Reubens

I love em all...what's the proper way to make one though,

corned beef or pastrami?
kraut or slaw?
Thousand Island or Russian dressing?
Rye?

What's the difference in the two dressings?
I read somewhere that in NY and surrounding areas they
still use cole slaw. I used to get a sandwich that
way at a place called Midway Deli here in Myrtle Beach.
The owner was from Piscatway (sp?) New Jersey. Great
sandwich, but I don't think it was a reuben.

I have never had a Reuben with slaw. Everyone I have ever had contained kraut.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

quote:

Originally posted by Captain Morgan

I love em all...what's the proper way to make one though,

I read somewhere that in NY and surrounding areas they
still use cole slaw.

Corned beef, Swiss Cheese, Sauerkraut and Russian Dressing are considered traditional Ruebens. I'm originally from the New York area (Long Island) and never saw a Rueben with Cole Slaw.

There are similar Sandwiches you may find in the NYC area at Kosher or Kosher Style Delis that usually incorporate Chopped Liver with either Turkey, Tongue, Corned Beef or Pastrami or a combination thereof which will also include coleslaw on the sandwich as well.

Here in the midwest,at least in my experience,a reuban is made with corned beef,swiss cheese,kraut and 1000 island dressing.I prefer it without the dressing.

I google this up

http://www.foodreference.com/html/freubens.html

"Two people claim to have originated the Reuben sandwich.
1 - Arnold Reuben in 1914 of the once famous New York delicatessen, 'Reuben's
2 - Arnold Kolakofsky, an Omaha grocer. A friend of Kolakofsky entered it in a national sandwich contest in 1956 and won. It gained popularity at this time.
Here are some recipes from Reuben's Deli of New York:

REUBEN'S FAMOUS ORIGINAL SANDWICH
Ham, turkey, Swiss cheese, cole slaw, and Russian dressing on rye bread."

Toasted homemade rye bun, thin sliced corned beef piled hight, 2 or 3 thin slices swiss cheese, & kraust. Spread with thousand island, with a little extra for dipping.

OMG!!

Oh dear, I must really try to remember to use spell check. The thought of this sandwich made me crazy!

quote:

Originally posted by Captain Morgan

I google this up

http://www.foodreference.com/html/freubens.html

"Two people claim to have originated the Reuben sandwich.
1 - Arnold Reuben in 1914 of the once famous New York delicatessen, 'Reuben's
2 - Arnold Kolakofsky, an Omaha grocer. A friend of Kolakofsky entered it in a national sandwich contest in 1956 and won. It gained popularity at this time.
Here are some recipes from Reuben's Deli of New York:

REUBEN'S FAMOUS ORIGINAL SANDWICH
Ham, turkey, Swiss cheese, cole slaw, and Russian dressing on rye bread."

I'm fairly positive that New Yorkers have been eating Reubens well before 1956.

quote:

Originally posted by Captain Morgan

I google this up


2 - Arnold Kolakofsky, an Omaha grocer. A friend of Kolakofsky entered it in a national sandwich contest in 1956 and won. It gained popularity at this time.

it's Reuben Kolakofsky. The 1956 reference is from the movie Quiz Show and is not true. However, Reuben K was making the sandwich for a group of guys who played poker together in the 20's and 30's. Around 1935 Charles Schimmel, one of the poker players, put the sandwich on his menu at the Blackstone Hotel's menu. The earliest artifact dating the Omaha, NE version is from a 1937 Blackstone menu.
Although, Ed Schimmel (Charles' son) said after a trip to NYC that he ordered a Rueben and "they never heard of it," his story cannot be corraberated.

The winner of the 1956 Sandwich contest was actually Fern Snyder who owner the Rose Bowl Restaurant in Omaha. And while one could argue that the contest gave the sandwich its fame, it was certainly not an original concept by 1956.

Patricia B. Taylor, daughter of Arnold Reuben (1883-1970), the founder of Reuben’s Restaurant and Delicatessen, remembers that her father made the first Reuben Sandwich in 1914. She described the incident to Crag Claiborne of the New York Times in his book called Craig Claibornes - The New York Times Food Encyclopedia:

The year was 1914. Late one evening a leading lady of actor Charlie Chaplin came into the restaurant and said, 'Reuben, make me a sandwich, make it a combination, I'm so hungry I could eat a brick.' He took a loaf of rye bread, cut two slices on the bias and stacked one piece with sliced Virginia ham, roast turkey, and imported Swiss cheese, topped off with coleslaw and lots of Reuben's special Russian dressing and the second slice of bread. He served it to the lady who said, 'Gee, Reuben, this is the best sandwich I ever ate, you ought to call it an Annette Seelos Special.' To which he replied, 'Like hell I will, I'll call it a Reuben's Special.'

