Cuban Sandwich Burger. A simply seasoned ground pork patty combined with deli ham, Swiss cheese and mustard on a crusty burger bun. A quicker way to enjoy the great flavour of a Cuban sandwich.
Cuban Sandwich Burger.
Originally published March 2016.
Cuban Sandwiches seem to be everywhere these days. I’ve tried a few of them in my travels to Florida and they are a brilliant example of simple ingredients coming together to create something much greater than the sum of its parts.
All of the popular food sites seem to have done articles on them in the past year or so and numerous food trucks have popped up with the star of the menu being the authentic “Cubano” as they are known. The Cubano even has played a central role in the recent John Favreau movie “Chef”.
Cuban Sandwich Burger. All the flavour in far less time.
My inspiration for the Cuban Sandwich Burger
I was grinding some pork to make my easy homemade breakfast sausage recently when I had a little leftover and the idea to turn it into pork burgers for dinner popped into my head.
When asking myself what would be good to top a pork burger I suddenly remembered those Cubanos I was seeing everywhere. I had all of the ingredients on hand so I decided to give it a whirl.
The slow roasted pork traditionally used in the sandwiches is often marinated in cumin, garlic and oregano, so I used those to season the patties. I then constructed the burgers as I would for the sandwiches.
The sandwiches are also traditionally toasted in a press and you can give that a try too if you like but I stuck with a crusty burger bun on this occasion. I may try putting them in my panini press nest time to see how that goes.
If you have a yearning for a good cuban sandwich but don’t have the hours it takes to slow roast pork, try this burger idea. It will definitely quell your Cubano craving.
Grinding Pork for Cuban Sandwich Burgers
July 2018 Update
If you are grinding your own pork for these burgers, which I highly recommend, here’s a couple of tips.
- Use pork shoulder or sirloin for best flavour. You can trim the fat easily and regulate the fat content of the ground pork to your preference.
- A coarse grind is very good but if you find the patties too crumbly when cooked, try using a coarse grind for half the pork and a fine grind for the other half. This should give you a good mix of texture and binding.
- As in making sausage, you can toss the seasonings with the small cubes of meat that you will be passing through the grinder. Grinding the meat this way, ensures a perfectly even distribution of the seasoning throughout the entire batch of meat.
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Cuban Sandwich Burger
Cuban Sandwich Burger - a simply seasoned ground pork patty combined with deli ham, swiss cheese and mustard on a crusty burger bun. A quicker way to enjoy the great flavour of a Cuban sandwich.
Ingredients
- 1 pound coarsely ground pork
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp try oregano
- 1 clove small finely minced garlic
- salt and pepper to season
- 8 ounces thin sliced deli ham
- 4 slices swiss cheese
- yellow mustard
- sliced dill pickles
- 4 crusty burger buns
Instructions
- Sprinkle the ground pork with the minced garlic, cumin and oregano. Knead the seasonings into the ground pork a little so that it holds together better to form into patties.
- Form the ground pork into four 5 inch patties. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Fry the patties in a non stick pan until well browned and the internal temperature of the patties is 160-170 degrees. During the last minute or two of cooking time add one or two slices of cheese on top of the patties to melt.
- Toast the buns under the broil and spread yellow mustard on both sides. Place about 1 1/2 ounces of the deli ham on each bun.
- Add the cooked patties with the melted cheese on top of the ham, then add sliced dill pickles before topping with the second half of the bun. Serve immediately.
Notes
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.
Recommended Products
Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
Fully dressed burgerAmount Per Serving Calories 637Total Fat 36gSaturated Fat 15gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 156mgSodium 1248mgCarbohydrates 25gFiber 1gSugar 3gProtein 51g
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.
sheila ann doiron
Friday 21st of June 2024
i have made these a couple of times and they are really good
sheila ann doiron
Saturday 30th of September 2023
Hi, I made these last night and we really enjoyed them, so easy to put together ,i used ground pork from the supermarket and that made it all the easier .i have 2 patties in the freezer just waiting to be cooked ,thanks for another great recipe
Willy
Tuesday 5th of September 2023
Excellent recipe. One addition, a little squeeze from an orange to give it that Cuban pork feel. I might try it with some grated rind but that may be too much
Carmen
Tuesday 16th of May 2023
These burgers are delicious! I have made them twice. We are not huge mustard fans, so the second time I used mustard on one side of the bun and garlic sauce on the other. Less like the original Cubano, I know, but we preferred them that way.
Joanne E.L.
Monday 6th of September 2021
Thank you, Barry, for this delicious recipe! I made it as written, with the one change being that I substituted a small amount of reduced-sodium flakes of ham on the burgers because I had no sliced deli ham available. It worked well!
I also cooked the pork burgers on an oiled rack over a baking sheet for 30 minutes, adding the Swiss cheese on top in the last 10 minutes. I had used more meat than the recipe called for, and I had increased the spices proportionally; the burgers were thicker.
I will definitely be making this again. Thanks so much once more!