The Best Irish Reuben Sandwich Recipe with Corned Beef (2024)

FAQs

What is an Irish Reuben? ›

Juicy corned beef, creamy Swiss cheese, delectable dressing, and traditional sauerkraut are nestled between toasted rye bread and served with crispy sea-salted chips for a sandwich experience that will put your green beer-drinking buddies to shame. Pair it with a Guinness and feel the Irish pride rush over you.

"Ham and cheese is a classic combination so we're not surprised it's the nation's favourite sandwich."

Both kinds of meat are cured, but pastrami is then coated with a flavorful spice rub and smoked. Why is my Reuben sandwich soggy? The culprit is most likely the sauerkraut. Be sure to drain off as much liquid as possible from the sauerkraut before piling it onto your Reuben sandwich to prevent any sogginess.

The Reuben sandwich — that famous combination of corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, rye bread and Thousand Island dressing — wasn't invented in Ireland, nor by an Irish cook, according to the most prevalent accounts (one credits a hotel in Omaha, Nebraska; another a deli in New York City).

But the Reuben is a deeply early-20th-century American Midwestern creation, a Jewish sandwich that isn't kosher, made by an assimilated Eastern European whose family left Russia, Poland, and Germany several generations before World War II.

Because corned beef comes from brisket, a tough cut of meat. You need its connective tissue to break down so you can have tender results. Some like to braise their corned beef in an all-water liquid, with various spices and salt; others add beer to the mix to further tenderize the meat.

Corned beef originated in Irish communities and is commonly served on St. Patrick's Day alongside cabbage, as with this Corned Beef and Cabbage (pictured above). Corned beef is also a key ingredient in a Reuben sandwich and leftovers can also be used to make Corned Beef Hash.

A Reuben sandwich is typically made with corned beef. It would taste great with pastrami too, it just wouldn't be a classic Reuben! Bottom line: You can't go wrong with either of these flavor-packed deli meats.

Apparently, McCartney, a vegetarian, slices his go-to bagel into thirds before layering on hummus and vegetables to build a perfect sandwich.

Corned beef and cabbage is not the national dish of Ireland. You would not eat this dish on St. Patrick's Day in Dublin. It is usually only eaten around the religious holiday in the US.

Should a Reuben be pressed or toasted? ›

In some cases, this rule works for melts, which is what a Reuben technically is. But with the Reuben, I prefer to revert to single-side toasting, because I like the inner surfaces of the bread in a Reuben to be slightly steamed and tender, the whole thing partially fusing together.

A good Reuben isn't anything too complicated. All you need is corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and rye bread—but the one ingredient that really ties the room together is the Russian dressing.

A Reuben can be served cold, but it's far better when it is served hot like the recipe calls for. The melted cheese blends all the ingredients together for a messy and delightful sandwich.

A hang sandwich in Ireland is a traditional dish made with a generous serving of thinly sliced, slow-cooked beef or pork, typically served on a crusty bread roll or baguette. It is a popular street food and can be found in many delis and cafes across the country.

Perhaps owing to its absence of an exact origin story, the Rachel is certainly more of a pliable sandwich than the classic Reuben as far as ingredients are concerned. The first major difference is that the Rachel swaps brisket-based corned beef for pastrami, which comes from a comparatively leaner cut of the cow.

Both feature corned beef and sauerkraut on rye bread, but where a corned beef sandwich keeps it simple with mustard and relish, the reuben takes things an extra step further by adding Russian dressing and melty cheese.