Pastrami Reuben Melt Recipes

Steps:

• Spread each slice of bread with thousand island dressing. Top 4 of the bread slices with sauerkraut, cheese and pastrami. Place remaining bread slices on sandwich. Spread margarine on the outsides of each sandwich.
• Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Grill until browned, then turn and grill until heated through, and cheese is melted.

Steps:

• For the brine: Add 1 gallon of water to large pot. Add salt, sugar, garlic and curing salt and stir until it dissolves.
• Put navel in brine fully submerged. Leave in refrigerator for 5 days.
• For the pastrami: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and remove the navel from the brine. Stir together the allspice, coriander, pepper, brown sugar, garlic powder and dry mustard in a bowl. Sprinkle the rub all over the navel until fully covered. Place in a roasting pan and cover with foil. Bake until a fork can easily pierce through, about 1 hour. Slice when ready.

Steps:

• Heat a flattop grill or pan on medium heat. Butter one side of each slice of bread. Set the buttered side of bread on the flattop. Add provolone to one slice and Swiss to the other slice. Grill until bread is toasted and cheese has melted, approximately 5 minutes, then remove from the flattop. Meanwhile, place pastrami on the flattop in a pile and the sauerkraut on the flattop in a separate pile. Grill both until warm, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, then flip and warm the other side. Add mayonnaise to both pieces of bread, then add mustard to one half. Place half the pastrami on one slice and the other half on the other slice. Add sauerkraut to one half and flip the other slice on top. Cut sandwich in half and enjoy!

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.
• Wrap the sliced pastrami in foil and put on to a baking sheet. Remove 1/4 inch of the crust from the ends of the loaf, then cut the loaf crosswise into 4 even pieces. Use a fork to score one cut end and gently dig a square hole into each piece of bread to make a box, leaving a 1/2-inch layer of bread around the walls and bottom (see Cook's Note). Save the removed crumbs for another use.
• Microwave the butter and a large pinch of salt in a small microwave-safe bowl until melted, about 1 minute. Brush the bread boxes inside and out with the melted butter. Put 1 slice of cheese at the bottom of each bread box. Put the boxes open-side up on the same baking sheet as the pastrami and bake until the cheese melts and the inside of the bread is lightly browned and crispy in parts, about 10 minutes. The pastrami should be warmed through.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt if needed. Set aside.
• Layer each bread box with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the dressing, a quarter of the pastrami, a quarter of the sauerkraut and top with 2 more slices of cheese. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Drizzle with the remaining dressing. Serve whole or cut in half.

Steps:

• For the dressing: Combine the mayonnaise, chili sauce, sour cream, horseradish, lemon juice, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, smoked paprika, dill pickles and shallots in a food processor until thoroughly mixed. Do not over blend, you still want to see some texture. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside or refrigerate in a covered jar until serving time.
• For the sandwich build: Combine half of the dressing with the sauerkraut and toss. Place 1 slice of cheese on a piece of bread. Pile the meat high on the cheese, top with an additional slice of cheese, some of the sauerkraut mixture and the second piece of bread. Butter the outsides of the sandwich. Heat a heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet or griddle pan over medium-low heat. Add the sandwiches, cover with a heatproof bowl and griddle until golden and gooey in the middle, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip, cover and let cook until golden all around, another 3 minutes. Serve the extra dressing on the side.
• Cook's Note: I love getting a whole piece of pastrami, uncut, from Fumare's in Chicago. If you have a favorite deli, try getting a whole piece and cutting it yourself; the meat will stay nice and tender and you can mix the bark from the end cut with the meatier middle. You'll fall in love with pastrami all over again.

Steps:

• Heat oil in a skillet.
• Add in onion; saute over medium heat until tender (about 7-8 minutes).
• Add in sauerkraut and caraway seeds; cover and cook over medium heat (stirring occasionally until sauerkraut is tender and lightly browned, about 20 minutes).
• Meanwhile in a bowl combine ketchup, mayo and relish (start with 2 tablespoons relish and add in more until you achieve the flavor you like).
• Split the bread rolls (careful not to cut all the way through).
• Place pastrami down the center, dividing evenly between buns.
• Top with sauerkraut/onion mixture, then the sauce, then top with cheese.
• Wrap in foil (leave top open).
• broil about 8 inches from heat.
• Heat through and until cheese has melted (about 3 minutes).
• Serve.