Cuban Sliders
These Cuban Sliders take the classic Cubano and do it a little differently. Pulled pork, deli ham, pickles, cheese, and mustard are served on garlic-buttered rolls.
We’re big fans of the classic Cubano, but we also like to take traditional recipes and play with them a bit. That’s what we did with this recipe. It’s a classic Cuban sandwich served up slider-style. They’re packed with flavor and so easy to make!
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: Everything you need to make this recipe is in your kitchen or your local grocery store.
- Easy: This recipe is easy to make, with simple steps.
- Classic Flavor: These sliders are chock full of classic Cubano flavor!
🛒Ingredients
This recipe uses simple ingredients to create its classic flavor. We’ve listed them all here, but you’ll find their exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Cuban Pork
- Pork shoulder
- Cuban mojo marinade
Cuban Sliders
- Deli ham – sliced thin
- Dijon mustard
- Dill pickle chips
- Swiss Cheese slices
- Slider Buns
Topping Sauce
- Unsalted butter – melted
- Garlic – minced
- Onion powder
- Parsley – minced
🔪 How to Make Cuban Sliders
Making these sliders is very easy, considering it’s almost completely homemade. The Cuban pork is ready fast because it’s made in the Instant Pot, and the rest comes together just as quickly!
Step 1: Prep
Cut the pork into two equal-sized pieces.
Step 2: Cook
Add the pork to the Instant Pot and pour the mojo marinade over it. Close the lid, and set the valve to seal. Then, cook for 60 minutes on high. After cooking, let the Instant Pot naturally release for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Shred
Shred the pork with a hand mixer inside the Instant Pot bowl on medium-high speed.
Step 4: Strain
Transfer the shredded pork to a strainer and remove all the marinade. Then, place the pork on a large baking sheet lined it paper towels and lightly tap to remove any remaining marinade. Set aside to dry.
Step 5: Prep for the Sliders
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the bottoms of your buns on a large baking sheet.
Step 6: Layer
Coat the cut sides of the bottom buns with Dijon mustard. Then, top them with thinly sliced deli ham, pickle chips, Cuban pork, and Swiss cheese in that order. Then, top them with the tops of the buns.
Step 7: Make the Sauce
Melt the butter in a small bowl. Then, whisk in the remaining ingredients.
Step 8: Bake
Coat the tops of the sliders with the butter mixture, cover the baking sheet with nonstick foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 7 minutes until the sliders are golden brown. Enjoy!
📝Variations
- Spicy: Add red pepper flakes to the butter mixture.
- Pork Loin: For a leaner version, use pork loin instead.
- Salami: Salami in place of ham is an excellent variation.
If you think these Cuban sliders look good, then you’ll enjoy our Italian beef sliders.
🥄 Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Instant Pot
- Hand mixer
- Microwaveable bowl
- Large baking sheets
- Non-stick foil
- Strainer
🥫 Storage
These sandwiches are best when they’re fresh, but you can refrigerate them for up to 3 days in an air-tight container. Be aware that the buns get soggier the longer they sit.
To reheat the sliders, microwave them at 30-second intervals until heated through.
What to Serve with Cuban Sliders
These sliders are great with potato chips or French fries. You can also pair them with classic sides like mac and cheese, loaded potato salad, or baked beans.
💭 Tips
- Let your pork cool just enough to be safe to work with. The warmer the meat, the easier it will shred.
- It’s important to remove as much marinade as possible to avoid soggy sliders.
- Be sure you get non-stick foil or spray the underside of your foil with non-stick spray. You don’t want the buns to stick!
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Cuban sliders are a slider variation of the classic Cuban sandwich filled with all the traditional flavors but served on a slider bun.
A Cuban sandwich, also called a Cubano, is a variation of a ham and cheese sandwich made with Cuban pulled pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard on grilled bread.
If you don’t adequately drain the meat of the marinade, your sliders will be soggy. Also, the longer your sliders sit, the soggier they become. So if you eat them later in the day or store them until they next day, the bread will begin to get soggy.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy sliders? Then, try these delicious recipes.
🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe so you can find it later.
Cuban Sliders
Ingredients
Cuban Pork:
- 1-2 pounds Pork shoulder or Pork Loin
- 3 cups Cuban Mojo Marinade
Cuban Sliders:
- 1 pound Deli Ham thin sliced
- ¼ cup Dijon Mustard
- ½ cup Dill Pickle Chips
- 8-10 Swiss Cheese slices
- 12 Slider Buns
Topping Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons Unsalted Butter melted
- 2 teaspoons Garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 2 tablespoons Parsley minced
Instructions
Cuban Pork:
- Cut your pork into 2 equally sized pieces.
- Add your pork pieces into a 6 quart Instant pot, pour the Mojo marinade on top of the pork pieces.
- Close the Instant Pot lid, and set the Instant Pot valve to seal.
- Set the cook time on the Instant Pot for 60 minutes on a high manual setting.
- Once the cooking time is complete, let the Cuban pork naturally release for 30 minutes.
- Using a hand mixer, mix your Cuban pork inside the bowl of the Instant Pot on medium to high speed to shred your pork.
- Mix for 3-4 minutes or until fully shredded.
- Remove the pork from the Instant Pot into a strainer and remove all remaining mojo marinade.
- Place the Cuban pork on a paper towel lined large baking sheet and lightly tap to remove any remaining mojo marinade.
- Set to the side to dry.
Cuban Sliders:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- On a large baking sheet place the bottom portions of your slider buns.
- Coat each of your bottom portions of your slider buns with dijon mustard.
- Place the thinly sliced deli ham on top of your dijon mustard coated slider buns.
- Add the pickle chips on top of the deli ham.
- Add the Cuban pork on top of the pickle chips.
- Add the swiss cheese slices on top of the shredded pork.
- Place the top portion of the slider buns on top of the Cuban sliders.
- Set to the side.
- Make the slider topping sauce.
Topping Sauce:
- In a small bowl melt your butter, and add the remaining ingredients.
- Whisk to combine.
- Coat the tops of each slider bun with the topping sauce.
- Cover the baking tray with non-stick foil.
- Place the Cuban sliders in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.
- Remove the foil from the Cuban sliders and cook for 7 minutes or until the slider buns are a golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and enjoy.
Disclaimer
Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.
