FoodNetwork and wanted to try it but never had all the ingredients until now. I followed the recipe as stated except for the bread. I only had ciabatta bread (plus it made for a smaller serving size)! This was so good! The crispiness of the bread, the pickle crunch and of course the "sauce" makes the sandwich! Will definately make again.

Really yummy and a crowd pleaser. And yet it's just a ham/pork/swiss sandwich but together it's more than that somehow.

Except for the sweet bread, this is exactly the sandwich I lived on in Key West, made by Cubans for Cubans. They used those rolls that are a smaller, hoagie sized version of French bread. I love these sandwiches, but I only gave 4 stars because I didn't like the sweet bread so much. Next time I'll go back to the original.

now that:s better!!!! someone had posted a midnight sandwich not even close to the real thing....thank you for posting this as i was about to lose my mind!!!

Not that I know personally, but it looks like the sandwiches I've seen on travel shows. I made ours on onion buns with leftover grilled pork chops. My husband had one like the recipe, everyone else had theirs catered to their tastes. I made mine on a whole wheat bun grilled with olive oil, a bit healthier and still yummy!

My family loved this even though I had to make some adjustments to use what I had on hand at the moment. I had to use Havarti cheese and hamburger buns. But after grilling them on a grill pan and pressing them with my cast iron skillet you couldn't tell it was a bun. It just tasted wonderful. I only made half of the sauce and it was plenty. This is a good quick meal.

Excellent sandwich! Even my picky "Boys" at it up and wanted moore. I used some leftover pulled pork from another dinner earlier in the week that had no barbeque sauceon it. It was seasoned with a few spices and it was perfect on this sandwich ! I will surely make this one again !

Amazing! This is a great sandwich, even my husband loved it, and he was skeptical about it. Thanks for the recipe!

This was wonderful! When I have had these at Cuban restaurants, there is no mustard or mayonnaise on the bread, just butter, so that's how I made mine. I used provolone instead of Swiss (just a personal preference, and Claussen garlic pickles. Wow! Thanks for the recipe!

In a pinch I have made these using everything except the pork and it's a good way to use up those extra hamburger buns. We like to mix mayo and italian dressing together as in the Cuban Midnight Sandwich on this site.

I made these using the Cuban Pork Roast I from this site, and it was absolutely delicious. We did thicker slices fresh out of the oven and skipped toasting. My boyfriend is not a fan of mustard, so that was left out, but did add garlic powder to the mayo, similar to another reviewer's suggestion.

Delicious. Had some extra buns to use. Nice weekday dinner. Served with watermelon and coleslaw. Will make again!

I love this sandwich! One of my favorites...For the spread I did 1 part dijon, 1 part spicy mustard, 1 part yellow mustard, and 3 parts mayo. I omitted the pickles out of personal preference and didn't have pulled pork on hand so I used turkey but will definitely try pork next time. And since I had it in my fridge, I added sliced scallions, fresh spinach leaves, and a pinch of black pepper, salt, and sugar. YUM!

I had left over center cut pork chops that I thinly sliced, and added a thin spread of italian dressing to the bread before mayo and mustard. We used portuguese rolls, which are denser and crustier. What a great sandwich. The pickles make it, don't leave the pickles out!! Not like the real thing but as close as we'll get in upstate NY.

This sandwich is delicious and very quick and easy to make! The only suggestion I have is to use spicy or deli mustard instead of regular yellow mustard, but either way everyone should give these a try you wont be disappointed!

I too have problems finding the Cuban sweet rolls, so I use honey mustard instead of regular yellow mustard. (Don't use honey mustard dressing -- it tastes different.) It's the closest I've come to emulating the cubanos I loved in Miami.

This is a really good recipe. I used this recipe to honor my brothers welcoming of home. My family and I are from Cuba and we really enjoyed this recipe. -Colorful

What a great sandwich! I went out and bought a sandwich press specifically for this recipe; I love trying new things. It was well worth the time and money to be able to serve such an out-of-the-ordinary sandwich to my family. Having never used a press before this, I followed all directions to the 't'. Next time, I'll try some variations such as the Italian dressing mentioned. Thanks for the great recipe!

