Having trouble finding the best way to cook corned beef for reubens? Never fear, help is at hand! In this post, we’ll show you how to cook corned beef and make reuben sandwiches!
Corned beef is a staple for Reuben sandwiches. Corned beef is often boiled so it’s tender, but not always tasty. There are better ways to cook corned beef than just boiling it, and this article will show you how.
Corned Beef Reubens
Ready 4 hours 30 minutes
4 Servings
INGREDIENTS
- 1 (3.5 lb) Murphy’s flat corned beef brisket ; in brine
- 16 cups cold water
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp black peppercorns
- 4 whole allspice berries
- 2 whole cloves
- 8 slices rye bread
- 4 slices swiss cheese
- sauerkraut ; drained
- Thousand Island dressing
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INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Corned Beef:
Place the corned beef in a colander in the sink and rinse well under cold running water.
Place the corned beef in a large Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid; add the water, bay leaves, peppercorns, allspice, and cloves. Bring to a boil, uncovered, and skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Cover and transfer pan to the oven, and braise until very tender, about 3 hours and 45 minutes.
For grilled Reubens:
Preheat a large skillet or griddle on medium heat. Lightly butter one side of bread slices. Spread non-buttered sides with Thousand Island dressing. On 4 bread slices, layer 1 slice Swiss cheese, 2 slices corned beef, 1/4 cup sauerkraut and second slice of Swiss cheese. Top with remaining bread slices, buttered sides out. Grill sandwiches until both sides are golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Serve hot.
For quicker, toasted Reubens:
Toast each slice of bread. Top 4 slices of bread with 1 slice of cheese. Broil until cheese melts. Spread other 4 slices of bread with Thousand Island and top with kraut. Place corned beef on top and then place bread with melted cheese on top.
REUBEN SLIDERS
Skip the deli meat and make these simple reuben sliders using slow cooked corned beef. All the classic ingredients of a reuben but with freshly sliced corned beef brisket, these corned beef sliders are the perfect appetizer for the big game and more!
This post is sponsored by the Ohio Beef Council, all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting beef farmers!
Sliders are one of my favorite apps. Always packed with lots of flavor, meat and cheese and easy to grab and eat on the go. With March Madness on its way, we are all about game day recipes!
So excited to bring you this new Reuben Slider recipe in partnership with Ohio Beef Council! Beef is a regular part of our diet and some of my favorite recipes on the site include beef. You will want to check out this Crock Pot Shredded Beef, Parmesan Crusted Steak Sheet Pan Dinner and this Ground Beef Pasta Skillet to name a few.
In Ohio, more than 17,000 families own and operate beef farms, and beef cattle can be found in every county across the state. In fact, 97% of beef farms are family owned and operated.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THESE REUBEN SLIDERS:
- Delicious, slow cooked corned beef for the best sliders! The reuben sandwich almost singlehandedly paid for my college tuition as I served thousands of them at the diner I waitressed. So I know my reubens. The sandwiches from the mom and pop diner used deli meat, but I will tell you NOTHING beats freshly cooked and sliced corned beef. NOTHING.
- Minimal ingredients. You will only need a handful of ingredients. Corned beef comes with everything you need including the spice packet so it’s all there when you buy the meat. From there, grab some slider or Hawaiian rolls, sauerkraut, cheese and Russian dressing. Done!
- So easy to whip up. Aside from waiting for the corned beef to slow cook, these sliders require nothing more than stacking everything on top of the sandwiches and baking. Don’t be fooled by the “slow cooker” aspect. These corned beef sliders are so easy to make.
- A perfect party dish–classic reuben flavor with a fun twist. A classic reuben does not make for easy to serve party food. But if you shift things a bit and top everything on some slider rolls and bake, you have got yourself some amazing party food. And add some French Dip Sliders into the mix to keep the crowd happy!
RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
- corned beef brisket: corned beef is probably one of the easiest cuts of meat to slow cook. It comes ready to go with the seasoning packet so all you have to do is add it to the slow cooker and add the broth and seasoning packet. While you could certainly use deli sliced corned beef for this recipe, NOTHING will beat the freshly cooked corned beef brisket in this recipe.
- beef broth: I prefer a low sodium beef broth. Water could be used or even a bit of beer to adjust the flavor of the meat.
- Hawaiian rolls: The way Hawaiian rolls come packaged make for easy assembly of these reuben sliders. Any slider buns will work, you can just put the rolls close together if they are separated already.
- swiss cheese: swiss cheese is nice and mild and makes for a perfect balance to these sliders. You could use provolone, gruyere or another white cheese that is good for melting.
- sauerkraut: a key ingredient in any reuben sandwich. Make sure to drain the liquid so your sandwiches don’t get soggy.
- dressing: Russian dressing is the classic sauce on a reuben, but I actually often make them with Thousand Island a lot. Each has its own flavor profile, use what you prefer. I love both and they both are so similar in color.
- butter: top the rolls with melted butter for the perfect buttery top on your baked corned beef sliders.
WHAT EXACTLY IS CORNED BEEF?
