Classic Cuban Sandwiches

5 pounds pork shoulder or brisket
1½ teaspoons Cuban spice mixture (onion flakes, ground cloves, crumbled bay leaf, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt)
3 garlic cloves, mashed
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
12 (5-inch) soft white rolls
¾ cup prepared mustard
12 slices from 4 large tomatoes (optional)
1½ cups sliced dill pickles
24 thin slices salami
24 slices Swiss cheese

This sandwich is best served with fried plantain chips and a cold mamey milkshake.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Place the pork in a roasting pan and rub with the Cuban spice mixture, garlic, and pepper; cover with foil. Add ½ inch of water to the bottom of the pan, and roast for 4 hours or until very tender. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Shred meat.
Place the shredded meat in a pot with the pan juices from the roasting pan, and simmer with additional seasonings, if needed, until moist but not runny. Keep warm.
To make a sandwich, lay the bottom of an opened roll on a clean surface. Spread with 1 tablespoon of mustard. Top with 1 thin tomato slice, 2 or 3 pickle slices, 4 ounces of pork, 2 thin slices of salami, and 2 slices of Swiss cheese. Top with the roll lid. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches. Each sandwich may be served immediately or griddled like a panini and served hot to melt the cheese.