How to Make the Best Reuben Sandwich From Scratch
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Anyone else like a good reuben? It’s hands down my favorite sandwich. And if I’m too lazy to make an entire reuben, I will absolutely make a sauerkraut sandwich with some melted swiss cheese! If we go to a restaurant or somewhere to eat and there’s a reuben on the menu, I’m gettin’ it. But, I’m always left disappointed because I can make some dang good sandwiches right here at home with all homemade and homegrown food and it’s so much more tasty and satisfying and I’m not left with the brick in stomach feeling you get when you eat food that’s not so good for you. This blog post will link all my recipes that I use to make doggone tasty reuben sandwiches for me and my family. It does not mean it’s authentic new york city local deli reubens, a classic reuben sandwich recipe, or whatever. What it does mean is that it is super delicious, we enjoy eating it, and when I make it we call it a reuben. MMMMMMKKAAAYYYY?
Piling our homegrown beef brisket I corned myself on top of slices of rye bread, made from fresh milled flour and sourdough discard, sandwiched with my homegrown fermented tangy sauerkraut, homemade mayo thousand island dressing (or Russian dressing… I have no idea what you’re supposed to call it because I’m a profeshhhionalllll), and then smothered in melted cheese is the way to go. Get this recipe saved so you’ll be ready to make it for st. patrick’s day or the next day with your leftover corned beef! I normally serve this with some crispy home canned french fries or homemade potato chips or potato salad and a big ole dill pickles spear. You can’t go wrong. Bring the diner to your house!
​Equipment You Will Need:
- Cast Iron Skillets with a Lid
Ingredients
- Homemade Rye Bread: using fresh milled flour & rye, this homemade rye bread is soft, flavorful, and makes the sandwich chock full of protein and goodies because of the fresh milled flour. The addition of sourdough discard and caraway seeds adds to the rye flavor to give you that nice, earthy taste you look for in a good rye bread. Try out my recipe here!
- Reuben Sauce: the sauces used on this sandwich vary and you can absolutely make your own and use either thousand island or russian dressing. I make my own concoction that is creamy, tart, a touch spicy, and super flavorful. Is it traditional? Probably not, but it’s dang good on the sandwich and also delicious to dip french fries and fried chicken in! Use my homemade mayonnaise recipe as the base.
- Homemade Mayonnaise
- Ketchup
- Sweet Relish
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Horseradish
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Paprika
- Salt & Pepper
- Sauerkraut: here on the homestead, I grow our own cabbage and then shred and ferment it for our own gut healthy sauerkraut. It’s far superior to anything you will purchase in the store.
- Corned Beef Brisket: we raise our own beef cattle that are grass and grain fed and most of the briskets are set aside for making corned beef and then canned to preserve and make them shelf stable. I share my easy recipe as well as how I can it in this blog post here where you can find and print my corned beef recipe.
- Cheese: traditionally swiss is used, but provolone, mozzarella, or even pepper jack are good choices. I make pepper jack cheese with milk from our goats and it’s my most favorite cheese in the world, so it’s normally what I use unless I have made mozzarella recently!
I know this recipe seems like a lot of things to do, but it’s mostly just getting all the ingredients made and then assembling a sandwich. We’re an ingredients household here, so it’s normal to me to have to make things from scratch before making something as simple as a sandwich. Thankfully, most of the ingredients I have made well in advance and they’re ready to be used whenever I need them (corned beef, sauerkraut, cheese) because they are preserved. This just leaves a tiny bit of planning ahead to have the forethought to make the rye bread and buzz up a batch of mayonnaise in preparation to make a super great reuben sandwich. You can absolutely use storebought ingredients for any or all of these things… it’ll taste good, too. But the purpose here is being able to preserve and produce all the food from your homestead!
​Assuming you’ve made or obtained all the ingredients, let’s assemble and make the best reuben sandwich recipe!
Step 1: Prep the Sauce
I have found that making the reuben sauce in advance and allowing it to sit for several hours or overnight allows the flavors to meld and be more delicious. If you don’t, no harm, it’s still good!
Make the homemade mayonnaise.
Measure out 1/2 cup of mayo into a small mixing bowl. To the mayo, add in the rest of the ingredients:
- 2 Tbs ketchup or ketchup-style chili sauce
- 2 Tbs sweet pickle relish
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp horseradish, finely minced or ground into a paste (optional)
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- salt & pepper, to taste
Whisk to combine, cover, and refrigerate until you need it.