This story, which I pulled from the web is suspect, since Annette Seelos was not in a film with Charlie Chaplin in or before 1914. Also, the ingredients are not what we recognize as a Reuben. Reuben Arnold's own version of the story (which he told in a 1938 interview) doesn't give it a year, but he does mention that he made a sandwich for Anna Seelos - however, he also doesn't mention corned beef or kraut as the ingredients.

A book by George LEonard Herter, published in the 50's, attributed the sandwich to Arnold Reuben's friend William Hamerly, who named the sandwich after Reuben Arnold in honor of all the charitible work Reuben had done in his lifetime. Aside form the book, there is no other evidence to support that claim.

Therefore, given the fact that Arnold Rueben's sandwich sandwich may not have had the ingredients we think of with today's reuben sandwich, I would argue that the sandwich made in the 20's by Reuben K and put on the menu at Blackstone's Hotel by 1937, is the "original." It comes down to documentation. And while, IMO, NYC has perfected the sandwich and the rueben sandich is certainly at home in NY, it can't be called the birthplace.

At my local deli, Pumpernick's in Montgomeryville, PA, they differentiate between a Rueben(with sauerkraut) and a Rachel (with cole slaw.) One can have either with corned beef, pastrami or turkey.

Here is the recipe and guidelines that I use to make mine. I've never had any complaints. pb

REUBEN SANDWICH
Modern-day Reuben sandwiches are often open-faced and broiled, which dries out the corned beef and makes the cheese rubbery. Or, under the misguided belief that more is better, they are overstuffed. The main things to remember for a great Reuben are to keep the filling under control and in balance, so when you bite into it you get a harmonious and succulent mouthful; and to grill the sandwich slowly and under some pressure, so the bread gets toasty brown and buttery crisp, the meat gets warmed through, and the cheese is just melted enough to be oozy.
2 slices rye bread or pumpernickel
2 teaspoons butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons Reuben's Russian Dressing (recipe below)
1/4 cup well-drained, fresh-style sauerkraut
2 ounces thinly sliced Gruyère or Switzerland Swiss cheese
1/4 pound thinly sliced corned beef



Butter each slice of bread evenly to the edges on one side.
Place one slice, buttered side down, in a small cold skillet: Build the sandwich in the skillet you'll grill it in.

Spread 1 tablespoon of the Russian dressing on the face-up, dry side of the bread. Then put on the sauerkraut, spreading it evenly.

Arrange the cheese in an even layer over the sauerkraut, then do the same with the corned beef.

Spread another 1 tablespoon Russian dressing on the dry side of the second slice of bread and place it, dressing side down, buttered side up, over the corned beef.

Place the skillet over medium-low heat and grill the sandwich slowly, pressing down on it a few times with a wide metal spatula. Grill until the bread is browned and crisped, then turn the sandwich over with the help of the spatula.

Now weight the sandwich down by placing a plate (or another small skillet) over the sandwich, then adding on a weight, such as a 28-ounce can of tomatoes. Grill until the second side has browned and crisped, then flip the sandwich over one more time to briefly reheat the other side.

Serve immediately.

Makes 1.
Arthur Schwartz's New York City Food
2004
By Arthur Schwartz


Overall: Pretty detailed, right? It took me longer to type those instructions than it did to make the sandwich. But that's typical of Schwartz's hand-holding in the book.

Rye or pumpernickel? Pumpernickel? Whoever heard of such a thing? Might as well use white bread.

Russian dressing: He uses Reuben's recipe, which combines 1/2 cup of mayo with a tablespoon of ketchup, a teaspoon of grated onion, 1/2 teaspoon of horseradish, 1/4 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, and 1 tablespoon of parsley. Red caviar is optional but unnecessary.

Why Russian? According to Schwartz, Reuben's was the first Jewish deli to make a corned beef sandwich with Russian dressing and, even better and more New York, with deli coleslaw.

Sauerkraut: Try to get it from the deli counter. They should have it in midwinter, but if not, well-drained canned sauerkraut will do.

