The Classic Club Sandwich

[weinoo]

Some seem to think it contains cheese.

 

Some seem to think it contains ham. (well, the same some - one):

 

Quote

Ok, here we go.  Deli American cheese (not the plastic wrapped stuff) is a necessity on a club, as is ham and turkey.  Sigh

 

I offer that it contains neither, but sliced chicken (or turkey, if you must), bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo, on toasted, good quality white bread.

 

Others seem to agree.

 

Serious Eats

 

The Food Network

 

What's Cooking America?

 

WaPo

 

NY times

 

You know who puts cheese on a club sandwich?  Land o' Lakes!

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

I offer that it contains neither, but sliced chicken (or turkey, if you must), bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo, on toasted, good quality white bread.

Exactly!  Well almost. NO TURKEY. 

[Katie Meadow]

After a morning of birding my cousin used to take me to a local yacht club and we would split a club sandwich. She always ate small amounts of food. What percentage of people just reconstruct their club by tossing aside the middle piece of bread? I always did, with my half. And then I would fish out most of the turkey or whatever that was. Usually there was too much mayo, but that was to compensate for the dry poultry. Back to basics: the diy BLT. No cheese, no avocado, either, although in those days no one tried to shove an avocado down your throat or add something "melty" to your food.

[weinoo]

The amount and application of mayonnaise is of prime importance!

 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

7 minutes ago, weinoo said:

The amount and application of mayonnaise is of prime importance!

 

and not TOO toasted.

[Kim Shook]

6 hours ago, weinoo said:

I offer that it contains neither, but sliced chicken (or turkey, if you must), bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo, on toasted, good quality white bread.

 

This sounds like a lovely and delicious chicken BLT.  For those who like avocado, that might be a nice addition, too.  But it isn't a club sandwich in my world.  

[weinoo]

The preponderance of evidence leads me to believe your definition is incorrect.

[ElsieD]

Bacon, tomato, chicken (real chicken, none of that processed deli stuff), lettuce, mayo on toasted white.  That's for my husband.  For me, hold the mayo.  Both are real BLTs in this household.

[weinoo]

You know, people also call that thing made of out vegetable matter, and shown in Anna and Kerry's current thread, a burger...

 

 

But...

 

It's not.

 

Edited July 16, 2019 by weinoo (log)

[demiglace]

48 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

This sounds like a lovely and delicious chicken BLT.  For those who like avocado, that might be a nice addition, too.  But it isn't a club sandwich in my world.  

We still love you Kim!

[suzilightning]

Can anyone point me to the original discussion about the club sandwich referenced before this thread was slewed off?

[FeChef]

Well, here is my opinion. When i eat a BLT, i expect it to have Bacon, Lettuce,Tomato, and mayo on the side. T expect a Club to be exactly like a BLT, but with a third slice of toast in the middle and Turkey added. And to be honest, if i swapped the Turkey for Roast beef, or ham, or any other meat, I would still consider that a club. But if i had to add cheese, it would be provolone, not american, and especially not Land o lakes, that stuff is nasty. I only buy Boar's Head american.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

15 minutes ago, FeChef said:

Well, here is my opinion. When i eat a BLT, i expect it to have Bacon, Lettuce,Tomato, and mayo on the side. T expect a Club to be exactly like a BLT, but with a third slice of toast in the middle and Turkey added. And to be honest, if i swapped the Turkey for Roast beef, or ham, or any other meat, I would still consider that a club. But if i had to add cheese, it would be provolone, not american, and especially not Land o lakes, that stuff is nasty. I only buy Boar's Head american.

That is my general understanding.   I think of mayo being slathered as the sandwich is being made rather than on the side.    No cheese, please.    But I have seldom ordered a club.    I don't like the extra bread and probably early on couldn't afford one.   

[pastrygirl]

6 hours ago, suzilightning said:

Can anyone point me to the original discussion about the club sandwich referenced before this thread was slewed off?

 

It started on the current Manitoulin blog, page 17

 

[gfweb]

All of this club quibbling is related to a major peeve of mine. Dishes with established names...eg a Reuben...should be made according to spec. Don’t call a turkey sandwich on whole wheat with cole slaw and Swiss a Reuben of any sort.  Don’t make veal saltimbocca with a brown sauce. Etc. 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

2 minutes ago, gfweb said:

All of this club quibbling is related to a major peeve of mine. Dishes with established names...eg a Reuben...should be made according to spec. Don’t call a turkey sandwich on whole wheat with cole slaw and Swiss a Reuben of any sort.  Don’t make veal saltimbocca with a brown sauce. Etc. 