Step 2: Prep Ingredients
- Slice the homemade rye bread into thin slices. You can also do thicker slices if you prefer. That’s the beauty of making your own bread… it’s yours to make… yours!
- Plan on around 1/4 cup of sauerkraut for each sandwich you are making, and place it in a fine mesh strainer to drain. You don’t want any extra juice or the sandwich will get soggy.
- ​1 pint of home canned corned beef makes 4 sandwiches; plan on about 1/2 cup of shredded up corned beef per sandwich. If using canned, I recommend dumping the corned beef into a preheated cast iron skillet over medium heat with a bit of tallow and heating through until the edges of the pieces are crispy. Set aside.
- Shred or slice the cheese of choice you will be using. When using homemade cheeses, I have found it’s easier for me to just shred it and pile it on than try to slice it thinly enough for it to melt quickly. I have flaws, okay!?
Step 3: Assemble Sandwiches
- Place a large cast iron skillet with a lid over medium-low heat to preheat. Add a little butter to the pan to melt. I use about a tablespoon per sandwich and definitely cannot be bothered to take the time to butter one side of both slices of bread. Nosireebawbbbb.
- Once the pan is hot and the butter is melted, add bread slices to the skillet. I work in batches of two sandwiches, so four slices of bread.
- To all pieces of bread, add a small handful of shredded cheese or a slice of cheese.
- Top one slice with the corned beef and the other with the sauerkraut.
- Add the lid to the cast iron pan and turn the heat to low and allow the bread to begin crisp up in the butter and the cheese to get melty. This take about 5-8 minutes. On my stove top, I keep the heat at the 2 setting, on a scale of 0-10. Using cast iron on high heats can get away from you quickly and burn your bread. Low and slow, friends. That is the tempo! (You gotta comment if you got the reference!)
- Once the cheese melts, add a spoonful of reuben sauce to one side. How much you add is up to you and how messy you like your sandwich… I obviously go all out :D Take once piece and flip it onto the other to build the sandwich. Place a second cast iron skillet or a panini press tool onto the top of the sandwiches to press them. Allow to cook a minute or two before flipping and finishing the second side with the weight back on it. I like mine a nice brown that’s super crispy.
- Remove the sandwich from the skillet to a cutting board, allow it to sit for a few minutes before cutting in half and serving! Place the sandwich on a plate, pile on some potato salad or french fries made from home canned french fry cut potatoes, and add a home canned dill pickle spear. The perfect sandwich!
And there ya have it, my homemade version of reubens using the best quality ingredients I can produce myself and you can, too! The biggest struggle with growing and preserving your own food can sometimes be knowing how to use them! Hope this helps!
Equipment
- 2 cast iron skillets with a lid
Ingredients
Reuben Sauce
- 2 Tbs ketchup or ketchup-style chili sauce
- 2 Tbs sweet pickle relish
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp horseradish finely minced or ground into a paste (optional)
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- salt & pepper to taste
Sandwich Ingredients
- 8 slices homemade rye bread
- 1 cup sauerkraut drained
- 1 pint home canned corned beef
- 8 slices swiss cheese
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients for the reuben sauce to a small mixing bowl and stir to combine. Place in the refrigerator until you need it.
- Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Add a couple tablespoons of butter to the pan.
- Once the butter is melted, working in batches of 1-2 sandwiches depending on the size of your pan, add 2-4 slices of bread to the pan.
- To each slice, add 1 slice of cheese. To one side add 1/4 cup of drained sauerkraut and to the other side add about 1/2 cup of shredded corned beef. Cover with a lid and allow to heat on low heat until cheese is melted and bread is started to turn golden.
- Once cheese is melted, spoon reuben sauce onto each side, using however much you desire. Flip on side of the sandwich on top of the other to assemble the sandwich. Place another cast iron skillet on top or a cast iron press to press the sandwich down and cook for about 2 minutes to brown the side.
- Flip the sandwich, add the skillet or press back on top, and cook for another 2 minutes or til the bread is browned to your liking.
- Remove the sandwich to a cutting board and allow to cool and couple minutes before cutting in half.
- Serve with a pile of french fries and a home canned dill pickle spear!
We love Reubens! Sounds great. Thanks for all the info, tips and recipe.