The Cuban Sandwich That Reigns Supreme in Miami | Legendary Eats

Taryn Varricchio: Garlic suckling pig marinated for 24 hours combined with sweet ham brined for seven days, topped with two slices of Swiss cheese and pickles for a touch of vinegar and extra crunch. All placed on luxurious Cuban bread, spread with lard and pressed until warm and crispy. It's this classic combination of flavors pressed between Cuban bread that made the Cuban

sandwich

a legend in Miami. Ham and cheese is one of those classic combinations. It's simple, but you may see it served differently depending on where you go. Like in Miami, where Little Havana is a paradise for Cuban cuisine.

And this classic combination of meat and protein defines your favorite

sandwich

. Customer: Cuban sandwiches in Miami are like pizza to New Yorkers. The Cuban sandwich is the top, and if you meet the top, then you'll find us at Miami's Sanguich. Rosa Romero: For Cubans we can make anywhere, on a slow day 80 sandwiches, on a busy day 150 Cubans alone. Taryn: At Sanguich in Miami, Daniel and Rosa spend most of their time preparing the meat. To make a true Cuban sandwich, they prepare ham and roast pork called lechón. Rosa: For our suckling pig and our ham, we use the same part of the pig, which is a boneless pork butt.

For us we find that it is usually one of the most tender parts of the pig. One is cured and the other is marinated, it's really the only difference between the two. Taryn: The healing process begins like this. Each ham is wrapped and injected with a salt and water solution made with spices, such as garlic, allspice, cloves and coriander. It is then left to rest for seven days, acquiring flavor by absorbing that brine. While the pig is marinated for one or two days before going into the oven to roast. And when it's finished... Rosa: You end up with this beautiful crust on the outside.

The gold that has obviously been contributed through toasting, with all the sugars and honey that are in the ham. It's nice and tender, definitely juicy, it really creates a powerhouse of flavors when you combine it particularly with the ham, which is a little sweeter. Taryn: What may be as important as the meat is the loaf of bread between it. A Cuban sandwich simply wouldn't be the same without Cuban bread. Rosa: Cuban bread for Cubans is what tortilla is for Mexicans, right? What is the arepa for Colombians or for Venezuelans, right? It's just part of our DNA.

Taryn: But what makes this bread different from, say, French or Italian bread? It has to have fat. Rosa: There are many people who can make Cuban bread, but they only use water. It was very important for us to be authentic and make sure we didn't remove the butter from the process, because it really makes a big difference with Cuban bread. With flavor, texture, everything. Taryn: And while other places may opt for yellow mustard, Miami's Sanguich adds a splash of their homemade spicy mustard. And if customers find that they crave mayonnaise... Rosa: I tell them that Cubans are not made with mayonnaise, that I will gladly put it on the side, but that I will not be a party to ruining the Cuban sandwich with mayonnaise.

Taryn: After a drizzle of mustard comes equal parts pork and ham, two slices of Swiss cheese, and pickles. Customer: I love the Cuban sandwich because there is something special about it: the mustard, the pickles, the pork fat. There is something about that combination of flavors that has many layers and that impacts me. Daniel Figueredo: It's the way you really palatize it correctly. Most people put mustard and pickles together, but that's not done. It's too much vinegar. It hits you in the face. It's overwhelming. You have to separate them and give them complementary meat. Taryn: And finally, the entire sandwich goes to the griddle, where it is pressed and topped with one more thing.

Rosa: Once it is heating up, we add butter, and the butter we use is the same that is taken from the ham and pig that we make. Daniel: The lard is what really helps dissipate the heat. It has a very high heat index, so it doesn't burn, like butter. Customer: The meat is rich and tender. The bread is nice and crispy. It gives you that crunch. That's how I remember it. Okay, so how do you open a store like this in Wisconsin? Taryn: More than 60% of the Cuban population in the United States lives in Florida, and a third of Miami-Dade County in particular, where Sanguich calls home, is made up of Cuban Americans, hence why the Cuban sandwich has become a pillar here.

Customer: I have people all the time, they all come into town and that's the only question they have: "Where can I get a Cuban sandwich?" Daniel: It's part of generations and generations and generations of food. So, here in Miami, it is natural... Rosa: When we migrated here, it was natural that... Daniel: That that is inherited. It's part of our culture. It's part of our DNA. It is part of the fabric of our culinary landscape. That's my Cuban. Customer: No one has ever really elevated the sandwich. It's been like a traditional staple with store-bought ingredients, but no one has really taken it to the gourmet level of making everything from scratch, from the pickles to the mustard, how they brine everything.

You try it. You test all the quality. Rosa: I think over time the Cuban sandwich has become something that we put on the back burner, where it's like a really affordable fast food that you just grab and go. But we wanted to go back to the old school, where people really took the time and care to create their m

eats

and put together a beautiful sandwich that you could really enjoy. Taryn: And that sandwich they master is one of the best Cubans you'll find in Miami, and customers come from all over the world to try it. Rosa: There have been people who have come and shown us...

Daniel: Like a magazine. Pink: Magazines. Their magazines from Europe say you have to try this Cuban sandwich, and it's surreal. And we were humbled by the whole thing. Honestly, you know, you put something in motion, you put all your effort and love into it. You feel like it's something that's going to be appreciated. And then once they try it, the gratitude and enjoyment you see in their eyes when they actually try it. Honestly, it makes it all worth it. Customer: Everyone loves a good sando and every culture has a sandwich. This is our sandwich and our culture in one bite, you know?

Client: It's kind of a complete package. You get the different flavors, the different textures. I love grilled cheese with meat, but this is something unique. It's just that it's the Cuban sandwich.