Dinner Tonight: Reuben Sandwich
The last time I had a Reuben sandwich was in a college cafeteria and it gave me food poisoning. My stomach turned against me and ugly things happened. I couldn't eat solid food for days, subsisting basically on chicken soup and water to get by, and thus formed a little aversion to the sandwich. It's not me, it's my stomach. Which all makes no sense because I love every individual component of the sandwich. That was years ago, and nothing like making something carefully from scratch to turn ingrained food aversions on their heads. But where to begin?
A Reuben is a fairly simple sandwich in theory. It's basically corned beef on rye bread topped with Russian or Thousand Island dressing, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut. The sandwich is then grilled until hot and delicious. Like they always seem to, Saveur has a great standard recipe. Plus you get to make the Russian dressing from scratch. Now, there is a little dispute about whether to use Russian dressing or Thousand Island, and I suppose if you have some Thousand Island dressing hanging out and ready to go, you might as well use that. I do think Russian is a tad more authentic, and that's what is created here. It's real easy.
This is an old school sandwich, and everything has it's place. The creamy dressing balances the sharp tang of the sauerkraut, and the the full flavored rye bread accentuates the cured corned beef. And, of course, the melted cheese brings it all together. My Reuben sandwich famine is officially and deliciously over.
Reuben Sandwich
- Makes 4 sandwiches -
Ingredients
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chili sauce
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon grated onion
1/2 teaspoon horseradish
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
butter, at room temperature
8 slices rye bread
8 slices swiss cheese
1 pound corned beef, sliced
2 cups sauerkraut, drained
salt and pepper
Procedure
1. Combine the mayonnaise, chili sauce, parsley, onion, horseradish, and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Mix until well combined.
2. Construct the sandwiches. Rub one side of each of the slices of bread with a bit of butter. Flip four of those slices over and spread 1 tablespoon of the dressing. Top each with 2 slices of swiss cheese, 1/2 cup sauerkraut, 1/4 pound of corned beef, and final piece of bread.
3. Set a large skillet or grill pan over medium heat. Places the sandwiches on the pan and weigh down with another skillet or an iron skillet (you might need to do this in batches). Cook for about 5 minutes a side until the cheese has melted and the bread is nicely toasted. Serve up.
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30 Comments:
I love ruebens! sometimes though, in the south we use cole slaw instead of sauerkraut.
katiedid at 4:47PM on 05/06/09
I'm glad you got over the aversion. Reubens rock!!
I make mean one too, if I do say so myself. Although, I find that baking the sandwich is best, even if it's just in a convection/toaster oven. It warms and melts everything evenly and the toast is just right. Also, I like to add a lot more meat - sliced very thin. But, that's just me.
I make my own dressing, too! Mine is a bit different though, so I am curious to try out your version. Nice job!!
Cheers,
~ Paula
Paula Maack at 5:01PM on 05/06/09
reubens are the ultimate sinful sandwich. love them! I make them all the time at home. they are always good. i do prefer seedless rye. don't make my own dressing, Do make my own sauerkraut.
momtimestwo at 5:16PM on 05/06/09
Wow...momtimes two...if you can take three days to make your own saurkraut (soooo labor intensive) why not make your own dressing? I agree they are the most sinful sandwich especially if they're made classically. Although, I must admit, sometimes I sub pastrami just for the fatty element. But the bread MUST be grilled!
bessfour at 5:32PM on 05/06/09
Whenever we're in nyc I love going to an old school deli and ordering an insanely tall Reuben, so good!
foodtease at 5:35PM on 05/06/09
Reubens are best with raw sauerkraut. None of that fake-aged-with-vinegar kraut on my Reuben, please!
LunaPierCook at 5:46PM on 05/06/09
Ahhh my favorite sandwich ever... that picture is gorgeous.
reubensandperrier at 6:11PM on 05/06/09
I absolutely love these. I will admit to adding straight horseradish sauce on occasion instead of the full-mixture of dressings (a tip taught to me by a law school classmate), and often also a nice whole-grain mustard.
And don't get me started on the Zingerman's Reuben. Heaven.
shoneyjoe at 7:17PM on 05/06/09
mmmmm....you had me at "food poisoning."
hungryinhouston at 7:34PM on 05/06/09
There are very few sandwiches that equal a Reuben in the delicious factor. I make mine with homemade rye from my bread machine and use an electric panini maker to grill it to toasted perfection before it is devoured in short order. A dill pickle on the side completes the meal.
Gregg at 11:42PM on 05/06/09
The one thing I miss from liivng in the US is great deli - if I can source decent corned beef, I'm making this tonight!
JimInHolland at 2:33AM on 05/07/09
Pastrami works well, too, although that probably makes me a heretic.
