Reuben Sandwich
Makes 15+ sandwiches
Corned Beef adapted from Wellness Mama
Russian Dressing adapted from the Food Network
For Corned Beef:
4-5 pound beef brisket (trim it down so that there’s no more than a ½ inch fat cap)
8 cups (2 quarts) water
1 cup sea salt
½ cup cane sugar
1 cinnamon stick (or ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder)
1 tablespoon whole mustard seeds
1-2 tablespoons black peppercorns
8-10 whole cloves
½ teaspoon ginger powder (or 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced)
½ teaspoon thyme
5 cloves garlic, smashed (or ½ teaspoon garlic powder)
2-3 bay leaf, crushed
1 teaspoon allspice berries
1 tablespoon coriander seeds (or ½ teaspoon ground coriander)
1 teaspoon juniper berries
For Rub:
2-3 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
½ teaspoon anise seeds
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 large bay leaf
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ ground ginger
For Russian Dressing:
¾ cups mayonnaise
2-3 tablespoons chili sauce (or Tiger sauce)
1 tablespoon sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced dill pickle
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon grated horseradish
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
For Sandwiches:
1 loaf rye bread or marbled rye bread
Sauerkraut (my recipe)
15+ slices Swiss cheese
Butter, for cooking
For Corned Beef:
To make the brine, fill a large pot with the water, salt, sugar, and spices. Heat the brine, stirring frequently, until the sugar and salt dissolve.
Cool the brine and place it into refrigerator until very cold. It is very important that the brine is cold before it comes in contact with the meat! Once completely cooled, add the brisket to the brine, allowing it to be fully submerged.
Brine the brisket for 5-7 days (the longer the better!). Rotate the brisket, in the brine daily.
When you’re ready to cook, remove the brisket from the brine and pat it dry with paper towels. Spill the brine away.
Heat the oven to 325° F.
For the Rub, spread the Dijon mustard over the dried brisket. Using either a mortar and pestle, or a food processor, grind the remaining spices. Spread this spice blend all over the brisket side without the fat cap.
To prepare the roasting rack, add a grate to the bottom of a roasting pan, or baking dish. Fill the bottom of the pan with water, either to 1 inch or to the bottom of the grate, whichever is lower.
Tightly wrap the brisket in tin foil, making sure there’s no pockets of meat sticking. Place it on the grate in the roasting pan and bake it in the oven for 1 hour for every 1 pound of meat.
Beef is food safe once its internal temperature is 145°. But I prefer to bake it until it’s closer to 180° - 190°.
For the final 30-45 minutes of the baking time, remove the the foil from the brisket and continuing baking until done.
Remove the brisket from the oven and let it rest at least 15 minutes before slicing into it.
Thinly slice the brisket.
For Russian Dressing:
In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Thoroughly mix it together until there are no more white streaks from the mayo and sour cream. Refrigerate and set aside.
For Sandwiches:
Lightly toast 2 slices of bread (barely golden brown). Put Russian Dressing on both sides of the bread. Layer thinly sliced pieces of corned beef on one side of the bread. Top the beef with a heaping of sauerkraut and add sliced Swiss cheese on top.
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the skillet and let it melt. Once melted, add the sandwich to the skillet and put a lid on top. Let it toast for 2-3 minutes, depending on how crispy you like it.
Flip the sandwich over, cover the skillet and continue toasting it for an additional 2-3 minutes, until to your preferred doneness. Transfer sandwich to a plate.
Enjoy!