Very good, recipe, I made it slightly different. I used a low carb wrap, cut it in half and grilled the sandwich that way. I also used sliced turkey instead of ham. I will also try this the traditional way, and I'm sure it will be just as good, the pickles on the sandwich make it extra tasty. I also used coarse mustard, which I think makes a difference too.

This was really good and easy! We ate them with a big bowl of soup! Wouldnt' change a thing-thanks for the recipe!

This was a great recipe to use up leftover pork carnitas meat. The men in the house really raved about it. Easy meal for the summertime.

These were a hit at my last party! I accidentally used bread&butter pickles...also couldn't find the sweet rolls so I got the large loaf of cuban bread. Pressed them in a panini...mmmmmmm!

I was looking for ideas to use leftover pork tenderloin and came across this recipe. I used reduced fat swiss cheese and couldn't tell any difference. Grilled it on the panini press. Great dinner out of leftovers!

Four Stars ...Just the recipe I was looking for. This is excellent and reminds me of wonderful Cubanos I'd eaten in Key West from a local Cuban market.

I bought a pork tenderloin that had a mustard glaze of some sort on it just to make this Cuban. They were so good we had them two nights in a row. Outstanding!

We love the other recipe on this site that uses turkey, but are tired of turkey after all the Christmas leftovers, so I was happy to find this recipe using pork. It was just as good. I added Italian dressing to the mayo and brushed with olive oil, not butter. A plate weighing them down on medium heat worked perfectly with whole wheat sub rolls. Serve with vegetable soup or a salad for a complete meal.

The perfect Cuban sandwich! Mmm!

Good to be able to do this at home. These were yummy flavors together. I usually have to wait to get home to FL to experience it. This will hold me over!

This was a great way to use some leftover grilled pork loin. Used my preheated George forman grill for 5 minutes (pressing down the lid for the first minute).

Wow what a sandwich! No need for seconds! Its a whole meal in a sandwich! Hearty! Someone should sell this to Subway.

Made these for my super bowl party and they were a HUGE hit! First thing to go!I had hot wings left over but everyone asked for seconds on these sandwichs! Made them just as the recipie called for! Awsome!

Very simple to make and a hit with my family! It tastes really good with a touch of Italian dressing.

I made this sandwich for an unexpected lunch with friends using leftovers and it went over very well. I didn't use sweet rolls because I didn't have any, but used some french bread slices I had in the freezer. It was a really good lunch with a quick fruit salad and iced tea and I was able to make it with what I had on hand.

Cubans have become one of my favorite “go to” sandwiches when eating out. It’s true, an authentic Cuban must have a slice of pork tenderloin to be considered a real Cuban Midnight Sandwich. For the pork tenderloin, I used the recipe for “Havana Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin” from this site. It gives this sandwich a lot of extra added flavor.

Excellent! I used the ingredients as listed, but just mixed mustard and mayo together and used the spread. I also used my George Foreman grill to cook it and the bread turned out nice and crusty outside and soft inside. I wouldn't change anything.

Husband loved it!!! I did use kosher dills & would have been better if I had used Claussen slices. But a for sure "do over"

Ohmigosh...what a great meal idea! I served it with the tostones and both my husband and I were captivated by the flavors and the fun of cooking together in the kitchen...it took both of us to prepare the sandwiches and cook the tostones....

Made the Cuban Roast Pork I recipe from Allrecipes.com to make the pork for these sandwiches. Followed both recipes exactly and the result was scrumptious!

YUM! My husband raved about it (he took leftovers for lunch), I loved it, my daughter loved it, but our teenaged son was so-so. He ate it, but didn't take a second one (he is 16, 6 ft and growing, so 2 sandwiches would be the norm). He's the only reason it didn't get 5 stars!

Well, I guess the person that didn't even TRY to lighten the calories has never had a Philly Steak Sand!!! THAT has MORE calories,LOL. This sandwich is awesome the way I made it. Used Miracle whip and prob 1/4 cup for 4 sandwiches. Made with Honey Baked Ham, less salt AND calories, used left over pork, again, less calories AND salt. Used olive oil and regular french rolls. Mind you I only made it that way because thats what we use at home!!! Tasted GREAT! And Im sure no one would notice!!! Thanks for the recipe!!