I do love a good reuben. Good bread, thinly-sliced beef, good sauerkraut, good dressing and cheese, lots of butter to grill it, maybe some cole slaw and potato salad to go with it. Perfect.
NotAmerican at 6:42AM on 05/07/09
I should also add that reubens are a vegetarian's friend on a menu. A reuben without meat but with extra cheese is delicious, and easy for a kitchen to do.
NotAmerican at 6:44AM on 05/07/09
I love them the most. For Mother's Day brunch where I work I'm making Ruben Strata. I can't wait!!!
WSLunch at 8:02AM on 05/07/09
I'm glad you've come back to the Reuben camp, Nick. It's my favorite all time sandwich, although I prefer pastrami.
ride&cook at 9:08AM on 05/07/09
I like a little brown mustard on mine-- seems to pull it together. There are two things that many places get wrong-- the meat should be thin-sliced, and plied high (idealy sliced by hand, which means that it will be a little thicker than machine sliced), and the bread is critical. I don't want marble rye, I don't want pumpernickel. I want sourdough rye, and if you can't get that right, don't tell me it's a Reuben.
Cole slaw is a nice variation, but that's not a Reuben either. Good pastrami is wasted on a sandwich like this. Turkey for the protein is a Rachel, and that's a nice sandwich too.
outsidecounsel at 9:42AM on 05/07/09
You bring back memories of my first visit to New York and my first Reuben at the Carnegie Deli, I could not believe the height of the sandwich, I could only finish half washed down with my first egg cream!
threewiseOwls at 9:47AM on 05/07/09
@outsidecounsel; are you neglecting the 'California Reuben'? Turkey, cole slaw, swiss cheese and 1,000 Island (or Ranch) on marbled rye?
NotAmerican at 12:57PM on 05/07/09
I considered naming my first born Reuben. There are few things as splendid. Welcome back to BLISS :)
VioletCrumble at 1:21PM on 05/07/09
Grilled marinated tempeh also is a nice substitution for vegetarians. I love my reubens with grilled tempeh, DIY purple kraut, carmalized onions, swiss and lots of homemade 1000 island.
fitzowicz80 at 3:44PM on 05/07/09
I made these last night and they were absolutely heavenly. I woke up with industrial strength heartburn at 1:30 but it was worth it!
ocarol at 7:54PM on 05/09/09
Reubens can sometimes play havoc with one's intestines. It's all the salt - corned beef and sauerkraut are loaded with it. And you can't have a Reuben without some dill pickles. More salt.
I have to limit myself to just a half sandwich or I pay the price later. It's worth it.
The best sandwich in the world.
Morgana at 11:05AM on 05/11/09
I definitely agree that Reuben's are so, so delicious. I live on Long Island, and there's some mighty fine delis out here that make 'em; but, if you're like my Brooklyn-born mom, you'll only trust the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn to make this sandwich for you.
The idea of making my own really appeals to me. My girlfriend's Irish grandmother corns a great beef. I've had that on a sandwich with some mustard. Next time she makes it, I'll have to try following this Russian Dressing recipe, get me some sauerkraut & swiss, and turn it into a Reuben!
MikeGoldense at 2:16PM on 05/11/09
One hint from our good friends at CIA, put the cheese first and last. That way it melts better and makes a good moisture barrier to keep the bread from getting soggy. I also let the corned beef get room temp or warm in oven/ microwave if chilled.
I made my own smoked corn beef last year and it was amazing. Lots of effort, but beautiful result.
lbcrawford at 3:29PM on 05/13/09
Am here in the Florida Keys having a lobster Reuben. Enjoy.
Fred Rickson at 4:37PM on 05/13/09
I'm happy there are so many of who love that sandwich, but I never met one that was toasted. But I hope to; it sounds delish. Most NYC reubens are steamed to melt the cheese, soften the bread. I think the toasted and then steamed version is where I'm heading, and soon. If we don't tweak something once in a while, how can we grow?
mymymichl at 8:49PM on 05/13/09
Reuben's have a way of hitting the spot everytime. Quick and satisfying.
charcooks at 9:08AM on 05/14/09
@fitzowicz80, i am marinating tempeh for a reuben as we speak.
1/2 oz dried shiitakes, soaked in 1/2 cup water
1/2 t oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 c soy sauce
2T olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup red wine
1 t cloves
1/2 t cracked pepper
boil all, reduce and simmer for 10, then pour over tempeh, cover, and refrigerate for a day. when you're ready to go, just drain, grill and slice.
this from the excellent rebar modern food cookbook.
mendicity at 1:00PM on 05/17/09
Rubens are my favorite sandwich I recently made ruben strata where I work and used it as a lunch feature, it was a huge hit!!!
WSLunch at 7:41AM on 05/18/09
What's not to love about toasted sammies? Reubens, patty melts, yummy stuff...
juliette527 at 11:36PM on 05/18/09