Hairy Bikers Reuben Sandwich

The Hairy Bikers reuben sandwich is the one they call possibly the best sandwich in the world. They clearly meant it too, because the same sandwich appears in two of their books, serving 1 at around 800 calories in 20 minutes.

Meat Feasts prints it as the Reuben, while British Classics calls it their salt beef sandwich, but the build is identical. Salt beef, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut go between buttered rye, then the whole thing fries pressed under a spatula until golden.

The dressing is where most homemade versions fall short, so both books give the full Russian dressing rather than a mayo shortcut. Eight ingredients go in, and the horseradish, cornichons, and hot sauce are what cut through all that rich meat and cheese.

Hairy Bikers Reuben Sandwich Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Frying Cuisine:British American Courses:Lunch

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 10 minutesCook time: 10 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time: 20 minutesServings:1 servingsCalories:800 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

A quick Russian dressing comes together first, then warmed salt beef stacks with Swiss cheese and sauerkraut on buttered light rye. The dressed lid closes the sandwich, which cooks a few minutes each side under a firm spatula until the bread turns deep brown and the cheese melts through.

Ingredients

For the Sandwich

• Several slices of salt beef (corned beef)
• 2 slices of light rye bread
• Butter, for spreading
• A few slices of Swiss cheese, such as Emmental or Gruyère
• 2-3 tbsp sauerkraut
• Dill pickles, to serve

For the Russian Dressing

• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tsp horseradish sauce
• Dash of hot sauce
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp finely chopped shallot
• 2 cornichons or ½ dill pickle, finely chopped
• Pinch of hot paprika
• Sea salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Mix the dressing: Stir all the dressing ingredients together in a small jug, then season with salt and pepper.
2. Warm the beef: Sprinkle the salt beef with a little water and wrap it in a loose foil parcel. Sit the parcel in a pan holding a little boiling water, cover with a lid, then steam for a few minutes just until the meat warms through.
3. Build the sandwich: Butter both slices of bread, then stack the beef, cheese, and sauerkraut on one slice. Spread the dressing over the other slice and close the sandwich.
4. Press and fry: Fry in a hot pan for 3-4 minutes on each side, pressing down well with a spatula, until the bread is deeply browned and the cheese has melted. Serve straight away with dill pickles.

FAQs

Is this the same as their salt beef sandwich?

Yes, it is one sandwich wearing two names, since British Classics prints it as the salt beef sandwich and Meat Feasts as the Reuben. The dressing, the cheese, the sauerkraut, and the rye match ingredient for ingredient across both books.

The only differences are small, because British Classics allows sourdough instead of rye, while Meat Feasts adds the foil trick for warming the meat.

Where do I get the salt beef, and how much per sandwich?

A deli counter is the easy answer, and around 100g of properly sliced salt beef makes one hearty sandwich. You want the sliced kind rather than the tinned stuff, which is too soft to stack, though the tin has its own home in their corned beef and onion pie.

The Bikers also cure their own in Meat Feasts, brining a whole brisket for 10 days, which is the same cut as their beef brisket pot-roast.

Why warm the beef in a foil parcel first?

Cold meat straight from the fridge steals the pan’s heat, so the cheese finishes melting before the filling warms through. A few minutes of gentle steam in the foil solves it without drying the slices out.

Making several sandwiches is easy too, since you simply multiply everything per person. The book then warms all the foil parcels together in a 200°C oven for 15 minutes instead of the pan.

What actually goes into Russian dressing?

Eight things, and none of them is optional if you want the proper flavour. Mayonnaise and ketchup make the pink base, then horseradish, hot sauce, Worcestershire, chopped shallot, cornichons, and a pinch of hot paprika sharpen it.

Any extra keeps in the fridge, so it is worth scaling up, and it doubles nicely as a burger sauce or a dip for chips.

Can I use a toastie maker, and what goes alongside?

A sandwich maker works if it is the flat press sort, since the triangle-sealing kind squashes the filling out. In a frying pan, British Classics adds one extra trick worth stealing, buttering the outsides of the bread too for the deepest golden crust.

Dill pickles are the classic partner, because their vinegar bite resets your palate between rich mouthfuls. And since one good sandwich habit leads to another, their gammon in coke feeds a week of them.