Legit, the Reuben is my favorite sandwich, and qualifies as one of what I call perfect sandwiches.
It’s also one of a small handful of dishes I have spent decades tweaking to a state of unholy glory until my version is so absurdly good that space time bends around it, and you can get high just from licking the juice off your fingers.
Reubens are almost a religion with me.
I’m also proud to say that my own Ruebens have been declared best ever by people that used to have delis and made them on a regular basis.
I do not fuck around with Reubens, they are serious fucking food.
Edit: as per request, some of my personal preferences and tweaks.
The first is what I think really makes mine stand out. It’s the quick pan heating of the corned beef. Just enough to get a hint of Maillard reaction going. You don’t want it fully browned, just a touch. But the pre heating of the beef makes the cheese melt easier and kind of ooze through the meat.
The other big one is not fucking around with ingredients. You get the absolute best you can find, and if what you can find isn’t great, make your own. Now, obviously, that’s not a factor for every ingredient; ain’t nobody making their own aged swiss as an example. But I promise that making your own russian or thousand island is going to be better than a store brand bottle. Same with the bread if you can bake, and even the kraut if you really can’t find a brand that works for you.
The point of that is that if each thing you put in the sandwich isn’t great by itself, the end result won’t be either. It doesn’t necessarily mean picking the most expensive or fanciest, just the ingredients you like the best individually.
On the smaller scale, Bavarian kraut brings a little something nice to the party compared to standard. Seeded kraut, particularly if using a seeded rye bread, is another good option.
My process is to get the meat warm and slightly browned, then build the bottom layer: buttered bread, then cheese, then dressing, then kraut. That order is so that the first cheese starts to melt and the kraut warm whilst you get the second cheese and meat set up.
Then, second cheese goes on, gets covered in meat, then the second slice of bread.
If you haven’t been in a big hurry, first bread should be perfect by this point; well grilled, nice crunch. If not, let it go until it is. Then flip and be patient as the cheese oozes into the kraut and meat, and the kraut juice permeates the meat.
By the time second slice is toasty, everything inside should be up to temp, evenly. But, the juices should still be present, and the cheese not running off much if at all.
In terms of a less traditional option, a dab of gulden’s mustard, or a similarly punchy brand and type, on the meat slice of bread can give a little kick to cut through the fattiness. A good sourdough makes for a nice Rueben variant as well. You start changing any more than that, you’d want to call it something else, or add a modifier to the name. But I have been known to do pastrami when I can’t find a decent corned beef, or something like gouda when aged swiss is sold out and I just gotta have something similar to a Rueben.
In terms of sides, one of the reasons I call a given sandwich a perfect one is that it satisfies fully without anything else. But sometimes you want something anyway lol. The obvious choice is a pickle. A nice kosher dill is the usual, but if you can find pickled okra, give it a try. The crunch and earthiness goes well.
Beverage wise, I like a root beer or cream soda for soft drinks; they tend to be simple enough to not overwhelm. A belgian style wheat beer for that category, with maybe a mild lager otherwise. I recommend against IPAs or similar, they clash. Wine isn’t ideal, but a rosé or white zin is palatable enough if you’ve just gotta have wine. Southern style sweet tea does okay, but a Rueben is actually one time I go for a weaker, less sweet tea if available and none of my higher choices are. The key is to either have a palate cleanser, or a complement that plays well.
The one tragedy of reubens is that they can be so insanely good, that I’m left chasing that dragon sometimes. When I order and it’s just average for a reuben (still a good sandwich, just not magical), I’m remembering the reubens I had in the past that were better. The kraut has to be tangy. The meat should not be rubbery.
Okay, damn, I just jizzed my pants.
Legit, the Reuben is my favorite sandwich, and qualifies as one of what I call perfect sandwiches.
It’s also one of a small handful of dishes I have spent decades tweaking to a state of unholy glory until my version is so absurdly good that space time bends around it, and you can get high just from licking the juice off your fingers.
Reubens are almost a religion with me.
I’m also proud to say that my own Ruebens have been declared best ever by people that used to have delis and made them on a regular basis.
I do not fuck around with Reubens, they are serious fucking food.
Edit: as per request, some of my personal preferences and tweaks.
The first is what I think really makes mine stand out. It’s the quick pan heating of the corned beef. Just enough to get a hint of Maillard reaction going. You don’t want it fully browned, just a touch. But the pre heating of the beef makes the cheese melt easier and kind of ooze through the meat.
The other big one is not fucking around with ingredients. You get the absolute best you can find, and if what you can find isn’t great, make your own. Now, obviously, that’s not a factor for every ingredient; ain’t nobody making their own aged swiss as an example. But I promise that making your own russian or thousand island is going to be better than a store brand bottle. Same with the bread if you can bake, and even the kraut if you really can’t find a brand that works for you.
The point of that is that if each thing you put in the sandwich isn’t great by itself, the end result won’t be either. It doesn’t necessarily mean picking the most expensive or fanciest, just the ingredients you like the best individually.
On the smaller scale, Bavarian kraut brings a little something nice to the party compared to standard. Seeded kraut, particularly if using a seeded rye bread, is another good option.
My process is to get the meat warm and slightly browned, then build the bottom layer: buttered bread, then cheese, then dressing, then kraut. That order is so that the first cheese starts to melt and the kraut warm whilst you get the second cheese and meat set up.
Then, second cheese goes on, gets covered in meat, then the second slice of bread.
If you haven’t been in a big hurry, first bread should be perfect by this point; well grilled, nice crunch. If not, let it go until it is. Then flip and be patient as the cheese oozes into the kraut and meat, and the kraut juice permeates the meat.
By the time second slice is toasty, everything inside should be up to temp, evenly. But, the juices should still be present, and the cheese not running off much if at all.
In terms of a less traditional option, a dab of gulden’s mustard, or a similarly punchy brand and type, on the meat slice of bread can give a little kick to cut through the fattiness. A good sourdough makes for a nice Rueben variant as well. You start changing any more than that, you’d want to call it something else, or add a modifier to the name. But I have been known to do pastrami when I can’t find a decent corned beef, or something like gouda when aged swiss is sold out and I just gotta have something similar to a Rueben.
In terms of sides, one of the reasons I call a given sandwich a perfect one is that it satisfies fully without anything else. But sometimes you want something anyway lol. The obvious choice is a pickle. A nice kosher dill is the usual, but if you can find pickled okra, give it a try. The crunch and earthiness goes well.
Beverage wise, I like a root beer or cream soda for soft drinks; they tend to be simple enough to not overwhelm. A belgian style wheat beer for that category, with maybe a mild lager otherwise. I recommend against IPAs or similar, they clash. Wine isn’t ideal, but a rosé or white zin is palatable enough if you’ve just gotta have wine. Southern style sweet tea does okay, but a Rueben is actually one time I go for a weaker, less sweet tea if available and none of my higher choices are. The key is to either have a palate cleanser, or a complement that plays well.
Okay well now you’re gonna have to elaborate. Give us some trade secrets
I edited in a wall of text lol
You just gonna leave us hanging?
I edited in a wall of text lol
The one tragedy of reubens is that they can be so insanely good, that I’m left chasing that dragon sometimes. When I order and it’s just average for a reuben (still a good sandwich, just not magical), I’m remembering the reubens I had in the past that were better. The kraut has to be tangy. The meat should not be rubbery.