Homemade Reubens, Rachels, and Friends

[Chris Hennes]

Over in the Restaurant Life forum we recently had a discussion about the disappearance of the Reuben sandwich: naturally, the answer was to make it yourself at home. Considering that this is the greatest family of sandwiches humanity has yet conceived I think it's right that we should have a discussion about how exactly we should make them at home. Also, how do you decide what gets called a Reuben, what a Rachel, and what a... bastard hybrid monstrosity? Corned beef, pastrami, other meat or meat-like product? Coleslaw or kraut? Gruyere? Emmenthal? Other? Russian or Thousand Island? Grilled, broiled, or both? And then there is the question of ratio: is more meat always better?

[gfweb]

We can end this quickly.

A Reuben may be corned beef (or pastrami if you are liberal about it), sliced thin, layered with saurkraut and Swiss cheese, dressed with Russian (or Thousand Island if you must). Grilled between two slices of buttered rye.

The meat shouldn't be piled too thick. If you aren't sure, its too thick.

The kraut should be drained and toasted on the griddle to dry it out and amp up taste.

Any Reuben requiring a adjective ( eg Open-faced, California, Turkey) is not a real Reuben.

[weinoo]

What the fuck is a Rachel?

[gfweb]

Well said!

[heidih]

Well wiki says it is the pastrami and cole slaw subbed for corned beef & sauerkraut version; though sometimes the version with turkey. The latter a bit sexist....

[Chris Hennes]

We can end this quickly.

Doubtful There are a lot of related variants here, and I disagree with your definition on a point or two...

A Reuben may be corned beef (or pastrami if you are liberal about it), sliced thin, layered with saurkraut and Swiss cheese, dressed with Russian (or Thousand Island if you must)

Why sliced thin? When I make homemade corned beef or pastrami I rarely if ever slice it thin. Today's, for example:

Any Reuben requiring a adjective ( eg Open-faced, California, Turkey) is not a real Reuben.

I'm OK with that taxonomy, but just because something isn't a "Real Reuben™" doesn't mean it isn't good, or shouldn't be considered as part of the same family of sandwiches. In that Restaurant Life discussion I think someone insisted that if it was made with pastrami it had to be called a Rachel as well: I love this sandwich made with pastrami.

[gfweb]

You are right about the slicing. Sort of thick is certainly ok.

You are right about the taxonomy too. Only a Reuben is a Reuben.

Only Frank Sinatra is Sinatra. Nancy and Frank Jr are in the family but just aren't as good.

[Charcuterer]

For me a Reuben is;

Corned beef

Emmental

Russian dressing

Sour kraut

Rye bread (marbled if possible.)

I like the meat and kraut heated on a griddle, the bread buttered, the sandwich assembled and then "toasted" on the griddle. Done. I agree with the posters above that more is not always better. It has to balance the cheese and toppings.

[janeer]

Well, I don't think there's a whole lotta confusion among NYers about what a Reuben is, but I do agree that just because it isn't a Reuben doesn't mean it's not good. Like a BLT is good, or a chicken salad sandwich is good. Different. When I was growing up I loved a sandwich made by the famous Pal's Cabin: fresh roasted turkey, Swiss, cole slaw, Thousand Island Dressing, rye toast. They, wisely, called it a "Sloppy Joe"; they knew it wasn't right to call a non-Reuben a Reuben.

[Chris Hennes]

I've never actually had the variant made with turkey, but that does seem to be a common one. Is the turkey always paired with slaw, or does it sometimes get the kraut?

[gfweb]

Note in response to a couple posts ...I cannot see any post that said that if a sandwich isn't a true Reuben it isn't any good.

There are many wonderful sandwiches. I will defend to the last corned beef specials, meatloaf sandwiches, certain tuna salad sandwiches, roast pork with broccoli rabe, grilled cheese with bacon and tomato, the Italian sausage with onions and peppers, the hoagie, and of course cheesesteaks.

But of the Reuben family, the original is superior. The others are nice but, to me, missing something.

[Chris Hennes]

The best "Reuben" I have ever had was made with pastrami, but if that's allowed to count as a Reuben I'd be inclined to agree with you.

[gfweb]

Whilst talking about great sandwiches I'd add fried Lebanon Bologna and Cole slaw on toasted pumpernickel. A nice summer snack.

