New York Reuben Sandwich

Ingredients

32 oz Corned Beef

4 Slices Rye Bread

8 oz Sauerkraut 

1/2 Cup Russian Dressing

4 Slices Swiss Cheese

4 Tablespoons Butter

Time to make one of my favorite deli sandwiches, the indefatigable Reuben Sandwich.  Last month we made homemade rye bread and Russian dressing (well, last month in blog time, in reality, I made them the same day as we're making the sandwiches, but hey, I'm a busy guy, and blogging takes time).  So this month we're gonna put them to good use and make this simple yet tasty sandwich.  

Reuben Sandwich

First, sprinkle the corned beef with a bit of water, then wrap in foil and place in a 300F oven for about 15 minutes.  

This will steam the beef and release more of its salty, tangy flavor.  Allow about a half to a full pound of beef for each sandwich.  Go with the half if you're feeling light, the full pound (or more) if you want an authentic NY deli bruiser.  Don't go less than a half pound, as it just wouldn't be a Reuben if it didn't have that thick layer of meat.  

While the meat is steaming, slice your rye bread into fairly thick slices.  

Then brush each slice with melted butter.  (these are the sides we'll be grilling)

Flip 'em, then spoon a liberal amount of the Russian dressing on the unbuttered side.  

Remove the corned beef from the oven and unfoil it.  Layer your preferred amount of the beef on top of one of the dressed up bread slices.  

On top of this, layer a liberal amount of sauerkraut.  Try to get a good, fresh variety of kraut, and not the canned sort.  

Next, layer a few slices of the Swiss cheese on.

Admire this massive stack of deli-goodness:

Next, flip one of the other slices of bread, dressing side down, on top of the whole assembly, forming the sandwich.

Place the sandwich on a hot griddle or in a skillet if that's what you prefer, and grill for a few minutes a side until the sandwich browns a bit and the cheese begins to melt.  Sometimes, placing something heavy on the sandwiches like a bacon weight will help them grill up better.  

When the sandwich is finished, slice it in two and and admire that baby's beefy cross-section:

Finally, serve it with some chips, a pickle or two, and perhaps some extra Russian dressing.  Enjoy!

Until next time, 

Fogetaboutit!

Chris