Jibarito, Puerto Rico’s Star Sandwich with Plantains & Beef

The jibarito sandwich is one of the newer stars in the Puerto Rican food galaxy. This addictive marriage of crispy plantain “bread’ and juicy marinated beef was dreamed up in the last three decades, though by which restaurant and when is contested to this day.

Its origin story may be debated, but there’s no denying that the jibarito sandwich skyrocketed in super-popularity super-fast. Today, these crunchy, delicioso plantain sandwiches are sold by in-the-know Puerto Rican food trucks, street vendors, and select restaurants across the U.S. and on the island.

In honor of the Puerto Rican Day Parades happening this week in New York City, Chicago and other U.S. cities, we asked one of our favorite Puerto Rican food cooks Michelle Ezratty Murphy to show us how to make her family-famous jibarito sandwich. Check out her recipe!

But First: What Does Jibarito Mean?

The word jibarito is a Puerto Rican endearment for a humble farmer/field worker, the island’s homegrown take on a hillbilly. In the way that Uncle Sam represents the U.S., a jibaro symbolizes Puerto Rico. The iconic image of a noble farmer, a machete in one hand and a straw pava hat on his head, is used in folksy ways all over the island as a symbol of authenticity and Boricua pride.

The sandwich likely got its name because it’s made with one of Puerto Rico’s most affordable, locally grown and beloved ingredients: the plantain. To make this sandwich, young, very green plantains must be used. When smashed and fried, they are called tostones and are one of the island’s favorite sides.

The secret to the sandwich’s popularity is the explode-your-taste-buds interaction between the salty-crispy plantains and the juicy-savory beef. Add a dash of adobo to the marinade, throw in lettuce, tomatoes and onion, plus a creamy slather of garlicky mayonnaise, and it’s no wonder this sandwich has become a Puerto Rican culinary hit.

Still, Michelle Ezratty Murphy, one of our favorite Puerto Rican food cooks, had never even heard of a jibarito until she saw the sandwich listed by a street vendor a few years ago.

“The jibarito is new to me,” she explains. “Growing up in Puerto Rico, you would have thought I would have eaten it at least a dozen times, but it wasn’t until I moved to Arizona, that my husband and I happened upon a small Puerto Rican food truck. The owners were from Ponce, and they had jibaritos on the menu.”

Who Made the First Jibarito?

The truth is there there is no way she could have eaten one when she was growing up in San Juan. The jibarito wasn’t even invented until sometime in the 1990s, depending on which origin story you believe. Perhaps the most accepted version of the jibarito sandwich’s start credits the owner of Borinquen restaurant in Humboldt Park, a Chicago neighborhood known for its Puerto Rican heritage. In 1996, Juan “Peter” Figueroa came up with the idea of using two huge tostones to bookend a beef sandwich, inspired by a similar dish from Venezuela called patacon. An earlier story dates the creation of the jibarito to 1991, when it was created in Aguada, Puerto Rico by the restaurant Plátano Loco.

More recently, a Chicago restaurant named Jibaritos y Mas has taken up the mantle and gone all in on this delish dish. The popular eatery expanded the plantain sandwich’s filling options to lechon (roast pork), chicken, ham and cheese, shrimp, octopus y muchos más. Bonus: Their jibarito is served with the most Boricua of classic sides: arroz con gandules. Starchfest!

Michelle and her Puerto Rican-born husband Pat Murphy tasted their first jibarito that day in Arizona and were instantly smitten. “What wouldn’t I love about it?” says Michelle. “Huge crunchy tostones, salted and dusted with garlic powder, stuffed with marinated skirt steak and topped with crunchy onions.”

It was jibarito love at first bite.

How to Make a Jibarito Sandwich en Casa

When Michelle loves a dish, she must make it her own. “I knew that I needed to cook this Puerto Rican sandwich at home,” says Michelle.” So, with Pat Murphy, her husband, designated plantain peeler and official Boricua food taster, she went into her kitchen and started experimenting, she tells us.

“The classic way to make a jibarito is with some sort of marinated beef, typically shredded or roasted. I was inspired to grill mine like a carne asada, which is one of my favorite meals. I lean towards skirt steak because it’s a tender flavorful steak that marinates well. When sliced against the grain (on the bias), it’s a perfect match for sandwiches because it’s so tender. I love how it piles nicely on the jibarito and looks really pretty, too. Honestly, it’s the only way I would make a jibarito, as it mimics the classic bistec sandwich, which can also be made with lettuce, tomato and skinny fries,“ she says.