Really good sandwich. Used regular bread and sweet bread and butter pickles, because that was all I had. Turned out great. Grilled it up like a regular grilled cheese and did not press it down. Had the heat up too high and the bread browned before the cheese melted, so I just put it in the microwave for a few seconds Loved it. The bread and butter pickles would be good for those who don't like dill. Will make it again using the recipe ingredients and the changes I made.

Awesome!

Love this sandwich! Gotta love Miami!

Very good, made it exactly as call for, thank you for this fun recipe!

This sandwich rocks! It will most certainly become a regular at our house. Thanks so much for sharing!

Really liked the sauce.

Very good! I needed to use up some leftover pork tenderloin, and this did the trick! I couldn't find sweet rolls (I don't even know what those are!) so I bought Pane Italian rolls. I went out on a limb and used the mayo, although using it on a heated sandwich sounded gross to me. I mixed the mayo and mustard together, which the directions don't call for. This seemed to work out well. Instead of butter, I used olive oil on the bread, and I grilled on the Georgie for about 4 minutes. I have no idea what an authentic Cuban sandwich tastes like, but this was really good!

OMG, this sandwich is awesome! I wasn't sure if it would be that good because it calls for so much meat and cheese, but it was soooo good. I made the recipe exactly as stated using sliced leftover pork roast and was very surprised by how excellent this sandwich tasted. I have never had a medianoche before, so i can't say how authentic it was, but definitely delicious! will be making again.

This was a great easy to make family said it was as good as the one at BONGO'S in Disney Springs. I think next time I will use a different bread.

It came out good but it is still missing something

Loved these! I made them on slider buns to make sort of an appetizer size, which worked out great. The family gobbles them up~YUM! Thanks for sharing. :)

This version of the medianoche is great! It was actually the first thing I made with my Cuisinart GR-4N 5-in-1 Griddler after Christmas. And I've made them many times since. I'm not gonna lie - I have a texture issue with pickles; so when I make them for me, I mix pickle juice in with the mayo in lieu of putting actual pickles on the sandwich. That way, the flavor is still there, but the pickle isn't. Although I prefer it that way, I've also had them with pickles in them (still yummy). And when I make them for other people, I do it the traditional way with pickles. This sandwich is always a hit. It's great drunk food. It's great comfort food. And it's one of those "warm your soul" foods that is fantastic after a few hours of shoveling snow.

Amazing sandwiches, my mother in law and I loved them.

Recently got a sandwich press as a gift, and my husband LOVED this sandwich. I used hoagie rolls instead of sweet bread and used bread and butter pickles. It was very good..

The taste was very good but I used my George Foreman as a press and I think it dried it out too much. I will definitely try again.

We used the pork we had made for canitas the night before and added some fresh deli sliced ham and swiss cheese. We enjoy this version and it has become part of our regular menu!

Awesome

NO ORIGINAL CUBAN SANDWICH, MEDIA NOCHE, CROQUETA PREPARADA, FRITAS, ANY INCLUDE MAYONNAISE. MAYONNAISE IS A LATE COMER AND UNNECESSARY ADDITION TO A DELICIOUS CUBAN ORIGINAL. EVERYTHING ELSE IS MUST, BUT DROP THE MAYO PLEASE, IT KILLS THE BLEND.

made it per the instructions, no instructions for the tomatoe

Put Swiss cheese on second last. Otherwise, sandwich slid apart and looked like pancake, rather than sandwich.

Excellent! I didn't have the traditional Cuban bread and subbed with French Rolls for my husband and a GF Ciabatta Roll for my sandwich. I marinaded a pork tenderloin using a mojo sauce from another recipe on this site, which worked perfectly. I was hoping for more garlic flavor to come through in this recipe and next time will add some garlic to the mayo. I don't have a panini press and simply made these in the cast iron skillet and used my cast iron tortilla press on top of the sandwiches. Simple and tasty Cuban sandwiches we will definitely make again. Thanks for the recipe!