Corned beef is meat that is cured in a salt solution. Years before refrigeration was accessible, it was a way to preserve the meat. The “corned” part most likely comes from large granular “corns” of salt.
Today, corned beef is most often beef brisket and we see it made into reuben sandwiches or served up with cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day. Since it is made often with brisket, slow cooking on low heat is the ideal cooking method for juicy, tender and flavorful corned beef.
CHEF’S TIPS:
- You can prep the meat a day in advance. If you want to make the corned beef the day before you make these sliders, you certainly can. Once the meat is cooked, wrap it tight in heavy duty aluminum foil and refrigerate until you are ready to prep the reuben sliders. Slice the meat before adding to your sandwiches.
- Layer the sandwiches as directed to avoid soggy sliders. Arranging these corned beef sliders as directed will keep the buns from getting to wet and falling apart. Adding the cheese on top of the sauerkraut is strongly suggested to keep the kraut from touching any of the bread.
- You can use any slider rolls. While I say Hawaiian rolls many times in this recipe, there are other sliders and similar rolls that can certainly be used. If the rolls are already separated and sliced, just arrange them close together or you can stack each slider individually before baking.
- Have toothpicks handy! Once you slice these sliders after baking, pop a toothpick in each one to help them stay intact. The melty cheese and the dressing will cause the tops to slide right off if not!
Sous Vide Corned Beef Reubens Recipe
Corned beef Reubens are one of my all-time favorite sandwiches. The salty and heavily spiced corned beef compliments the tangy sauerkraut, with some sharp Swiss cheese and hearty rye bread topped with some Russian Dressing, tying it all together.
While I’ll eat Reubens cooked almost any way, I especially love them when the corned beef is sous vided at 131°F (55°C) for a few days. It comes out so moist and tender, but still has an amazing bite that really works well in Reubens.
For a more traditional texture, you can cook the corned beef at 176°F (80°C) for 12 to 24 hours. Or go for 156°F (68.9°C) for a firmer, but still tender result.
I like to make homemade corned beef since it gives me complete control over the salt and seasonings, but this recipe also works well with most store bought brands.
Some corned beef can be really salty. If you find this is usually the case for you, or you don’t like salt much in general, you can soak it in a container of clean water for a few hours, or even overnight. This will help pull out some of the salt, making it more palatable.
Note: You can learn more about corned beef from viewing all my sous vide corned beef articles.
Once it’s cooked, you can sear the corned beef if you want to, though traditionally it doesn’t have a sear on it. Also, when slicing it, you can go as thick or thin as you want. Some people, like my Dad, want it sliced as thin as possible, while others prefer a thicker slab.
This recipe makes 4 sandwiches, though it can be hard to find a small corned beef. I usually make a regular sized 3 to 5 pounder and eat it several days in a row, with cabbage, Reubens, and corned beef hash. The larger corned beef doesn’t change the cooking time at all.
I often toast my rye bread before making the sandwich, but if you prefer it untoasted that is fine as well. The sauce is usually Russian dressing or Thousand Island dressing, though I usually use Sir Kensington’s Special Sauce.
I’m lucky to have several great butchers in my area, but sometimes I want to up my game and will turn to Snake River Farms, they have a wide variety of beef including Prime, American Wagyu , and dry aged. I also enjoy trying the different ranchers that Crowd Cow has available including their wagyu.
Note: You can learn more about corned beef from my sous vide corned beef articles.
Sous Vide Corned Beef Reubens Recipe
- Cooks: 131°F (55°C) for 1 to 2 days
- Serves: 4
Ingredients for Sous Vide Corned Beef Reubens
- For the Sous Vide Corned Beef
- 1 to 2 pounds corned beef (450 to 900g) (I personally love Snake River Farms and Crowd Cow) (Store bought corned beef often includes a spice packet)
- To Assemble
- 8 slices of rye bread, toasted
- Russian dressing or “Special Sauce”
- Sauerkraut
- 16 slices Swiss cheese or Gruyere cheese
Cooking Instructions for Sous Vide Corned Beef Reubens
For the Sous Vide Corned Beef
Preheat a water bath to 131°F (55°C).
Add the spice rub, if present, to the outside of the corned beef. Place the corned beef in a sous vide bag then seal the bag. Place the bag in the water bath and cook for 1 to 2 days, until fully tenderized.
To Assemble
Preheat the broiler in your oven or toaster oven.
Take the sous vide bag out of the water and remove the cooked corned beef from the bag. Dry it off thoroughly using paper towels or a dish cloth. Slice the corned beef into the desired thickness.
Spread the Russian dressing on the bread. Add the sauerkraut and top with the corned beef. Place a cheese slice on top of the corned beef and then place under the broiler until it has melted. Place two pieces of bread together, cut in half and enjoy!
Nutritional Information for Sous Vide Corned Beef Reubens
- Calories: 655
- Fat: 28g
- Protein: 57g
- Carbohydrate: 37g
- Fiber: 4g
- Sugar: 5g
- Cholesterol: 113mg
Want Great Sous Vide Recipes?
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