A patacon is a Dominican sandwich where the crispy fried plantain is used in place of bread slices. It’s like a tostones sandwich, it has a very satisfying crunch and when filled with carne mechada, crunchy lettuce, tomatoes, and creamy avocado it easily becomes a favorite bite.
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Differences between a patacon and jibarito
These two are very similar, like a lot of different recipes in Dominican and Puerto Rican cooking. A Dominican pataon is usually filled with either shredded chicken or shredded beef, and a Puerto Rican jibarito is usually filled with steak like flank or skirt steak.
The rest of the toppings are usually the same, except Puerto Rico swaps the chimi sauce for mayoketchup, which is super similar anyway.
Which cut of beef to use
You can use any cut of beef that’s good for stewing. Some of my favorites are brisket, flank, flap, and bottom round. Feel free to buy the whole cut and slice it into chunks yourself.
This recipe works just as well with chicken. Use boneless breasts or thighs for more flavor, and just season and simmer the chicken the same way as the beef until it’s tender enough to shred.
How to press the plantains
You’ll need 2 cutting boards and 2 sheets of parchment paper. Place 1 sheet of parchment paper over your first cutting board, then place the fried plantain on the sheet and cover it with the second sheet. Take your second cutting board and use it to press against the plantain. Because the plantains are unripe and green, they’re quite hard so you’ll need to pull out your muscles for this.
Making sure the plantain is fully cooked through during the first fry is key to getting it a little softer and easier to press. Just make sure you don’t press them too much and make them too thin because they may fall apart during that second fry.
Use ripe plantains for a sweet bite
I love doing this to switch things up a bit! It’s the same exact method, you just swap the green plantain for a ripe one. And be extra careful while frying because these could very easily fall apart!
But for that sweet and savory bite, so worth it. It tastes kinda like a pionono de platano maduro which also incorporates sweet, fried plantain and savory picadillo.
Patacon (Dominican Plantain Sandwich)
Instructions
- Season the beef chunks with adobo, oregano, cumin, salt, and black pepper.
- In a pot, heat oil over medium heat and add the sofrito and cook for a minute until fragrant. Add the seasoned beef and sear on both sides until browned. Pour in the water, add the chicken bouillon paste, bay leaf, and (if using) the scotch bonnet and allspice. Cover and simmer until the beef is tender and easy to shred, about 1 hour.
- Once tender, shred the beef in the pot and drain most of the liquid, leaving just enough to keep it juicy.
- Peel the plantain and slice it in half lengthwise.
- In a pan, heat about 1 inch of oil over medium heat. Fry the plantain slices on both sides until golden. Remove and gently press them flat using two cutting boards or plates. Return the flattened plantains to the oil and fry again until crisp. Sprinkle with salt while they're still hot.
- To assemble, layer one fried plantain with the shredded beef, lettuce, tomato slices, avocado, ketchup, mayo, and chimi sauce. Top with the second plantain and serve. ¡Buen provecho!
2 Responses
Simple and clear instructions!!
I really appreciate your comment! Hope you enjoyed 🙂