Procedure: Since I don't have a sandwich press, I make grilled cheese sandwiches in a skillet in just this way. But now that panini are so stylish, I bet more people have sandwich presses.

For one? Obviously, it's a cinch to double the recipe.

What to do with the leftover Russian dressing? Use it on an iceberg-lettuce wedge, as a sauce with fried fish, or to cover halved hard-cooked eggs, making Eggs à la Russe.

Porkbeaks, that sounds like a real Reuben to me.

As for the broiled open-face, they make a good point. IMO when the corned beef dries out it not only becomes tough and rubbery, but too salty to eat in combination with the salty kraut and cheese.

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

I have never had a Reuben with slaw. Everyone I have ever had contained kraut.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

It's called a New Yorker at the Deli I go to. I love it! Just thinkin about it makes me want to go there.....

While associated with Kosher food, in fact, the Reuben violates just about every conceivable Kosher law. You would not be able to order one at a traditional Kosher deli, per se. I remember 12 years ago, for instance, my cousin and I went into the 2nd Ave Deli, and he attempted to order a Reuben, they about chopped his head off. I just kind of stayed off to the side and cackled about the entire scene.

quote:

Originally posted by tamandmik

While associated with Kosher food, in fact, the Reuben violates just about every conceivable Kosher law. You would not be able to order one at a traditional Kosher deli, per se. I remember 12 years ago, for instance, my cousin and I went into the 2nd Ave Deli, and he attempted to order a Reuben, they about chopped his head off. I just kind of stayed off to the side and cackled about the entire scene.

Every law? Maybe a few fried clams you could add?

I was referencing the same thing in another thread earlier today, in response to a menu in Richmond, VA offering Kosher Pastrami and Swiss and "Sailor" sandwiches.

Great info, thanks! Like I said, I like em both with slaw and kraut....the slaw
actually works with other sandwiches too, wierd, but a good healthy way to bulk
up a sandwich, and the texture difference is good.

I'll try that Russian recipe. Made one I found on the net the other day and
it tasted exactly like thousand island to me!

quote:

Originally posted by Ashphalt


Every law? Maybe a few fried clams you could add?

I was referencing the same thing in another thread earlier today, in response to a menu in Richmond, VA offering Kosher Pastrami and Swiss and "Sailor" sandwiches.

Yeah, you can't do that! It's kind along the same line as saying you are a Christian against Christ!

quote:

Originally posted by porkbeaks

Here is the recipe and guidelines that I use to make mine. I've never had any complaints. pb

REUBEN SANDWICH
Modern-day Reuben sandwiches are often open-faced and broiled, which dries out the corned beef and makes the cheese rubbery. Or, under the misguided belief that more is better, they are overstuffed. The main things to remember for a great Reuben are to keep the filling under control and in balance, so when you bite into it you get a harmonious and succulent mouthful; and to grill the sandwich slowly and under some pressure, so the bread gets toasty brown and buttery crisp, the meat gets warmed through, and the cheese is just melted enough to be oozy.
2 slices rye bread or pumpernickel
2 teaspoons butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons Reuben's Russian Dressing (recipe below)
1/4 cup well-drained, fresh-style sauerkraut
2 ounces thinly sliced Gruyère or Switzerland Swiss cheese
1/4 pound thinly sliced corned beef



Butter each slice of bread evenly to the edges on one side.
Place one slice, buttered side down, in a small cold skillet: Build the sandwich in the skillet you'll grill it in.

Spread 1 tablespoon of the Russian dressing on the face-up, dry side of the bread. Then put on the sauerkraut, spreading it evenly.

Arrange the cheese in an even layer over the sauerkraut, then do the same with the corned beef.

Spread another 1 tablespoon Russian dressing on the dry side of the second slice of bread and place it, dressing side down, buttered side up, over the corned beef.

Place the skillet over medium-low heat and grill the sandwich slowly, pressing down on it a few times with a wide metal spatula. Grill until the bread is browned and crisped, then turn the sandwich over with the help of the spatula.

Now weight the sandwich down by placing a plate (or another small skillet) over the sandwich, then adding on a weight, such as a 28-ounce can of tomatoes. Grill until the second side has browned and crisped, then flip the sandwich over one more time to briefly reheat the other side.

Serve immediately.

Makes 1.
Arthur Schwartz's New York City Food
2004
By Arthur Schwartz


Overall: Pretty detailed, right? It took me longer to type those instructions than it did to make the sandwich. But that's typical of Schwartz's hand-holding in the book.

