Smoked Heart Reuben
Recipes
,Sandwiches and Burgers
April 12, 2023
“I devour the sandwich, a mountain of corned beef between two greasy slabs of marble rye, leaking cheese and Russian dressing all down the front of my sweater. It’s delicious, and I don’t stop eating until I’ve finished the last thick fry, which I use to mop up the remains of the sandwich.”
— Meredith Mileti
Reuben—toasted rye bread heaped with corned beef, warm sauerkraut, soft melted layers of Swiss cheese, and a generous spread of Russian dressing— is pure sacrilege and should be illegal.
This highly favored and admired 100-year-old sandwich originated in New York and brings together Irish corned beef, Jewish rye, German sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Russian dressing with the most challenging aspect being sourcing a good corned beef that you nail from here on following this recipe. The meat can sometimes be prepared with pastrami instead of corned beef. Don’t try to rationalize the ingredients just yet. Food is not rational, it is cultural, and the single most trademark of a society that you have to taste first to understand.
This sammy covers all corners of savory, salty, tangy, and sweet while its pan-toasted bread delivers a satisfying crunchy contrast to a soft interior. There are numerous variations of a Reuben; Montreal style, Thousand Island dressing, Walleye, and Rachel sandwich made with pastrami. We are delighted to add our own Corned and Smoked Heart, brined for 6 days and smoked. There is some controversy, believe it or not, over whether both or just one slice of bread should be toasted to maximize crunch against the soft melted cheese inside. We prefer the single-side toasting style which is more practical because it is easy to bite into and makes it more convenient to spread the dressing.
Although the Russian Dressing can be substituted with the sweeter Thousand Island, we still prefer the Russian Dressing’s more piquant and spicy taste of chili sauce and horseradish to embolden all the other flavors.
Now you have your corned heart slices, rye bread, dressing, and chee ready, prepare yourself to catapult your tastebuds to heaven. Just be sure to come back for another recipe.
Smoked Heart Reuben
Ingredients
For the Sandwiches
- 1 Corned and Smoked Heart sliced thin
- 4 slices rye bread
- ½ cup sauerkraut
- ¼ cup Russian dressing see below
- 4 slices Swiss cheese
- 2 TBSP butter
For the Russian dressing
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1½ TBSP ketchup
- 1 TBSP horseradish
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ TBSP sugar
- ¼ tsp paprika
- kosher salt
- black pepper
Instructions
For the Sandwiches
- Butter one side of each slice of bread. On the non-butter side spread Russian dressing on each slice. Top with a slice of Swiss cheese, corned and smoked heart, sauerkraut, another slice of Swiss cheese, and finally more Russian dressing. Top with another slice of rye bread.
- Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Place a sandwich in a skillet and cook until golden and cheese is melted, 3 minutes per side.
For the Russian dressing
- In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish, Worcestershire, sugar, and paprika until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
