Your whole crowd is going to love these Cuban Pork Belly Sliders! The classic flavor of a Cuban sandwich in a convenient, fun little slider, then elevated with crispy bites of fried pork belly and a healthy dose of garlic butter.
This post is sponsored by Pepperidge Farm. All opinions stated are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible!
I have an ongoing obsession with small foods.
I’m pretty sure I’ve talked about this before, so please stop me if you’ve heard this one.
Miniature anything, actually, gets me all excited, but especially food. This probably explains why I love cooking and baking for parties so much – especially on Game Day! Most of the things you find on the spread are small and portable. These Cuban Pork Belly Sliders fit the bill, and I promise you are going to love them as much as I do – and not just because they’re cute and little!
When was the last time you had a good Cuban sandwich? Like a really really good one?
I think I tried my first one when I was in college…I can actually remember it. It was in St. Petersburg, Florida, while visiting the Salvador Dali Museum with my philosophy class. We were grabbing lunch before heading back home, and I was going back and forth on whether or not I wanted to cheat on my Lenten no-meat-Fridays diet with this sandwich.
Spoiler alert: I cheated.
The ham. The shredded pork! The buttery crunch of the authentic pressed pan Cubano. It was pure bliss.
These Cuban Pork Belly Sliders are considerably different than the traditional version, but in very a good way.
How do you cook Cuban Pork Belly Sliders?
First off, you’ve got to start with a really fantastic bun.
Sliders need a good, small bun to craft the perfect mini sandwich look you’re going for. The best option I’ve found is absolutely Pepperidge Farm Slider Buns. I’ve long been a fan of their fluffy, consistently tasty breads and rolls, so it was a no-brainer to bring their little buns into the mix.
After reading the ingredient list (which contain all premium quality ingredients, and no high fructose corn syrup or artificial flavors), the hardest decision I had to make was which flavor I was going to use in this recipe (they have 5 to choose from)!
Your decision should be easy – Pepperidge Farm is offering coupons for $1.00 off so you can try them all! They’re versatile for any recipe, so even after football season is over, you won’t have trouble using them up.
What the hell is pork belly?
Delicious buns aside, these sliders are fairly familiar, except I’ve replaced the pulled/sliced pork with crispy pork belly! If you’ve never tried pork belly, I highly recommend picking some up on your next trip to the butcher shop. It’s a fatty type of meat that can be slow roasted, braised, barbecued or fried in all kinds of ridiculously indulgent international recipes.
It’s also what American bacon and Italian pancetta come from. So…that ought to convince you.
Abe introduced me to pork belly back in the early days of our relationship, but as chicharrón, an extremely popular deep-fried snack in many Latin American countries. Given the choice, I’d take a slab of pork belly over bacon any day (I know!) and it was the clear winner on the short list of twists I felt like this dish needed. The crunch of the slowly rendered bits of pork took the place of the missing extra-crispy Cuban bread.
My last-minute addition of Genoa salami didn’t hurt either.
These Cuban Pork Belly Sliders were an overall touchdown (teehee), from the bottom bun to the garlic butter-brushed crown.
Even more fabulous Game Day snacks…
- Spicy PB&J Chicken Wings
- German Potato Skins
- Slow Cooker Chicken Queso Dip
- Sweet & Spicy Pigs in a Blanket
- Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Peppers
- Salted Caramel Football Rice Krispie Treats
FOR MORE RECIPE INSPIRATION – AND TO PRINT YOUR COUPON $
VISIT PEPPERIDGE FARM!
Cuban Pork Belly Sliders
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork belly 1/2-inch thick slices
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups water
- 12 slider buns sliced in half
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt to taste
- 12 slices Swiss or Havarti cheese
- 24 dill pickles
- 8 ounces deli ham slices
- 8 ounces Genoa salami slices
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 1 clove garlic minced
Instructions
- Place the pork belly pieces on a cutting board. Use a small knife to make shallow criss-cross cuts on each piece. Rub the strips with baking soda, then cut into 1-inch pieces and place in a medium skillet.
- Add the water and salt. Cook over medium-low heat until the water evaporates, about 40-45 minutes.
- When all the water has evaporated, increase the heat to medium and cook for 15-20 minutes, flipping once, until golden and crispy. Remove from the skillet with tongs and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Preheat oven to 350º. Place bottom half of slider buns on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, and garlic powder and season with salt. Spread on bottom half of buns, then top with 6 slices of cheese, ham, salami, 12 pickles, drained pork belly pieces, and remaining cheese.
- Place melted butter and minced garlic in a small bowl and mix together.
- Place top half of slider buns on, then brush with garlic butter. Bake 10-15 minutes until buns are crispy and golden and cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven and place remaining 12 pickles on top, skewering them with cocktail skewers.
Rebecca Hubbell says
My husband and I absolutely love Cuban sandwiches, and these sliders are definitely going to make an appearance on out game day menu!
jane @ littlesugarsnaps says
These would go down o well at a football party – I’m thinking ahead to the World Cup – I know I’ll end up feeding a crowd, so I’m pinning these little bites.