Rye or pumpernickel? Pumpernickel? Whoever heard of such a thing? Might as well use white bread.

Russian dressing: He uses Reuben's recipe, which combines 1/2 cup of mayo with a tablespoon of ketchup, a teaspoon of grated onion, 1/2 teaspoon of horseradish, 1/4 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, and 1 tablespoon of parsley. Red caviar is optional but unnecessary.

Why Russian? According to Schwartz, Reuben's was the first Jewish deli to make a corned beef sandwich with Russian dressing and, even better and more New York, with deli coleslaw.

Sauerkraut: Try to get it from the deli counter. They should have it in midwinter, but if not, well-drained canned sauerkraut will do.

Procedure: Since I don't have a sandwich press, I make grilled cheese sandwiches in a skillet in just this way. But now that panini are so stylish, I bet more people have sandwich presses.

For one? Obviously, it's a cinch to double the recipe.

What to do with the leftover Russian dressing? Use it on an iceberg-lettuce wedge, as a sauce with fried fish, or to cover halved hard-cooked eggs, making Eggs à la Russe.

That's the way I make mine, except I use bottled Russian dressing. I also use Bush's Bavarian style kraut, also.

In a restaurant I worked at in Omaha and Lincoln, NE we used a beautiful cottage dark rye, and a homemade dressing (kind of a cross between russian and 1000 island), a local kraut, and corned beef. We sold so many of them at lunch we would pre build them and store them in a cooler table. We would butter the outer sides of the bread and then place them in a double sided grill (cooked top and bottom) as soon as they were grilled and the chesse started to melt we pull them and serve them with some fries, an onion ring and a little cup of Durkee's. I'm sitting here drooling on my keyboard....that was a FINE sandwich.

Porkbeaks ...

Thanks for the recipe .. I could have done it all w/o a recipe except for that Russian dressing recipe! I learned a LONG time ago to grill 'em.. but have always used 1000 Island dressing... the Russian dressing sounds outta this world!

We like them grilled & ozing with cheese & dressing For the meats we like a combination of corned beef & ham. We use munster or swiss depending on what is available. I prefer mine with coleslaw however most of the family likes them with kraut.

I usually order 2 Reubens one with corned beef,the other with pastrami
hopefully on pechter's jewish rye with mustard,thousand island/russian dressing,swiss and kraut, and usually most deli's serve with a side of coleslaw and pickels.

I sure love me a good Reuben, corned beef, sauerkraut and russian dressing on seeded rye.

Guess I'll be stopping at the store in the morning.

MikeS.

To celebrate St Patricks day we did RUEBENS....
In a skillet With a cast iron Hot Top
Fixed a few french frys to go with the Ruben and a cold beer...YUM

Our Reubens, such as they are, are made with:
Slice of Jewish Rye, mix of stone ground and German sweet hot mustard, turkey pastrami, drained kraut, another layer of pastrami, swish cheese, and another slice of rye. Grilled with butter on both sides. Yumm. No, they're not authentic, yes they are delicious. But I like them with Thousand Island dressing, also.

I was really into reuben sandwiches for a while a couple years ago and made them like crazy. I made it simple, buttered jewish rye bread, pastrami, swiss, kraut and toasted it like a grilled cheese sandwich. Man, i really want to try a big juicy sandwich right about now!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Kent Daniels

Our Reubens, such as they are, are made with:
Slice of Jewish Rye, mix of stone ground and German sweet hot mustard, turkey pastrami, drained kraut, another layer of pastrami, swish cheese, and another slice of rye. Grilled with butter on both sides. Yumm. No, they're not authentic, yes they are delicious. But I like them with Thousand Island dressing, also.

I'll agree, I usually make them with a good spicy brown mustard, like Gulden's. I prefer this to the sweetness of 1000 Island.

We buy a fantastic sauerkraut rye bread for our Reuben.

The warm corned beef,swiss, russian dressing and creamy slaw is a standard at many of the street and korean run delis in Manhattan though you won't find it any place like Katz's. The sandwich way to sloppy to be eaten on rye. Mostly I have seen it served on a kaiser roll which soaks up the the excess liquid in the sandwich. It can also be commonly made with pastrami or a combo of corned beef and pastrami. When i lived in New York, it was a common post drinking sandwich for me.