Today on Throwdown Kitchen I show you how easy it is to make the Jason’s Deli Reuben Sandwich. This recipe is grilled to toasty perfection and topped with a classic Russian dressing recipe.
Starting with fresh hot corned beef sliced by hand (just like a New York Deli) topped with Sauerkraut, Swiss Cheese and Russian dressing, this grilled sandwich is the ultimate deli combination. Straight from Lombard Street’s corned beef row in Baltimore.
Table of contents
Jason’s Deli Review
You’ll find that the classic Jason’s Deli Reuben sandwich is made with corned beef. Pastrami would be an excellent substitute, bringing the Reuben sandwich a whole new flavor. Intense would be the word for it. I’ve even made Reuben’s with sliced turkey breast, and they were excellent as well.
For a Texas company, Jason’s is doing it right in the deli department, but don’t confuse them with a New York deli or Jewish deli because they are actually renowned for their version of a New Orleans muffaletta. Anyway, all the meats and cheeses are sliced fresh every day and the quality is outstanding with the roast beef, pastrami and corned beef coming from Aries Meat Company.
I was immediately taken by the fact that this Reuben sandwich is huge and that is definitely New York inspired. It seemed to be a tiny mountain of corned beef on plain seeded rye bread. Under the cover revealed that the corned beef rested directly on the bottom slice followed by the Swiss cheese and then the sauerkraut with a small amount of dressing on the top.
The corned beef is the star of the show here and did not disappoint me at all. Even though it is not hand carved, the corned beef is lean and sliced very thinly which made for a good chew with very little tug needed.
I think you’ll find that most restaurants use generic Thousand Island dressing on their Reuben sandwiches, and I was really pleased that Jason’s Deli sticks with Russian dressing. Was it a huge difference in the quality of the sandwich? Not really.
The bottom line, is that I really enjoyed Jason’s Deli Grand Reuben, next time I’ll get some extra Russian dressing on the side for dipping.
How To Make Jason’s Deli Reuben Sandwich At Home
For this recipe you will need corned beef, rye bread, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, butter and Russian dressing.
For the home version you could substitute turkey or pastrami because the common denominator of a great Reuben is Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, rye bread and sauerkraut. Can’t make a Reuben sandwich without them!
How To Make Russian Dressing
Start with the Russian dressing. Russian dressing is one of the easiest dressing to make. It only requires a few ingredients and comes together quickly. In a bowl mix the mayonnaise (1/2 cup), ketchup (5 tbsp) pickle relish (1/4 cup) are the staters. Sounds a lot like a special burger sauce, right?
Finish the sauce with a little minced onion (1 tbsp), Worcestershire sauce (1 tsp), and yellow mustard (1 tsp) and you’ve nailed the recipe for an easy Russian dressing.
I usually make extra Russian dressing because people like to dip their chips and fries in the sauce.
Next, heat a griddle or cast iron pan to medium high. Butter (1 tbsp) both sides of the rye bread (2 slices) and grill each side of the bread until golden brown. Grilling both sides is one of the secret tricks to making a really fantastic Reuben sandwich.
What Kind Of Sauerkraut To Use For A Reuben
There are different kinds of Sauerkraut, but for a Reuben sandwich, we prefer smaller shredded sauerkraut that lays nicely on a sandwich. The best sauerkraut for Reuben’s are the supermarket brands that come in cans or jars. We enjoy the salty rich flavors from the jarred variety and like the fact that we can easily store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
Top 10 Rated Canned and Jarred Sauerkraut
Throwdown Kitchens top choice of sauerkraut for this copycat version of Jason’s Deli Reuben Sandwich was Bubbies Sauerkraut and you can usually find it in the refrigerated section of your local supermarket.
- Bubbies Sauerkraut
- Eden Organic Sauerkraut
- Wildbrine Kraut Raw Green
- Kraut-N-Kale Sauerkraut
- Wise Goat Green Garden Sauerkraut
- Wise Goat Organic Golden
- Franks Bavarian Sauerkraut
- Amish Wedding Old Fashioned Sauerkraut
- McClure’s Sauerkraut
- Delmonte Sauerkraut
Now, heat the sauerkraut in a small saucepan and then keep hot until ready to layer the sandwich
How Do You Layer A Reuben
Layer the Reuben sandwich by spooning Russian dressing (1 tbsp) on the bottom half of the rye bread. Next lay the Swiss cheeses, corned beef (6 ounces), sauerkraut (2 tbsp), another slice of Swiss cheese and then spoon more Russian dressing on top before closing the sandwich
Reuben sandwiches have always been made on a griddle. Delicatessens never knew a Panini press. I think that years of flavor build on the iron griddle and lend that authentic deli flavor to a Lombard Street Reuben or any grilled hot deli sandwich.
We use all hot ingredients. The corned beef is sliced hot and added to the sandwich. The sauerkraut comes out of the pot steaming hot. All that’s needed is a gentle melt of the cheese.
So, once the sandwich is closed, give it a gentle press with a spatula to ensure that it all gets happy and melty.
Watch How We Made Jason’s Deli Reuben Copycat
Equipment
- Griddle
Ingredients
For The Corned Beef
- 3 Pounds Corned Beef Brisket
For The Russian Dressing
- 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
- 5 tablespoons Ketchup
- 1/4 cup Pickle relish dill
- 1 tablespoon Minced onion
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Yellow mustard
- 1 pinch Salt
For The Sandwich
- 1 pound Swiss cheese deli sliced
- 8 slices Rye bread with or without seeds
- 1 cup Sauerkraut
- 4 tablespoons Butter
Instructions
- Place the corned beef in a pot and cover with water. Add the seasoning pack and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook for 3 hours. Remove from the pot, once tender,and keep warm.
- Mix the Russian dressing ingredients: mayonnaise (1/2 cup), ketchup (5 tbsp), relish (1/4 cup), onion (2 tbsp), Worcestershire sauce (2 tsp) and yellow mustard (1 tsp). Whisk together. Set aside.
- Heat a griddle pan to 375 degrees.
- Heat the sauerkraut in a small pan and keep warm.
- Slice the corned beef thinly and portion the corned beef slices 6 ounces per sandwich. About 8 slices each sandwich.
- Brush the butter on all sides of the bread slices and grill each side until brown.
- Spoon the dressing on the open-faced sides of all 8 slices of grilled bread and spread evenly.
- Layer each side of all 8 slices of dressed bread with 2 slices of Swiss cheese.
- On only one side of the sandwich, top the Swiss cheese with 2 tablespoons of warm sauerkraut and then top the sauerkraut with the slices of corned beef. Each sandwich should have 6 to 8 slices of hand cut corned beef.
- Place the toasted rye bread slice, the one with only Swiss cheese, on top of the corned beef Swiss cheese side down. Press the sandwich lightly until the cheese is fully melted.
- Cut in half or on the diagonal and enjoy!
Nutrition
If I’m ever in a real Jewish deli, this is the sandwich I always order. It just smells and tastes of the old world style of cooking.
Fresh and hot corned beef brisket, pungent and salty sauerkraut and the tangy Swiss cheese all melty. I usually order extra Russian dressing on the side for dipping!
I’m going to marry a Jewish woman because I like the idea of getting up Sunday morning and going to the deli.
Michael J. Fox
Throwdown Kitchen
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Have you tried this copycat recipe for Jasons Deli Reuben sandwich? Feel free to leave a 5-star rating, and I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
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