Cubano Sliders

I’ve always had a love affair with the Cubano sandwich.  What’s not to love?  It’s packed with so much flavor and texture, it makes me happy just to look at one sitting on my plate.

Serving Size: 8-10

Ingredients

• • 1 pork tenderloin, about ¾ – 1lb

• • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1 cup pineapple juice
  • 1 small onion sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic smashed
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground all-spice
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 handful fresh cilantro leaves

• Marinated pork tenderloin
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground all-spice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ lb sliced baked ham
• 1 small jar of sliced pickles
• 10 slices Swiss cheese
• Yellow mustard
• Slider Buns

Instructions

To marinate the pork, place the tenderloin in a non-reactive or glass dish. Mix together the orange juice, pineapple juice, sliced onion, garlic, cumin, all-spice cinnamon stick, cilantro and salt. Pour this mixture over the tenderloin and cover with plastic wrap. Place it in the refrigerator and let it marinate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

To prepare the pork, preheat the oven to 375F. Remove the pork from the marinade and discard the marinade. Paper towel dry the pork and then rub it with one tablespoon of olive oil. Mix together the salt, pepper and the all-spice and rub it onto the pork. Place the pork in a baking dish and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 145F.

Remove the pork from the oven and let it cool. Once the pork has cooled, thinly slice the pork and set aside.

Turn the oven down to 350F.

Slice the slider buns in half and place them on a baking sheet. Add a slice of Swiss cheese to both the top and bottom of each slider bun. Then add a dash of mustard on top of the cheese on both the bottom and top of each slider bun.

Place thin sliced pork tenderloin, thin sliced pickles and thin sliced baked ham on the bottom slider buns. Place the tops of the buns (with just the cheese and mustard) over the pork and pickles and the press down slightly to keep the sliders in tact.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and let them warm until the cheese begins to melt, about 5 minutes or so.

Remove the sliders from the oven and serve.