Alton Brown's Untraditional Ingredient Swap In A Cuban Sandwich

When you sit down at your favorite local sandwich joint and order a Cubano, you can expect to get ham, not turkey. A traditional Cuban sandwich (aka Cubano) uses a combination of savory roast pork and thinly sliced sweet ham. A Tampa-style Cuban sammy adds funky Genoa salami, which was inspired by a culinary fusion of the Cuban and Italian immigrants in Southern Florida where the sandwich was originally invented. But, in another avant-garde twist from the self-described "foodist," Alton Brown revealed that he swaps pork for turkey when he makes a Cuban sandwich on a hot day. The tip comes from a post on Brown's official Instagram account, in which he writes, "The Cuban is my favorite sandwich of all time and I respect it deeply. However, sometimes, in summer, I occasionally skip roasting a hunk of pork and reach instead for herb-roasted turkey from the deli. Is it authentic? No. It is however, delicious."

This is far from Brown's first potentially controversial variation on a beloved classic. The chef caught major backlash for omitting triple sec from his go-to margarita recipe. Fans took to the comments section of his reimagined Cuban post to sound off their opinions on the adaptation. "Ay dios mío! Alton, I'm not opposed to using roast turkey but please don't call it a Cuban," one commenter joked-slash-pleaded. As another fan suggested, the sandwich could be called a "Cuban club."

Turkey certainly adds a brighter, lighter lift to this traditionally hearty sandwich, which was literally designed to be hearty to feed hard-working laborers. Per the lore, the Cuban sandwich was invented not in Cuba but as a hearty lunchtime favorite of cigar factory workers in Key West, Tampa, and Ybor City during the mid-1800s. To keep some of the classic Cubano flavor in Brown's summertime turkey version, perhaps consider marinating the roasted turkey in the same mojo marinade used to flavor Cuban-style roast pork. Mojo is a vinaigrette-style mixture of sour orange juice, garlic, oregano, cumin, and olive oil. 

From there, load up your marinated roasted turkey sammy in a classic Cubano style. To do it, stack the protein with Swiss cheese, sour dill pickles, and yellow mustard, all married between Cuban bread — a white loaf made with lard-enriched dough for a slightly sweet taste and plush softness even when toasted. This ingredient can be found at your local Hispanic or Cuban bakery, but if there are none in your neighborhood, a soft Italian loaf totally works, too. To finish, be sure to press that turkey "Cuban club" in a hot panini press or beneath a large heated skillet for the signature warm, toasty finish that foodies love and expect from the classic sammy, even if it's a poultry-centric adaptation.