Tripleta (Puerto Rican Three Meat Sandwich)
The Tripleta features soft fluffy bread, a trio of meats (shredded pork, thin cut steak, and chicken), and crispy shoestring potatoes. This toasted Puerto Rican sandwich celebrates meat in a way unlike any other, leaving nothing to be desired.
The Tripleta has always been high on my list of favorite sandwiches, right next to the Cubano.
Loaded with steak, chicken, pork and a signature Puerto Rican mayoketchup sauce, it’s the kind of meal that’s messy, over-the-top, and completely worth it.
On trips to Puerto Rico in the past, grabbing one from a late-night food truck has always been at the top of my to-do list. So it’s a real treat to finally be sharing how to recreate this famous sandwich.
Let’s dive right in!
Step by Step Instructions
Feeling cheesy? Melt a slice of cheese over the meat in the pan if it feels right to you. And feel free to skip the tomato and lettuce if it feels performative to you. This sandwich is anything but a salad!
Picking The Third Meat
As mentioned above, it isn’t a tripleta if you aren’t using 3 different kinds of meat.
The pernil and steak are pretty much non-negotiable. But the third meat? It’s really up to personal preference.
I’ve enjoyed juicy diced chicken thighs, bacon, and even pork chops. The most commonly used third choice is diced deli meat.
If you’re looking for a shortcut, you could use rotisserie chicken, deli ham, and roast beef. It wouldn’t be authentic, but it would be damn good. The key is just using three kinds of meat. Don’t stress it!
Making Components From Scratch
To make your components from scratch, start here:
When I make my pernil (maybe once a year if we’re being honest) I like to freeze any leftovers for year round tripletas.
Buen provecho,
Tripleta (Puerto Rican Three Meat Sandwich)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish, sandwiches
- Method: Toasted
- Cuisine: Latin, Puerto Rican
Description
The Tripleta features soft fluffy bread, a trio of meats (shredded pork, thin cut steak, and chicken), and crispy shoestring potatoes. This toasted Puerto Rican sandwich celebrates meat in a way unlike any other, leaving nothing to be desired.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf pan sobao, pan de agua, or baguette
- 8 oz steak, shaved or sliced super thin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp adobo seasoning
- 1 cup shredded pernil (or carnitas)
- deli meat, cooked chicken, or meat of your choice
- 1/4 cup mayoketchup
- 1 cup shoestring potato chips or chips of your choice
- 1 cup lettuce, shredded
- 1 tomato, sliced
Instructions
- Cook the steak: Start by seasoning the thin pieces of steak with salt, pepper and adobo. Sear in a skillet over medium high heat until cooked to your liking.
- Heat the remaining meat: Add the pernil and deli meat to the pan and cook just long enough to warm it up, adding a splash of broth or water if needed to keep it moist. Mix all three meats together in the pan.*
- Toast the bread: While things are happening with the meat, slice the bread in half lengthwise before toasting until crisp and light golden brown.
- Assemble the sandwich: Start with a generous drizzle of mayoketchup on the base of both sides of the bread. Top with the meat trio. Top that off with a handful of potato chips, lettuce and sliced tomato. Finish with another drizzle of mayoketchup before closing the sandwich and slicing in half. Buen provecho!
Notes
*Feel free to add a couple slices of cheese over top of the meat when warming in the pan and cover with a lid to melt if you want a cheesy tripleta.