Have you ever sunk your teeth into a good reuben? I mean, a really, really good reuben? The American reuben sandwich with grilled rye bread, corn beef, sauerkraut, zesty dressing and swiss cheese was created less than 100 years ago, but its growing popularity has millions of restaurants serving them up. I almost always order one when I see it on the menu, but I have to confess there have been moments after tasting it when I’ve been disappointed. Sometimes the bread was too soggy, the meat was lacking or the dressing was well, just meh. My faith in the reuben as being one of the most flavorful sandwiches on the planet was beginning to wane.
That’s when I decided to take the reuben making world by storm and create my own at home. I can use my favorite type of rye bread and meat, my own flavorful homemade dressing and cook them slow to perfection until hot, gooey and crisp. I can even do most of the prep work ahead of time. No disappointment here, folks! With cooler weather coming on and a craving for a really, really good sandwich, now is prime time to serve up homemade reubens in the comfort of your home. Are you ready to make some with me?
Come on into my kitchen!
To make 3 sandwiches, you’ll need 6 slices of rye bread, 1/2 pound of sliced corn beef, 6 slices of swiss cheese and one can of sauerkraut. Being that it’s homemade, you can customize the bread or meat to your liking. Light rye or whole wheat can be used instead of dark rye. Turkey or ham can be substituted for the corn beef. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone! 🙂
The key to a really, really good reuben is homemade dressing. No bottles allowed! Only 6 ingredients are needed for the dressing: quality mayonnaise, ketchup, dill relish, onion powder, salt and pepper.
Let’s start by making that delicious dressing! For 3 sandwiches, combine 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup ketchup, 2 Tablespoons dill relish, 1/4 tsp. onion powder, 1/8 tsp. salt and a good dash of black pepper. If you aren’t going to use corn beef, I would suggest upping the salt to 1/4 tsp. Mix all of it together.
Before adding the sauerkraut, you’ll need to drain it first before measuring it out. I like to use a strainer and a fork to push out the liquid. If you skip this step, your wet sauerkraut will make the dressing too runny for the sandwich. Once you have drained the sauerkraut well, measure out 1 and 1/2 cups and stir it into your mayonnaise mixture.
Look at that! A yummy bowl of saucy sauerkraut. If you want double check the seasoning to your liking, grab a cracker and taste. Once satisfied, resist the urge to grab another cracker and pop that bowl into the fridge until you are ready to assemble the sandwiches. This is a great make ahead step! The bowl can marinate all day if you want.
When you have about 30 minutes until dinner, it’s time to assemble… and yes, there is a proper method to the madness! You can’t just throw on your kraut, cheese and meat haphazardly (*gasp*) A really good reuben is assembled with a specific order with equal bottom and top layers of kraut and cheese surrounding a center of meat. I’ve listed the order before for each sandwich, starting with that first piece of bread.
- buttered slice of bread
- slice swiss cheese
- 1/3 cup sauerkraut mixture
- 2. 5 ounces of meat (or 1/3 of your half pound)
- 1/3 cup sauerkraut mixture
- slice swiss cheese
- buttered slice of bread
Reubens need to be grilled slow and steady to achieve that crisp bread AND hot, melted center. If we use too high of heat, our bread will be ready before the inside is ready. A simple trick is to turn your heat on low and cover the pan of sandwiches with aluminum foil. Flip them over every 5 minutes until the cheese is melted, replacing the foil each time. Once you are assured the insides are hot, you can turn your heat up to medium, discard the foil and crisp up both sides of bread before serving.
Behold! If these aren’t the best reuben’s you’ve ever sunk your teeth into, I may not be worthy to contribute to this blog. Delicious corn beef smothered in zesty sauerkraut and gooey melted swiss. All sandwiched between crispy rye. So flavorful! Just how a reuben was meant to be. I hope you love them as much as my family does.
Enjoy, Friends!
Grilled Reuben Sandwiches with Homemade Dressing
Ingredients
- 6 slices rye bread
- 1/2 pound sliced corn beef
- 6 slices swiss cheese
- 1 1/2 cups sauerkraut well drained
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 Tablespoons dill relish
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- First, make your dressing. Combine 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup ketchup, 2 Tablespoons dill relish, 1/4tsp. onion powder, 1/8 tsp. salt and a generous dash of black pepper. Mix it all together.
- Drain your sauerkraut well and then stir in 1 1/2 cups into your mayonnaise mixture. Refrigerate until ready.
- Thirty minutes before dinner, assemble the reuben sandwiches in the following order:buttered slice of bread, slice swiss cheese, 1/3 cup sauerkraut mixture, 2.5 ounces of meat (or 1/3 of your half pound), 1/3 cup sauerkraut mixture, slice swiss cheese, buttered slice of bread
- Grill your sandwiches on low heat and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Flip them over every 5 minutes until the cheese is melted, replacing the foil each time.
- Once insides are hot and melted, turn the heat up to medium, discard the foil, and crisp up both sides of bread before serving.
Nutrition
Comments & Reviews
We only make Reubens YOUR way! The best ever thank you!!!!!
Thank you, Beth! <3
My family tried it last night and loved it…thank you! 🙂
Thanks for the feedback Dena! So glad your family enjoyed them!