This recipe was originally published October 7, 2016. Updated February 23, 2024.
Cuban Sandwich meets Eggs Benedict for this epic recipe! If you've ever had a Cuban Sandwich (Cubano), you know that it's one of the best combinations of flavors ever. Now Imagine it in eggs benedict form?! Whoa.
The second you cut into the poached egg atop the roast pork, warm ham and swiss cheese, the yolk will go running down and mix with the decadent mustard hollandaise and the acid from the pickles will cut the richness just enough. It is SO delicious, I'm drooling just thinking about it!
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Cuban Eggs Benedict Ingredients
Toasted Bread: This recipe needs a good sturdy bread for a base because it's getting loaded up! Ciabatta and sourdough are great choices!
Roast Pork: The Mojo roast pork is arguably the most important part of this recipe. It takes a bit of time to make but the payoff is worth it!
Deli Ham: Boiled or smoked deli ham work best here. Don't use honey ham!
Swiss Cheese: Grab some baby swiss from the deli.
Kosher Dill Pickles: Grab your favorite dill pickles! You can slice them thinly yourself or buy sandwich sliced pickles.
Eggs: Can't have an eggs benedict without eggs!
Mustard Hollandaise: Cubanos are made with yellow mustard, so for this eggs benedict, we're making mustard hollandaise sauce! The best part? We're making it in a blender. It's shockingly easy to make and so delicious!
Mojo Roast Pork
Cuban mojo roast pork consists of pork shoulder that has been marinated in a mixture known as "mojo" before being roasted until tender and flavorful. Mojo is typically made from sour oranges, garlic, oregano and olive oil. Sour oranges can be difficult to find so we're using a combination of navel oranges and lime juice instead.
The pork is the most time consuming part of this recipe and it needs to be made a day in advance. You'll marinate a 3-4 pound pork shoulder for a few hours, or ideally overnight and then roast it for 5-6 hours. That sounds like a pain, I know, but it's very hands off cooking. The wonderful thing about this pork is you can save it, store it and use it over the next week on anything from sandwiches to pasta, pizza and soups. I guarantee you'll eat it all! If you don't finish all of the pork, it can be frozen and used at a later date.
Once the pork is cooked, the rest is easy to finish cooking and assemble.
Poaching eggs
Poaching eggs can be intimidating but it doesn't need to be! I use the same simple method every time and it works for me!
Bring a small pot of water to a simmer, add a splash of distilled vinegar, swirl the water to create a "whirlpool" and add the egg. The egg will swirl around in the water, closing in on itself to create the perfect poached egg! Poaching the eggs for 2 minutes will leave the yolk nice and runny, which I love. If you'd like the yolk more on the jammy side, go for 2 ½ or 3 minutes. After removing the eggs from the water they can sit on some paper towels for a few minutes while you finish up the rest of the cooking.
Cuban Eggs Benedict assembly
For the ham and swiss, I like to heat them up in a pan. The ham goes down first and gets warm and browned up a bit and then I put the swiss on top of the ham and let it get nice and melty. The hollandaise only takes a couple of minutes to make (seriously!) and should be the last step. If left to sit too long, it will stiffen up.
To assemble, you'll toast the bread, top it with the roast pork, then the pickles, then the ham and swiss, then the egg, and finally the hollandaise. I like to add a dash of cayenne pepper on top of the hollandaise for a bit of color and a little kick.
Recipe FAQ
A Cubano, or Cuban sandwich, is a pressed sandwich filled with roast pork, deli ham, swiss cheese, pickles and yellow mustard.
Store the leftover pork in the fridge for up to 4 days or it can be frozen.
Eggs benedict is usually served on an english muffin but for this recipe, a sturdier bread like sourdough or ciabatta is best to hold up to all of the toppings.
Just what is sounds like! Instead of the traditional double boiler method, this hollandaise is made in a blender. Streaming the hot butter into the blender on high speed creates enough heat to "cook" the egg yolks and emulsify the sauce. It's super easy!
Now you're all set to enjoy the best brunch ever! I hope you guys love it as much as I do.
