The Reuben

The classic Reuben sandwich with corned beef, marbled rye, swiss cheese and russian dressing. By far my favorite sandwich.
January 24, 2012 by 9 Comments

As promised, part two of my Reubenfest… Does two constitute a fest? Probably not. 

Okay, you caught me. I had a third Reuben later for 4th meal… Three most definitely makes it a Reubenfest.

Rambling aside, I love these sandwiches… and chances are I will order one if I happen to find myself in an Irish eatery around lunch time. If anyone watches Dexter, I think I’m turning into the Reuben version of that lady in the records room… the one who was searching for the perfect key lime pie during season one.

Although, now that I know how easy it is to make corned beef (or salt beef for those of you from the UK), I will probably be enjoying the Reuben on a monthly basis.

Corned Beef Sliced 572x381 The Reuben

I had a slight delay while I was grabbing my corned beef in the meat department. The two options were the point cut or the flat cut and I had no idea what the difference was (I’m a meat noob). It turns out, as always, there are pros and cons between the two cuts. I constructed a very fancy chart detailing the differences.

Point Cut Flat Cut
Cheaper More expensive
Fattier Leaner

I went for the point cut (obviously), as it was ~$2.20 per pound as opposed to the flat cut’s ~$3.75. I figured I could trim off most of the crap and still be left with a better value. As you can see, I couldn’t get all the fat off… although, I really didn’t try that hard. I also did not slice it as thin as I would have liked. Oh well, live and learn.

Reuben Construction 1 572x381 The Reuben

Now it is time to stack all the goods on top of each other. Say goodbye to the pretty sandwich, this is the last time it will be 1) attractive and 2) clean. Somewhere in the grilling phase it just turns into a sloppy mess… which is fine, eating a Reuben should not be a clean dining experience.

Reuben Small 2 572x381 The Reuben

Simply amazing… I’m still in shock that I went 25 years without eating one of these.

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The Reuben

Reuben Small 1 The Reuben

The classic Reuben sandwich with corned beef, marbled rye, swiss cheese and russian dressing. By far my favorite sandwich.

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 3 hours

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours, 20 minutes

Yield: 4 - 6 Servings

Ingredients

1 (3 - 4 pound) slab of Corned Beef
1 loaf of Marbled Rye
10 slices Swiss Cheese
Sauerkraut
Russian Dressing

Instructions

Cook corned beef as per package instructions. Basically: place corned beef in a large pot covered with water. Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer and cook for 50 minutes per pound.

Slice corned beef thinly across the grain.

Layer corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and russian dressing in between two pieces of bread.

Butter the outside of the bread and grill like grilled cheese.

Enjoy!

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  • http://passthesushi.com Kita

    I’ve never had a reuben but have always wanted to try one. After seeing this, I think it’s fair to call it a ‘fest’. I am going to have to pick up a slab of corned beef soon and give this a try.

    • http://www.poormet.com Chris

      You will not be disappointed… unless you hate corned beef.

  • http://onecooktwokitchens.com Lisa@onecooktwokitchens

    Wow. I love Reubens….always my first deli choice. This looks amazing. I must make it! And I must PIN it!

  • Alafair

    Reubens are definitely “fest” food. Deli’s and restaurants in some areas of the country use a sharp mustard and creamy coleslaw instead of Russian Dressing and Sauerkraut. I make them open face by toasting the rye bread first, then spread a layer of dressing, corned beef, slaw or kraut, another layer of dressing, then a layer of Swiss Cheese. Bake at about 350 (broiling will burn the cheese) until cheese melts and plate up. No matter how you make and serve them, they are messy and oh so delicious.

    • http://www.poormet.com Chris

      That cooking method sounds amazing… I’ll have to give that a shot with my leftovers (still have 3 sandwiches worth of meat).

  • http://www.spontaneoushausfrau.com Sally @ Spontaneous Hausfrau

    That is the best looking Reuben I have seen in a long time! Those thick slices of corned beef are doing a number on me right now!

  • http://foodobsession2012.blogspot.com/ Nicole

    OK. YUM. I’ve made rubens before and LOVE them. ALOT. But have not tried cooking the meat, usually just but predone. But going to have to try.

    • http://www.poormet.com Chris

      You will be surprised how easy it is.

      Only drawback is that it takes forever… so you have the thought of eating a Reuben in your head for 3 hours… basically torture.

  • http://onecooktwokitchens.com Lisa@onecooktwokitchens

    Chris, the sign of a great post: I came here a few days ago, pinned the photo, etc. Decided to come back today to see what you were cooking. Found enchiladas (which look awesome), and then came back to VISIT this picture like it was an old friend. I have never gone back to VISIT a post before. Just love it. Of the hundreds of blogs out there, including mine, you’re quickly becoming one of my favourite, Chris.