How to Fry the Plantain “Bread” and Crispy Onions

Next up, plantains. “My husband is very particular about the way we cut and smash the platanos. We were going to use our tostonera (plantain press), but found it just wasn’t wide enough. We thought about using a can, but that didn’t work,” she says.

“So my next idea was to use a tortilla press. Perfect! We smashed the plantains to the perfect thickness and width.” Michelle admits that figuring out how to make the oversized tostones was a little daunting at first. “It’s a little time consuming, because it takes a double fry to cook them to crispiness, but certainly well worth it.”

The third challenge was to figure out was how to get crispy onions, she adds. They have to be thin and crunchy; not too thick, not too doughy. “I could buy them at the store in a can, but for some reason, I just thought that wouldn’t do justice. So I tested a bunch of frizzled onion recipes, and came up with what I thought gave me the best crisp. I use a combination of flour and cornstarch, which in my estimation, is the perfect fry.” Michelle offers this insider tip to fellow crispy-cebolla perfection seekers. “Cutting the onions on a mandolin is a must, because they have to be super thin, like paper.”

And then there’s Michelle’s final jibarito decision: What spread to use on the fried-plantain flats? Instead of garlicky mayonnaise, Michelle opted to tap her go-to condiment, another classic from Puerto Rico: Mayoketchup. Like its name says, the condiment is a mix of equal parts mayonnaise and ketchup. Essential, delicious and a crowd-pleasing must-have with papitas, Michelle knew this condiment would be a hit slathered on salty fried plantains. And it was, she reports. Her husband declared her jibarito to be the best he’s had.

Michelle, gracias for sharing your jibarito recipe with Familia Kitchen. It’s la receta perfecta to celebrate Puerto Rican culture and heritage this week of National Puerto Rican Parades. That said, you don’t need to be a Boricua to love this sandwich, Michelle recommends this recipe to ”anyone with Latino heritage and everyone else who likes fried plantains. We’ll start with my husband. If he could eat every sandwich as a jibarito, he would.”

Ready to Make a Puerto Rican Jibarito Sandwich?

Jibarito Sandwich with Plantains & Steak: Puerto Rico’s Classic!

Recipe by Michelle Ezratty Murphy

5.0 from 1 vote

Cuisine: Puerto Rican

Servings

2 to 3

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Ingredients

• For the Steak and Marinade

• 1 lb skirt steak (flank steak is an excellent substitute)

• 3/4 cup olive or avocado oil

• 2 large sweet blood or navel oranges, freshly squeezed (about ½ cup)

• 1 lemon, freshly squeezed (about 2 Tbsp)

• 1 lime, freshly squeezed ( about 1 Tbsp)

• 1 1/2 Tbsp onion powder

• 1 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder

• 1 Tbsp adobo

• 1 Tbsp kosher salt

• 2 tsp black pepper

• 
  For the Plantains “Bread”

• 2 plantains, green

• Cold water, to fill bowl large enough to fit plantains

• 2 Tbsp kosher salt

• Cooking oil (vegetable or canola)

• For the Fried Onions

• 1 onion, sweet or yellow, peeled and sliced very thinly

• Cooking oil (vegetable or canola)

• 1 cup whole milk

• 1 cup flour

• 1 cup cornstarch

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

• 
  For the Mayoketchup Dressing

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise

• 1/4 cup ketchup

• 1 Tbsp seasoning (such as adobo, garlic salt, or grilling or Cajun seasoning)

