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The World's Greatest Reuben

The key to the greatest Reuben starts with the meat! Make your own corned beef, render it low and slow, cut it thick and watch all your Reuben dreams come true.
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Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 5 hours
Servings 4 people

Equipment

  • 1 Spice Grinder
  • 1 Slow Cooker
  • 1 Medium Bowl for dressing preparation
  • 1 Flat top griddle or large skillet
  • 1 Metal bowl for steaming and melting cheese

Ingredients
  

Main

  • 3 tablespoons whole peppercorns
  • 2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
  • 2 tablespoons whole mustard seeds
  • 2 tablespoons turbinado or demerara sugar
  • 6 bay leaves
  • One 3- to 4-pound corned beef rinsed
  • 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
  • 4 cloves garlic smashed
  • 2 to 3 quarts low-sodium chicken stock
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons hot giardiniera drained and minced
  • 1 tablespoon ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Unsalted butter for schmearing at room temperature
  • 8 thick slices marble rye
  • 16 slices aged Swiss
  • 1 cup sauerkraut

Instructions
 

  • For the slow cooker pastrami spiced corned beef: Place the peppercorns, coriander, mustard seeds, sugar and 3 bay leaves in a spice grinder and pulse until very coarse, 8 to 10 pulses. Coat the entire corned beef in the yellow mustard, then coat the entire corned beef with the ground spices.
  • Place the corned beef in a slow cooker along with the garlic and remaining 3 bay leaves; pour the stock over it until just submerged. Set for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high and cook until super fork-tender.
  • Remove, tent with foil and rest for 30 minutes. Slice into pencil-thick slices (about 1/4-inch-thick) and set aside.
  • For the 18,000 island dressing: In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, giardiniera, ketchup, sriracha, mustard and granulated garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
  • Assemble the sandwich: Heat a flat top griddle to medium heat. Spread the butter on one side of each slice of bread. Place four pieces of bread buttered-side down on top of the griddle. Top with a slice of cheese on half of the bread slices. Allow to cook for a couple of minutes. On the opposite side of the griddle, add two to three pieces of corned beef in two piles. Top with some sauerkraut, a spoonful of the dressing and cheese. Top with a metal bowl and add a splash of water to melt the cheese. Allow to cook until everything is melty and warmed through, about 2 minutes. Once the cheese has melted on the corned beef as well as the bread slices, top the bread with the corned beef and sandwich the bread together. Repeat with the remaining slices of bread and ingredients to make four sandwiches total.

Notes

The quality of your corned beef is paramount; don't rush the low-and-slow cooking in the slow cooker to achieve that super fork-tender texture. Ensure the beef is just submerged in stock for optimal braising. For the spice rub, a coarse grind is crucial to provide texture and flavor without being powdery. When slicing the rested corned beef, aim for consistent, pencil-thick slices – this impacts the sandwich's bite and integrity. The 18,000 Island dressing benefits from resting briefly for flavors to meld. For assembly, a flat-top griddle is ideal for even heat distribution, but a large cast-iron skillet works well. Don't skip the metal bowl and splash of water to steam and rapidly melt the cheese; this creates a perfectly gooey, unified sandwich.