Sandwiches · American
Reuben Sandwich
Corned beef, tangy kraut and melted Swiss pressed between buttery, crackly rye.
- Hands-on
- 35 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Makes
- 4 sandwiches
- Serves
- 4
All hands-on, no oven. About 15 minutes to mix the dressing, shred the cheese and build the sandwiches, 3 minutes to cook down the sauerkraut, then two skillet batches of about 5 minutes each. Total 35 minutes for 4 sandwiches.
- easy
- deli
- st-patricks-day
- weeknight
- comfort-food
Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means
Scaling? The skillet holds 2 sandwiches at a time, with 2 tbsp (28 g) butter per batch. Making more means more batches, not a longer cook. Some items (like eggs) don’t halve neatly: beat them, then measure out half.
Ingredients
You need: large skillet with a lid (2 sandwiches must fit side by side) · small bowl and whisk · medium bowl · box grater · wide spatula · wire rack
Contains: egg · milk · wheat
Method
Mix the dressing
In a small bowl, whisk together the 60 ml (1/4 cup) mayonnaise, 60 ml (1/4 cup) finely chopped sweet pickles, 1 tsp pickle juice and 2 tbsp cocktail sauce. Set it aside.
Cook down the sauerkraut
Put the 240 ml (1 cup) drained, rinsed sauerkraut in the large skillet with the 2 tbsp cider vinegar and 1 tsp brown sugar. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring now and then, for about 3 minutes.
Ready when: The pan is dry: no liquid pools around the sauerkraut when you push it aside with the spoon.
Otto tried this firstOtto forks the sauerkraut straight from the jar onto the bread, brine and all. The bottom slice turns to mush before he even gets it to the pan. Drain, rinse and cook the liquid off first.Clear the pan
Tip the sauerkraut into a medium bowl and wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel (hold it with a mitt, the pan is hot). You'll use the same skillet for the sandwiches.
Dress the bread
Spread the dressing over one side of all 8 rye slices, dividing it evenly.
Build the sandwiches
On 4 of the slices, dressing side up, layer half of the 113 g (1 cup) shredded Swiss, then half of the 340 g (12 oz) corned beef. Spread the sauerkraut over the beef, then add the rest of the corned beef and the rest of the cheese. Close with the remaining 4 slices, dressing side down.
Brown the first side
Melt 2 tbsp (28 g) of the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add 2 sandwiches and cook for 2 to 3 minutes without moving them.
Ready when: The underside is an even golden brown. Lift a corner with the spatula to check.
Flip, cover and melt
Turn the sandwiches over, lower the heat to medium-low and put the lid on. Cook about 2 minutes more, then move them to a wire rack.
Ready when: The second side is golden brown and the cheese has melted and is starting to ooze at the edges. For higher-risk eaters, the corned beef must be steaming hot, 74°C (165°F) in the middle.
Otto tried this firstOtto skips the lid. The bread is done but the cheese in the middle is still in cold shreds. The lid traps the heat that melts it.Second batch
Melt the remaining 2 tbsp (28 g) butter in the skillet and cook the other 2 sandwiches the same way. Cut each sandwich in half and serve hot.
Ready when: Same as above: golden on both sides, cheese fully melted.
Swaps
- Instead of the homemade dressing: store-bought Thousand Island or Russian dressing, about 150 ml (2/3 cup) in total Russian dressing is the traditional choice and Thousand Island works fine. The homemade mix sits between the two.
- Instead of 113 g (1 cup) shredded Swiss: sliced Swiss, 2 slices per sandwich Slices work, but shredded cheese melts more quickly and evenly under the lid.
Make ahead, store & reheat
- Storage
- Best eaten hot, right out of the pan. Refrigerate any leftovers within 2 hours.
If something goes wrong
- Soggy bottom slice Why: Wet sauerkraut went into the sandwich.
Drain and rinse the sauerkraut, then cook it with the vinegar and sugar until the pan is dry before building. - Bread browned but the cheese didn't melt Why: The heat was too high and the pan was uncovered.
After flipping, drop the heat to medium-low and cover the skillet. Shredded cheese melts faster than thick slices.
Good to know
- Use the same skillet for the sauerkraut and the sandwiches: less washing up.
- Brisket-cut corned beef is juicier and more tender than round.
- Keep the finished first batch on a wire rack while the second one cooks.
Safety
- Deli meats can carry Listeria. If you're pregnant, 65 or older, or have a weakened immune system, food-safety guidance says to eat deli meat only when it's heated to 74°C (165°F) or until steaming hot. A quick-melt sandwich may not get the beef that hot in the middle, so for these eaters, warm the corned beef slices in the skillet first, turning them, until they are steaming hot all the way through, then build and cook the sandwich.
- The skillet, the lid and the melted cheese get very hot. Use an oven mitt for the lid and let an adult do the flipping.
- Check the labels: the egg is in the mayonnaise, and most rye bread also contains wheat flour. Breads and sauces can also contain sesame or soy.