Cuban Sandwich Sauce Recipe (Cubano Sauce): Mustard, Mayo and Mojo

Cuban sandwich sauce is a quick spread of yellow mustard, mayonnaise and a spoon of mojo (sour orange, garlic, cumin and oregano) that goes on the bread before a Cubano is pressed. It takes five minutes, keeps for most of a week, and it carries the same garlic-citrus flavor the roast pork was marinated in, so the whole sandwich tastes like one idea instead of five things stacked up.

One honest note before the recipe. A classic Cubano in Miami carries plain yellow mustard and nothing else. The "Cuban sandwich sauce" people search for is the home-cook version that folds mayo and mojo into that mustard. It is very good. It is also not what the ventanita on Calle Ocho puts on the bread, and we would rather say so than pretend otherwise.

What Is Cuban Sandwich Sauce?

A Cubano is roast pork marinated in mojo, sliced ham, Swiss cheese, dill pickles and yellow mustard, pressed on Cuban bread until the crust crackles. In Tampa the sandwich also carries Genoa salami, a habit credited to the Italian families of Ybor City, where most food historians say the sandwich was born. Miami leaves the salami out. Mayonnaise is a swipe some Tampa shops add and Key West piles on along with lettuce and tomato, and Miami purists roll their eyes at all of it.

So where does a sauce come in? The mojo. Every real Cubano already has mojo in it, because the pork spent a night in sour orange, garlic, oregano and cumin. Cuban sandwich sauce takes that flavor out of the pork and puts a little of it on the bread too. Yellow mustard brings the sharp bite the sandwich has always had, mayonnaise makes it spreadable and keeps the bread from drying under the press, and a spoon of mojo ties the two to the meat. If you want heat, a Cuban hot sauce built on the same mojo base slides right in, which is the subject of our guide to the best hot sauce for a Cuban sandwich.

If you already made our Cuban mojo marinade for the pork, save a tablespoon of the fresh marinade before it touches raw meat. That is the best mojo for this sauce. If not, the citrus, garlic, cumin and oregano below build it in the bowl.

Ingredients

Makes about 3/4 cup, enough for four to six sandwiches.

• 1/4 cup yellow mustard (plain American mustard, not Dijon and not honey mustard)
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons dill pickle, finely chopped (or 1 tablespoon pickle brine for a smooth sauce)
• 1 small garlic clove, grated on a microplane
• 1 tablespoon sour orange juice (or 2 teaspoons lime juice plus 1 teaspoon orange juice)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• Black pepper to taste
• Optional, for the spicy version: 1 to 2 tablespoons Barbaro Mojo Jalabáo

Skip the salt. Mustard, mayo and pickle bring plenty.

Directions

1. Whisk the base. Stir the mustard and mayonnaise together in a small bowl until the color is even.
2. Add the mojo flavors. Stir in the chopped pickle, grated garlic, sour orange juice, cumin, oregano and a few turns of black pepper. If you saved fresh marinade from the pork, use 1 tablespoon of it in place of the juice, garlic, cumin and oregano.
3. Rest 10 minutes. Raw garlic is harsh for the first few minutes and mellows as it sits. The cumin blooms in the same time.
4. Taste and adjust. More mustard for bite, a splash more citrus if it tastes flat, Jalabáo if you want the spicy version below. Spread it thin: the sandwich already has ham, cheese and pickles to carry.

The Spicy Version: Cubano Sauce with Jalabáo

Stir 1 to 2 tablespoons of Jalabáo into the finished sauce. Jalabáo is our mild jalapeño sauce, a 3 out of 10 on our Cuban heat scale, and it is built on the same mojo criollo base as the pork marinade, so it adds heat without adding a new flavor. Jalapeño, green bell pepper, garlic and citrus sit right where the mustard and mojo already live. That is why it is the everyday pick in our Cubano guide.

Hold the habanero. El Havanero, our 9 out of 10, will bulldoze the Swiss and the mustard if it goes into the spread. If you want that heat on a Cubano, put two or three drops straight on the pork before pressing and leave the sauce alone.

How to Use It

• On the bread, before pressing. A thin layer on both cut sides, in the spot where plain mustard usually goes.
• As a dip. Cut the pressed sandwich on the diagonal and serve a small ramekin alongside. It also works for tostones and yuca fries.
• On leftover pork sandwiches. Leftover lechon asado, sliced rather than pulled, on Cuban bread with this sauce is the best thing that happens the day after a pig roast.

Where it does not go: pan con bistec. That sandwich runs on thin steak, onions and potato sticks, and it is a different animal from a Cubano. Mayo and mustard flatten it.

Tampa or Miami?

Tampa says the Cubano was born in Ybor City for cigar workers, adds salami, and made it the city's official sandwich in 2012. Miami says a Cuban sandwich should be Cuban, which means no salami and no mayonnaise. Both cities press it on Cuban bread with mojo pork, ham, Swiss, pickles and mustard, and both would rather argue than share. This sauce is a Miami recipe with a Tampa-style swipe of mayo in it, so expect a little side-eye from both camps and a clean plate anyway.

Storage

Keep it in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Stir before using, since the citrus can separate a little. Do not freeze it, because the mayonnaise breaks when it thaws. It is at its best after an hour in the fridge, once the garlic has settled in.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Cuban sandwich sauce made of?

Yellow mustard, mayonnaise and a spoon of mojo flavor: sour orange or lime juice, garlic, cumin and oregano. Some cooks add chopped dill pickle. The spicy version adds a mild Cuban hot sauce such as Jalabáo.

Is the sauce on a Cuban sandwich just mustard?

On a traditional Miami Cubano, yes. Plain yellow mustard is the only condiment, and the garlic-citrus flavor comes from the mojo pork. The mustard, mayo and mojo spread is the modern home version.

Can I make Cuban sandwich sauce without mojo?

Yes. Build the mojo flavor in the bowl with 1 tablespoon of sour orange juice (or 2 teaspoons lime juice plus 1 teaspoon orange juice), a grated garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon cumin and 1/4 teaspoon oregano. Or stir in a Cuban hot sauce that is built on a mojo base, which carries those flavors already.

How long does Cuban sandwich sauce keep?

Up to 5 days refrigerated in a sealed jar. Stir before using and do not freeze it.

What is the difference between Cubano sauce and mojo?

Mojo is the Cuban citrus-garlic marinade (sour orange, garlic, oregano, cumin) used on the pork before cooking. Cubano sauce is a spread for the finished sandwich that uses mustard and mayonnaise as its body and borrows a spoon of mojo for flavor.

For the rest of the family of Cuban sauces, from sofrito to mojo verde, see every sauce in Cuban cooking explained.