Try Jon Favreau’s Cuban Sandwich Recipe

Jon Favreau is many things: an actor, a director, a father of three, and a Dungeons & Dragons fanatic to name a few. And thanks to his starring role in the 2014 film Chef—which he also wrote, directed and produced—Favreau has also turned into a fantastic cook.

Chef, which also starred Scarlett Johansson and Sofía Vergara, told the story of a highly-regarded chef who, after being disgraced by a surly food critic, rebuilt his rep from a food truck specializing in Cuban sandwiches. The film relied on the expertise of real-life food truck chef Roy Choi, and assured that millions of movie-goers worldwide left the theatre with growling stomachs and voracious cravings for Cuban sandwiches.

Well, here’s the good news. Almost two years removed from Chef’s 2014 premier at South by Southwest, Favreau has gone public with his favourite Cuban sandwich recipe. The versatile Hollywood star posted the recipe, which he credits to Choi, to reddit. In his post, Favreau said he whipped up a batch of the sandwiches for the Super Bowl, though they look delicious enough for pretty much any occasion. Not convinced? Check out his accompanying photos on Imgur, which are guaranteed to get your mouth watering.

Without further ado, here’s Favreau’s recipe, reformatted for improved clarity by reddit user LuisXGonzalez.

Brine:

• 4 cups orange juice
• 5 cups water
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup spiced rum
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• lots of minced garlic
• 1 tbs fresh thyme
• 1 tbs fresh rosemary
• 1 tbs fresh oregano
• 1 tbs fresh sage peppercorns
• 3 bay leaves

Mojo Marinade:

• 6 lb pork shoulder
• 2/3 cups olive oil
• 2/3 cups cilantro
• 4 tbs mint leaves
• 1/2 cups orange juice
• 1/2 cups fresh squeezed lime juice
• 7 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 ½ tbs grated orange peel
• 2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2/3 tsps. black pepper, ground
• 2/3 tsps. fine sea salt

Other items:

• Loaves of baguette
• American yellow mustard
• Swiss cheese
• Pickles (sliced lengthwise)
• Butter sliced ham

Method:

• Brine pork shoulder for 12 hours. Prepare Mojo Marinade.
• Remove pork from brine and pat dry. Marinate pork shoulder in Mojo Marinade for at least 2 hours.
• Slow roast pork shoulder til 170 internal temp (should still be a light pink on inside).
• Baste pork with marinade throughout roasting. Let pork rest until cool enough to handle. If time allows, refrigerate to make it easier to slice.
• Thinly slice, then grill.
• Cut baguettes approximately 9″ long. Butter inside of baguette or roll and then toast until golden brown.
• From bottom up, layer: 1) grilled sliced pork 2) grilled ham slices 3) Swiss cheese 4) pickles sliced thinly lengthwise. Slather mustard from edge to edge on top bun. Close sandwich. Generously brush melted butter on top of bread. Butter heated plancha and press until golden brown.