Classic Reuben Sandwich With Pastrami Food

PASTRAMI RUEBEN AKA "THE RACHEL"

Steps:

• For the dressing: Combine the mayonnaise, chili sauce, sour cream, horseradish, lemon juice, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, smoked paprika, dill pickles and shallots in a food processor until thoroughly mixed. Do not over blend, you still want to see some texture. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside or refrigerate in a covered jar until serving time.
• For the sandwich build: Combine half of the dressing with the sauerkraut and toss. Place 1 slice of cheese on a piece of bread. Pile the meat high on the cheese, top with an additional slice of cheese, some of the sauerkraut mixture and the second piece of bread. Butter the outsides of the sandwich. Heat a heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet or griddle pan over medium-low heat. Add the sandwiches, cover with a heatproof bowl and griddle until golden and gooey in the middle, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip, cover and let cook until golden all around, another 3 minutes. Serve the extra dressing on the side.
• Cook's Note: I love getting a whole piece of pastrami, uncut, from Fumare's in Chicago. If you have a favorite deli, try getting a whole piece and cutting it yourself; the meat will stay nice and tender and you can mix the bark from the end cut with the meatier middle. You'll fall in love with pastrami all over again.

PASTRAMI REUBEN SANDWICH

Steps:

• Heat oil in a skillet.
• Add in onion; saute over medium heat until tender (about 7-8 minutes).
• Add in sauerkraut and caraway seeds; cover and cook over medium heat (stirring occasionally until sauerkraut is tender and lightly browned, about 20 minutes).
• Meanwhile in a bowl combine ketchup, mayo and relish (start with 2 tablespoons relish and add in more until you achieve the flavor you like).
• Split the bread rolls (careful not to cut all the way through).
• Place pastrami down the center, dividing evenly between buns.
• Top with sauerkraut/onion mixture, then the sauce, then top with cheese.
• Wrap in foil (leave top open).
• broil about 8 inches from heat.
• Heat through and until cheese has melted (about 3 minutes).
• Serve.

REUBEN SANDWICH

Steps:

• Make the brine: Combine the salt, brown sugar, pickling spice, coriander seeds, yellow mustard seeds, pink curing salt and 1 gallon water in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 15 minutes to awaken all the spices. Turn off the burner and allow liquid to cool to below 40 degrees F, either by waiting or by adding some ice to melt and cool it down. Once the liquid is cool, pour it over the brisket in a large container, cover with lid and place it in the fridge for at least 3 days and up to 1 week.
• Preheat a smoker for cooking over 225 degrees F.
• Remove the brisket from the brining liquid and rinse off any excess brine from the exterior. Pat the brisket dry and place it on a smoking rack. Mix together the fresh ground coriander seeds, black pepper, white sugar and granulated garlic, then liberally sprinkle both sides of the brisket with the spice mix. Let rest 1 hour.
• Place brisket fat-side up on a smoking tray and place in smoker. Add soaked and drained hickory wood chips and smoke until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 190 degrees F, about 12 hours.
• Allow the meat to cool completely, preferably overnight. Thinly slice against the grain.
• Preheat a convection oven to 450 degrees F.
• Layer slices of Swiss cheese on the rye bread and layer on a good portion of thinly sliced pastrami brisket. Toast the sandwich in the oven to heat the meat and melt the cheese, then finish with sauerkraut and Russian dressing. (Save remaining meat for another use.)

REUBEN SANDWICH

Steps:

• Spread each slice of bread with thousand island dressing. Top 4 of the bread slices with sauerkraut, cheese and pastrami. Place remaining bread slices on sandwich. Spread margarine on the outsides of each sandwich.
• Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Grill until browned, then turn and grill until heated through, and cheese is melted.

MOM'S CLASSIC REUBEN

Steps:

• Spread margarine onto one side of each slice of bread. Set a large skillet over low heat, and lay 6 bread slices in it with the butter side down. If you can't fit 6, just fry in batches of 3.
• Place slices of cheese onto the bread in the skillet and let cook until the cheese starts to melt. Place slices of corned beef and chicken over the cheese, and then sauerkraut. Spread the creamy dressing onto the dry sides of the remaining slices of bread. Place dressing side down onto the sandwiches.
• Increase the heat to medium, and cook until browned on the bottom. Turn sandwiches over, and cook until golden on the other side.

REUBEN SANDWICH OUR WAY

Steps:

• In a small bowl, make the dressing: combine the mayonnaise, catsup, relishes, onion, garlic, lemon juice, and black pepper to taste; set aside.
• Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread.
• Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat and place one slice of bread, butter-side down, in the pan.
• Assemble the sandwich: on top of the bread, place the sliced pastrami; top meat with a couple of tablespoons of the dressing; then spread the sauerkraut over, add some more dressing, top with the cheese, then place the other slice of bread- buttered side up- on top (this arrangement helps keep the dressing from soaking the bread too much).
• Cover the grilling sandwich with a lid (a Reverware saucepan lid works well for this) and let grill for 2 to 3 minutes, checking to make sure that the bread does not burn- the idea is to heat the air underneath the lid and melt the cheese easier as you're also browning the bread.
• Carefully turn the sandwich, re-cover, and grill other side. (I say "carefully" because, depending on how much of the fillings you put in, this step can get a little messy -- ).
• Cut the completed grilled sandwich in two and serve with the extra dressing for dipping, along with a dill pickle and potato chips or potato salad.