Totally agree.  The problem is agreeing on what established names define.    

[gfweb]

3 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

Totally agree.  The problem is agreeing on what established names define.    

Not a problem. Just ask me. My definition is definitive. 

Edited July 18, 2019 by gfweb (log)

[Kim Shook]

3 hours ago, gfweb said:

All of this club quibbling is related to a major peeve of mine. Dishes with established names...eg a Reuben...should be made according to spec. Don’t call a turkey sandwich on whole wheat with cole slaw and Swiss a Reuben of any sort.  Don’t make veal saltimbocca with a brown sauce. Etc. 

In Richmond VA a sandwich like that (Reuben-like with turkey) is called a "Rachel".  Don't know where that comes from or where else it is used, but everyone here knows what it means and I never saw it anywhere else before I moved to Richmond for college (1978).

[weinoo]

10 hours ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

That is my general understanding.   I think of mayo being slathered as the sandwich is being made rather than on the side.    No cheese, please.    But I have seldom ordered a club.    I don't like the extra bread and probably early on couldn't afford one.   

 You ...and James Beard!

 

Quote

The club sandwich also used to be rather different. In the last thirty years or so it has evolved into a triple decker, but as I remember, it was originally made with just two slices of toast, thinly sliced chicken, tomato, and mayonnaise. Order a club sandwich today, and you’ll get chicken or turkey, tomato, bacon, mayonnaise, and lettuce or not, as you wish. Provided the toast and bacon are crisp and hot and the other ingredients of the highest quality, this can be a divine mixture of flavors and textures.

Of course, that's from his tome, Beard on Food - written over 45 years ago!

 

And he was so damn opinionated; come to think of it, he might've been great on eGullet!

[weinoo]

4 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

In Richmond VA a sandwich like that (Reuben-like with turkey) is called a "Rachel".  Don't know where that comes from or where else it is used, but everyone here knows what it means and I never saw it anywhere else before I moved to Richmond for college (1978).

A Rachel can be made, I believe, with either turkey or pastrami, substituting cole slaw for the kraut, and this is where your cheese belongs - Swiss cheese, that is!

 

Martha says!

[weinoo]

8 hours ago, gfweb said:

All of this club quibbling is related to a major peeve of mine. Dishes with established names...eg a Reuben...should be made according to spec. Don’t call a turkey sandwich on whole wheat with cole slaw and Swiss a Reuben of any sort.  Don’t make veal saltimbocca with a brown sauce. Etc. 

1,000,000%!

 

I've felt this way for, well, at least the last 50 years (see my reference above to the "burger.")

 

 

 

 

[Bernie]

Wasn't the original idea of a club sandwich was that the bar man made it?The various clubs (sports, sailing etc) didn't have a kitchen or cook, they only had a couple of barman (bar persons...sigh).

Sort of like a bit bigger bar snack for lunch or dinner. He may have had a toaster but not much else which meant the fillings were not heated and could be kept in the fridge with the drinks that needed refrigeration?

[Katie Meadow]

8 minutes ago, Bernie said:

Wasn't the original idea of a club sandwich was that the bar man made it?The various clubs (sports, sailing etc) didn't have a kitchen or cook, they only had a couple of barman (bar persons...sigh).

Sort of like a bit bigger bar snack for lunch or dinner. He may have had a toaster but not much else which meant the fillings were not heated and could be kept in the fridge with the drinks that needed refrigeration?

I like the association of the the club sandwich with a club, since that's the only place I've ever had one. However, if the barman made it how did he cook the bacon?

[Bernie]

23 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

I like the association of the the club sandwich with a club, since that's the only place I've ever had one. However, if the barman made it how did he cook the bacon?

Not sure the "original" ever had bacon. I think it was always cold meat, chicken, corn beef or pastrami, tomato, lettuce, mayo. Like all these things, as clubs evolved perhaps many added grills for toasted cheese or toasted cheese & tomato, all the ingredients would have a relatively long shelf life in a drinks fridge.

[Anna N]

Just saying...