[CaliPoutine]

I always ordered a Georgia Rueben at Zingerman's in Ann Arbor. Perfect for me, since I dont eat red meat. It was made with Turkey, swiss, coleslaw and some type of russian dressing.

[BeeZee]

I've never actually had the variant made with turkey, but that does seem to be a common one. Is the turkey always paired with slaw, or does it sometimes get the kraut?

depends on the restaurant, one diner I go to uses kraut, one uses slaw. My opinion is that it needs kraut, or it is a turkey special with cheese. I do order the turkey varient (with kraut) because, like Calipoutine, I don't eat red meat.

[Prawncrackers]

I went on a bit of a Reuben fetish a couple of months ago. Like Chris I think ox cheeks are great to pastramify, because they are so unctuous but also because they are good to portion. One big cheek is usually enough to make two sandwiches. Last time I smoked about a dozen of them, I only have 4 left in the freezer so it might be time to smoke some more! I like mine with sauerkraut, emmental and russian dressing. I know that rye is the most authentic but it's hard to get here so I'm happy to use a good white sourdough loaf. It grills up really well, nice and crispy:

Though my baker friend did one time make a sourdough rye with caraway especially for my obsession, it made an awesome reuben:

[Chris Hennes]

If you are having trouble sourcing rye bread, but not rye flour, I used the recipe in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day to make the stuff pictured in my post above: it was excellent.

[onrushpam]

I often make Reuben/Rachel/whatever sandwiches as a quickie weeknight dinner. It's not a gourmet version, but everything is sourced from my local Publix and it's pretty darn good...

Seeded rye bread from the bakery. I can usually get them to slice a half-loaf for me. It's much better than the pre-sliced.

Boar's Head pastrami from the deli, sliced thickish. (I think their pastrami is better than their corned beef, so that's what I get.)

Emmentaler cheese from the deli

Bubbies kraut (when they have it), otherwise Klaussen or some other brand

Marie's 1000 Island dressing from the produce section

Meat and kraut warmed on griddle, sandwich assembled, the the whole thing griddled with a little butter, just until it's toasty and the cheese is melted.

Usually served with "stepped on potatoes" (my DH's name for them), otherwise known as "hot crash" or "hot smashed"... new potatoes partially cooked, then flattened and crisped with olive oil/S/P in a hot oven. Dill pickles.

I really want to try corning my own beef... someday, I'll give that a go!

[janeer]

I've never actually had the variant made with turkey, but that does seem to be a common one. Is the turkey always paired with slaw, or does it sometimes get the kraut?

never seen it with kraut. Seems wrong.

[janeer]

I always ordered a Georgia Rueben at Zingerman's in Ann Arbor. Perfect for me, since I dont eat red meat. It was made with Turkey, swiss, coleslaw and some type of russian dressing.

My Pal's Cabin "Sloppy Joe"! excellent

[janeer]

I went on a bit of a Reuben fetish a couple of months ago. Like Chris I think ox cheeks are great to pastramify, because they are so unctuous but also because they are good to portion. One big cheek is usually enough to make two sandwiches. Last time I smoked about a dozen of them, I only have 4 left in the freezer so it might be time to smoke some more! I like mine with sauerkraut, emmental and russian dressing. I know that rye is the most authentic but it's hard to get here so I'm happy to use a good white sourdough loaf. It grills up really well, nice and crispy:

Though my baker friend did one time make a sourdough rye with caraway especially for my obsession, it made an awesome reuben:

That half-sandwich on sourdough looks amazing.

[pyrguy]

Something in Rye bread does not sit well with me so I have mine on sourdough also. Corned beef or pastrami, my preference, with good cheese. Grill the meat and kraut, combine and add the cheese so it can melt a bit. Add the dressing, put on buttered bread and grill GBD.

[Chris Hennes]

Another question about the turkey variants: is it ever made with a smoked or cured turkey, or always just roasted?

[gfweb]

Turkey pastrami would be interesting.

[rooftop1000]

Boars Head makes a Turkey "Pastrami" it may also be called Peppered Turkey. Excellent product for any application, it even goes well with eggs for a breakfast sandwich for those who wont eat (gasp) bacon.