How to Make a Great Reuben Sandwich

Best Quality: Corned Beef, Sauerkraut and Swiss Cheese on Rye

Mar 12, 2009 Larry Ervin

The key to a great Rueben sandwich is the very highest quality ingredients. Please, no corned beef from a can. What's in your Reuben?

The Reuben Sandwich is an American creation of disputed origin, but most likely Omaha, Nebraska. Reuben afficionados may quibble about dressing versus mustard, but the vast majority agree on the following basics: thinly-sliced corned beef, swiss cheese and sauerkraut on rye bread, grilled.

The Essential Elements:

The key to a great Rueben sandwich is the very highest quality ingredients.

Cook the corned beef yourself, or use leftovers from your corned beef and cabbage dinner (see recipe). Failing that, buy it from a deli where they know what they’re doing. The product by the same name in a can may be suitable for army rations, but nothing more.

Good sauerkraut is also a key. See below for some suggestions and your chance to vote.

The Swiss cheese, while not as dominant in the sandwich, should also be excellent. Save the tasteless, pre-sliced imitation and go with Emmentaler or Jarlsberg.

A good sandwich demands good bread. Pumpernickel rye is favored by many, but suit your tastes here. There are some light rye breads on the market that have only slightly more flavor than balloon bread.

Restaurants serve Reubens with either Russian or Thousand Island Dressing. Russian is probably more authentic, but you will get an argument from those who insist that only a good kosher mustard will do. A recipe for Russian dressing is included below, and an opportunity for you to weigh in on your favorite mustard for Reubens, if that is your bent.

The Recipe: Reuben Sandwich

Adapted from Zingerman’s Deli, in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Serves: 4 generous sandwiches

Ingredients:

3/4 pound corned beef, thinly sliced
8 slices unseeded Rye or Purmpernickle Rye bread, preferably sliced on the diagonal
4 ounces Russian dressing (recipe follows) or mustard
4 ounces sauerkraut (well drained)
4 slices Emmentaler or other good Swiss cheese
melted butter

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Sprinkle the corned beef with a little water, wrap it tightly in aluminum foil and steam it in the oven.
When the corned beef in nicely warm, unwrap it. Spread each slice of bread with Russian dressing or mustard.
Layer with corned beef, an equal amount of sauerkraut and slices of Swiss cheese, then top the sandwiches with the remaining slices of bread (dressing-side down).
Heat a large heavy skillet over medium flame. Brush one side of the sandwiches with melted butter. Put the sandwiches in the pan and brush the other side with butter. Then weigh the sandwiches down with a heavy lid or heat-proof bowl topped with something heavy.
Grill until crisp and golden on the first side, about 7 minutes. Flip the sandwiches and cook until the second sides are well toasted and the cheese is melted.
Cut each sandwich in half diagonally and serve.

Variation:

A “Rachel” varies from a Reuben in that it is made with pastrami or turkey instead of corned beef and often cole slaw instead of sauerkraut. This variation is sometimes offered under the name “Reuben” in restaurants in the Southern U.S.

Russian Dressing

Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients:

¾ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup plus 2-3 Tbsp chili sauce
2 Tbsp sour cream
2 tsp chopped curly parsley leaves
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp minced Spanish onion
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp minced dill pickle
½ tsp fresh lemon juice
½ tsp grated horseradish
¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce

Method:

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Variations: Some recipes substitute ketchup for the chili sauce

Vote for Your Favorite Elements:

Please use the comments feature to share your favorite sauerkraut, mustard, or variation on this classic sandwich.

Sauerkraut: The following have been touted as best sauerkraut for a Reuben. Share a recipe or a brand you favor.

Gundelsheim Barrel (Original German Recipe) Sauerkraut
Great Lakes Kraut Co.'s Silver Floss and Krrrrisp Kraut Sauerkraut
Claussen Sauerkraut Premium Crisp
Filder Sauerkraut

Dressing: If Zingerman’s Russian dressing isn’t to your taste, what is?

Mustard: America’s Test Kitchen has weighed in on the best Dijon Mustard. What do you like?

The copyright of the article How to Make a Great Reuben Sandwich in Recipes is owned by Larry Ervin. Permission to republish How to Make a Great Reuben Sandwich in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Reuben Sandwich