Tasty Tuesday: Cuban Pressed Sandwiches

If you’re not a fan of meat, or pork, or big sandwiches, then you might want to skip this post.  But, if you are like me and Chris and you like to indulge in all of the above, then read on.

We were first introduced to this recipe when my brother-in-law made them on a camping trip a few years ago.  Since then, they’ve become a favorite in our kitchen and a number of our friends and family have enjoyed them when visiting.  This meal is a great alternative to the standard BBQ fare, so you might want to bookmark it for your upcoming Labor Day weekend festivities!

First you start out with some ground pork and thousand island dressing.  We found that by mixing the dressing into the meat before cooking, the burger doesn’t dry out as ground pork often does.  So, slowly mix in the dressing until you find the right balance.  We keep adding dressing until we are afraid that the burgers won’t stay together if we add any more…we tend to overdo things a bit.

Form your burgers and then have your grillmaster grill them up.  In the meantime, prep your sandwich production line by covering the buns in some dijon mustard and setting out some cheese (the original recipe calls for Swiss cheese, but go with what you like), pickles and ham. Also, heat up your sandwich pressing mechanism (we use an old mini George Forman Grill).

Once the burgers are done, create your stack-o-meat-and-cheese…

Then press away and flatten the burgers out so that you can actually get your mouth around them.  Serve up with some sides of your choice, and voila!

Are you hungry yet?