How To Make A Reuben Sandwich At Home

The cold autumn air bites at your summer-softened cheeks as the noon bells ring at the church down the street. Your belly rumbles as you open the door to your neighbourhood deli. You step up to the counter, the clerk who has been standing behind that counter for forty years asks you in a straight forward and almost rude way, "Whada ya want?". There is no hesitation; you've been planning this for days. You look him straight in the eye and say, "A Reuben.". You watch as the people behind the counter shave the corned beef, spread Russian Dressing on the light rye bread, top it with swiss cheese, corned beef, and sauerkraut. Then, they take it over to the flat top or sandwich press and toast it until the bread is crisp and the cheese melts.

You sit down with your Reuben Sandwich, a bag of plain chips and the obligatory dill pickle. The first bite engulfs your senses the saltiness of the meat, the crunch of the bread, the tang of the kraut, the gooey cheese, and familiar yet foreign Russian Dressing. Before you know it, the sandwich is gone, but it stays with you. You dream of the day when you will meet again, for this is no regular sandwich, this is the Reuben Sandwich, and it stands in a class, all on its own.

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Never been to a deli? Don't worry.

You may have never experienced the joy of eating a Reuben Sandwich at your local deli. I haven't. Where I'm from, there is no deli culture like there is in places like Montreal and New York. So, I didn't have my first Reuben until about five years ago, and as usual, I had to make it myself. But, that doesn't mean I can't dream of my fictional neighbourhood deli as I eat my homemade sandwich. Today, I'm going to show you how to make a Reuben Sandwich that is just as good, if not better than any, that you will find in a deli.

Never had a Reuben? You're in for a treat.

Maybe, you've never had a Reuben before. That is also very possible. Well, if that is the case, then you, my friend, are in for a treat. I'm telling you right now that there is no sandwich like a Reuben Sandwich. I'm excited to share this with you whether you've had one or not, but if you haven't, I'm even more excited for you. You get to experience something extraordinary for the first time, and I get to be a part of that.

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Russian Dressing

The sauce on a Reuben Sandwich is traditionally Russian Dressing. The Russian Dressing is sometimes substituted with Thousand Island Dressing, but it is not the same thing. Russian Dressing is a mix of mayo, ketchup, horseradish, and a touch of hot sauce with other ingredients such as chopped onion and paprika. My recipe, which you can find below, is based on this recipe from Epicurious. I use mostly all the same ingredients but use different ratios to achieve a slightly more acidic and pungent sauce. I like Epicurious' recipe but prefer a little more tang. If you make the Epicurious version, you may notice a striking resemblance to Big Mac Sauce from McDonald's. Keep this sauce recipe in your back pocket for when you want to make homemade Big Macs.

Russian Dressing also makes an excellent dip for vegetables. When we were kids, my mom would make it every time she had to make a vegetable tray for a school function or something like that. Just remember to put the dressing in the fridge for an hour before serving it. This time will allow all the flavours to meld together, making the sauce even better than it initially was.

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The Bread

Traditionally, the bread used for a Reuben Sandwich is Rye. You will sometimes see the sandwiched served on light rye, dark rye, or even marble rye. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a gluten-free rye-style bread, so instead, I went with gluten-free sourdough bread from Promise Gluten-Free. Promise Gluten-Free bread is the best I've ever had. You honestly can't tell that it is gluten-free. But it is pricey. I think it is about $8 a loaf. Because of the price, I don't use Promise bread as my everyday bread, but for special things like when I want to make a special sandwich, this is the bread that I turn to.

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The Meat

The meat most commonly used for a Reuben Sandwich is corned beef. However, you can also use pastrami or Montreal Smoked Meat. I prefer that little bit of smoke on the sandwich as it helps cut through the richness. Really, it comes down to what you can easily find. For me, Montreal smoked meat is readily available. Use what you can. The sandwich will be delicious, no matter what.

How To Make A Reuben Sandwich

There is more than one way to do anything, and I know that some people are going to read this and exclaim that I am doing it all wrong and there is only one way to do it and blah blah blah. I don't care. This is how I do it, it's how I like it, and I think it is best this way. If you believe you have a better way to do it, let me know in the comments, and we can let the world judge.

To make the Reuben Sandwich, spread the Russian Dressing on the bread. Make sure to push the dressing right to the edges of the bread. Put down some swiss cheese, then heat the pastrami (or Montreal Smoked Meat, which is what I'm using) in a pan. Put the meat on the cheese. Next, heat the sauerkraut in the pan, making sure the cook-off any excess moisture. Put the kraut on top of the meat, topped with more swiss cheese, then the second piece of bread. Some people serve the sandwich just as it is, untoasted, but that seems crazy to me.

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Toasting The Bread and Melting The Cheese

Rinse out the pan that you used to heat the meat and kraut. Put the pan on medium heat, add in a big spoonful of butter and wait for it to melt and start bubbling. Put the sandwiches in the pan and toast on each side for about three to four minutes or until golden brown and until the cheese melts. I find it best, when doing this on the stovetop, to flip the sandwiches multiple times to prevent burning. Play around with it and find a method that works best for you. Slice the sandwich in half and serve it with plain potato chips and a dill pickle for that authentic deli experience.

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Conclusion

There are very few sandwiches that achieve the level of simple perfection that a quality Reuben does. Becase of the contrast between the meat, dressing, cheese, bread, and kraut, there is never a boring bite, there is always something new to taste. Again, if you have never had a Reuben sandwich, I beg you to make one and try it for yourself. You will be so, so happy that you did. And, if you have had a Reuben before, it might just be time to have another one.

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