Search
Close this search box.

The Reuben

The story of the Reuben starts with pastrami, which arrived with Romanian Jews in the mid-19th century. Today, the hopelessly rich and tender cut of smoked brisket is thick-sliced by hand, then piled decadently high between two slices of rye bread with a kick of mustard and nothing moreโ€”a throne for the moist meat, and decidedly New Yorkโ€™s most iconic sandwich known simply as โ€œpastrami on ryeโ€. 

In 1914, Arnold Reuben broke kosher tradition by combining meat and cheeseโ€”and an American adaptation was born. The deli classic combines similarly fatty slices of warm corned beef with added tangy kraut, Russian dressing, and melted Swiss cheese for a sandwich and meal in one. Over the decades, other iterations have evolved, including the โ€œRachelโ€ with turkey instead of corned beef. 

Each component is straightforward, but you can substitute store-bought sliced cornedย beef and sauerkraut for a quicker take. – Yasmin Newman

Ingredients

MAKES 4

  • 8 slices rye bread
  • butter, for spreadingย 
  • 8 slices Swiss cheeseย 

Corned beef

  • 1 lb 12 ozโ€“2 lb 3 oz (800 gโ€“1 kg) corned brisket (with fat cap, if available)
  • 1 carrot, roughly chopped
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1 fresh bay leaf

Quick kraut

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ยฝ onion, thinly sliced
  • ยผ white cabbage (about 10ยฝ oz/300ย g)
  • ยฝ cup (125 ml) apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
  • 1 teaspoon super๏ฌne (caster) sugar
  • ยฝ teaspoon ๏ฌne sea salt

Russian dressing

  • โ…“ cup (80 g) whole-egg mayonnaiseย 
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1ยฝ tablespoons prepared horseradishย 
  • 1 tablespoon ๏ฌnely chopped onion
  • 1 tablespoon ๏ฌnely chopped gherkinย 
  • 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce or ketchup

Instructions

  1. Place all the corned beef ingredients in a large saucepan. Coverย with cold water, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 2 hours, or until the beef is tender. Remove from the heat, then leave the beef to rest in the water for 30 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, to make the quick kraut, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion for 3 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the remaining ingredients andย 2ย tablespoons of water. Reduce the heat to low and cook, covered,ย for 10 minutes, or until softened. Set aside to cool.
  3. Preheat the oven to 400ยบF (200ยบC).ย 
  4. Combine the Russian dressing ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.ย Drain the brisket from the water and thickly slice acrossย theย grain.
  5. Toast the bread lightly in a toaster. Spread one side of each sliceย with butter, then ๏ฌ‚ip them over and spread with the Russian dressing. Top half the bread slices with a slice of cheese, corned beef, drained sauerkraut and another slice of cheese, then sandwich with the remaining bread, buttered side up.ย 
  6. Transfer to a lined baking tray and bake for 5 minutes, or until theย cheese has melted. Cut in half and serve immediately.

You may also likeโ€ฆ

I ate so much tiramisu while shooting with the Food Network in Tuscany that Iโ€™m going to change the name of the show from...
This is such a classic Italian fall and winter dish. The almost-minty sage brings out the natural sweetness of hearty butternut squash. (Honeynut, kuri,...
This is a dreamy dinner salad and, of course, a Parisian bistro classic, with a forceful mustard dressing, bacon fatโ€“fried croutons, and a soft...