Directions

• Marinade the Skirt Steak
• Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl.
• Place the steak in a casserole container that will fit the meat’s length and width. Pour the marinade over the steak, turning it a few times to thoroughly coat it. Massage the marinade into the meat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 hours (preferably overnight).
• Once marinated, take the meat out of the refrigerator at least 45 minutes before you start grilling to bring to room temperature and take out the chill.
• Preheat the grill to 500 to 550°. Important: Make sure the grill is at temperature before cooking the steak.
• Cook on the first side for 2 minutes.
• Flip over and cook for another 1 1/2 to 2 minutes for medium rare.
• Remove the meat from the grill and place on a cutting board. Cover with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes to release its juices, before slicing.
• Once the meat is rested, thinly slice the steak on the bias ( against the grain). Each slice should be about 1/8-inch thick. Set aside.
• Make the Plantains “Bread”
• Fill a Dutch oven, caserola or a deep wide pot with about 2 inches oil for frying.
• Heat the oil until it reaches 350°.
• While the oil is heating, place the green plantains on a cutting board. Cut off the tip at the top of each. Run a sharp knife length wise down the length, cutting deep into the skin, but not into the fruit within.
• Peel off the plantain skin. Sometimes the skin does not peel easily. If so, you can use a spoon to wedge into the skin, peeling it back off the plantain.
• Chop the plantain in half, on the diagonal, in two equal-length pieces. Slice them in half lengthwise.
• Place the plantain pieces into the bowl with very cold water for about 5 to 10 minutes. (Soaking the plantains in cold water will lightly season the plantain, as well as give it an extra crispy texture when frying.) When done, place the plantains on a paper towel to dry and drain the excess water.
• When the oil is 350°, it’s time to fry.
• Using a pair of tongs, carefully slide the plantains into the hot oil. They will splash because of any remaining water droplets, so stand back and proceed with caution.
• Fry each plantains about 3 minutes on the first side, then turn them over and fry for another 3 minutes on the second side. The plantains will turn a little darker, but will not be golden brown.
• When both sides are fried, remove the plantains to a paper towel and allow the oil to scurry off for 1 to 2 minutes, until dry.
• It’s time to flatten the plantains into your two pieces of “bread” for your jibarito sandwich. First, prep a tortilla press by lining with the parchment paper. (Or use a large, heavy can or pan bottom to flatten it, using the same parchment paper method.) Place one fried plantain on to the parchment paper. Place a second piece of parchment paper on top of the plantain. Close the tortilla press, and push down to flatten the plantain about ¼ inch thick. Once released, the plantain should be wide and oblong in shape. Do this for all the plantains, setting them aside on a plate as you work.
• When all the plantains are flattened, carefully put them back into the same hot oil for the second fry, using tongs. This fry should take about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, but a sure way to know if they are ready to come out of the oil, is to lightly scrape the plantain piece with your tongs while in the oil. If they feel or sound crispy, they are done. If the tostones are still pliable and soft to the touch, then leave them in the oil a little longer.
• Fry the Crispy-Thing Onions
• Michelle reports she only gets success with the frizzled onion when it is sliced paper thin. She achieves this by using a mandolin slicer. If you don’t have one, slice as thin as you can for best results. The fried onions don’t stay fresh and crispy over time, so she suggests frying them within ½ hour of making your sandwich.
• In a bowl, prepare the coating mixture by combining the flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, paprika and optional cayenne seasoning. Mix well. Set aside.
• Slice the onion as thin as possible. Using a mandolin slicer is recommended. Set aside.
• In a glass bowl, add the milk. Transfer the sliced onion into the milk and let soak for 15 minutes. This will make the onions taste a little milder and keep them crisp. The milk also acts as the glue for the flour/starch mixture.
• In a Dutch oven, caserola or deep wide pot, pour in enough oil to deep fry. About 2 to 3 inches from the bottom. Heat oil to 350°.
• With tongs, lift about 15 slices of onion from the milk mixture. Let the milk drain off as much as possible. Transfer the onion slices to the flour-starch mixture. Toss the onion slices in the flour to coat well. With the same tongs, lift the onion slices out of the flour and shake off as much as possible.
• Carefully place into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 1 minute, if not less. Transfer the frizzled onions to a baking sheet lined with paper towel. The tongs over time will accumulate flour and oil at the tip, so cleaning off every few frys, will give you better results. Using two different tongs works, as well.
• Repeat until all the onions have been fried. Set aside.
• Make the Mayo Ketchup
• Mix the mayonnaise, ketchup and seasoning. Adjust seasoning to taste, if you want it spicier.
• Assemble the Jibarito
• On a flat board or work surface, place 1 fried, flattened plantain. Slather with mayoketchup.
• Pile on several slices of grilled skirt steak, about 3 to 4.
• Sprinkle 3 Tbsp of the frizzled onions.
• Take a second fried plantain slab and slather it with mayoketchup. Place on top of the onion, making a sandwich.
• Slice the jibarito into two halves. Sprinkle with a dash of garlic salt on top. Serve with a side of frizzled onions, papitas (French fries) or chips, if you wish, or enjoy it alone. Your jibarito is tasty and filling all by itself. Michelle says that her Puerto Rican husband loves this sandwich and recommends it to all!

Notes

• If you are making the fried plantain “sandwich” pieces ahead of time, you can reheat them in an air fryer set to 350° for 3 minutes to make them fresh and crispy again. You can also  reheat them in a 350° oven for about 10 minutes, says Michelle.
• The key to crispy plantains is to keep the oil temperature consistently at 350°. Michelle says she achieves this by preheating the pot and oil on medium heat and leaving it at that temperature for the duration of the frying process.