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Cuban Eggs Benedict
Ingredients
For the mojo roast pork
- 1 3-4 Pound pork shoulder
- 1 Cup fresh orange juice from 2 navel oranges
- ½ Cup fresh lime juice from 2-3 limes
- ½ Cup olive oil
- 10 Garlic cloves minced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano roughly chopped
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 Teaspoons cumin
- 2 Teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 Teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 Yellow onion quartered
For the poached eggs
- 6 Large eggs
- Distilled vinegar
- Kosher salt
For the mustard hollandaise
- 4 Egg yolks
- ¾ Cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
- ¼ Teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ Teaspoon kosher salt
Assembly
- 6 Pieces sourdough or ciabatta bread toasted
- 12 Slices boiled or smoked deli ham
- 12 Slices baby Swiss cheese
- Dill pickles thinly sliced, to taste
- Cayenne pepper to taste, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the pork. Pierce the pork with a knife all over to make small slits. In a large bowl, whisk all of the ingredients for the marinade together. Add the pork and the marinade to a large bag or tightly sealed storage container. Place the pork in the refrigerator to marinate for 6 hours, or preferably overnight.
- Cook the pork. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Add the pork and the marinade to a large dutch oven. Cook the pork covered for 3-4 hours. Increase the oven temperature to 350 and continue cooking the pork uncovered for 1-2 hours. The pork should be tender with a golden brown crust. Remove the pork to a cutting board and shred it with two forks, adding small splashes of the pan drippings as needed to keep it moist.
- Poach the eggs. Bring a small sauce pan of water to a simmer. Add a pinch of salt and a splash of distilled vinegar to the water. Using a whisk, create a whirlpool by swirling the water in a circular motion. Crack the egg into a small bowl or ramekin. Gently slip the egg into the water and let cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with the rest of the eggs.
- Heat the ham and swiss in a pan until warm and melty. Toast the bread.
- Make the hollandaise. Add the yolks, mustard, salt and garlic powder to a bender and blend on high. Stream in the hot, melted butter and keep blending until a thick sauce develops.
- Assemble the eggs benedict as follows: toasted bread, shredded pork, sliced pickles, warm ham and swiss, poached egg, mustard hollandaise, dash of cayenne.
- Enjoy immediately!
- Slip into temporary food coma.
These came out so well. Amazing idea for a recipe! My boyfriend loved it!
So glad you liked it!! That is definitely one of my favorite recipes.
Hi, Carolyn, I was taught to always prepare a recipe exactly as written the first time & I am so very glad that I did! Especially never having had a Cuban sandwich before! Obedience to "Mama's #1 rule (my grandmother) paid off big time! It is so melt in your mouth delcious the way it is in the original.
My daughter, a chef, after sharing one with me said, "mmm, a 'gastronomical orgasm' among sandwiches!" I cracked up laughing!
Compelling recipe, I have to try it!
Shouldn't the hollandaise be placed in a double boiler for a bit before serving?
This recipe is my favorite! I hope you give it a try! The hollandaise sauce in the recipe is blender hollandaise so doesn't need the double boiler but please, go ahead and make the hollandaise however you prefer! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
-Carolyn
Oh, my stars and bars! With all that meat, my husband will have to eat his and half of mine too! However he'll do so willingly!
That said, the recipe for the pulled pork & the mustard hollandaise is what hooked me. I'll try the yellow mustard (my upper lip is curled as I love the spicy brown mustard) but I have to try this, I drool too much just looking at the picture!
lolol...thanks for a great recipe! My husband will love this!
Hi Margo!
Yes, this is Definitely an indulgent recipe but well worth it! I use yellow mustard here because that's what's traditionally used in a Cuban sandwich but if you want to use spicy brown, go ahead! I hope you and your husband enjoy it!
Carolyn
Carolyn - I was always taught to try a recipe as written first & so I used the yellow mustard as it is the traditional way in this recipe. lol I never went on to try it with the spicy brown mustard as this is so absosolutely "melt in your mouth" as written anything else would be anethema! Thank you for sharing this wonderful gastronomical treasure! What I enjoyed the most was the marinade using the combination of the oranges & limes, so
deliciously outstanding! This is a "forever keeper"
You just made my day!! Thank you so much. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Happy new year!