Reuben Po’ Boys
A Southern spin on Reuben sandwiches. Swiss cheese and corned beef is toasted on French bread, then layered with a vinegar-based slaw and special sauce.
I like to cook. The Husband likes to eat. Occasionally I like to bounce recipe ideas off him. This usually involves a glass of wine for each of us. During one of our brainstorming sessions, he mentioned he wanted to try making reuben sandwiches.
When I think of a reuben, I think of some deli in New York City I wanted to come up with a way to put a Southern twist on it. That’s when I came up with the idea of making my reuben sandwich into a po’ boy.
I purposely made my bourbon glazed corned beef last week for the sole purpose of having leftovers for these sandwiches. I chose to dice up my corned beef into easier to manage bites, but deli sliced lunchmeat would work just as well. Just be sure to pile that meat up high!
Reubens are traditionally served on rye bread, while real po’ boys are always served on French bread. I have never been a fan of rye bread, so I had no problems making the switch. I layered a slice of Swiss cheese under my diced corned beef and then toasted the whole thing in the oven. I chose a vinegar-based cabbage slaw in lieu of sauerkraut and topped the whole thing with a drizzle of homemade comeback sauce.
The sandwiches are a mouthful, but the flavor combination is totally spot on. This St. Patrick’s Day, if you have to bribe your family into saving you some leftover corned beef just so you can make these sandwiches, trust me when I tell you. It will be worth every penny.
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Reuben Po' Boys
Ingredients
For the slaw:
- 1 ½ cups shredded cabbage I used bagged angel hair coleslaw
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon celery seed
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
For the sandwiches:
- 2 French bread loaves cut into approximately 6-inch long pieces
- 4 slices Swiss cheese
- ¾ pound to 1 pound leftover corned beef or thinly sliced deli meat
- 4 tablespoons comeback sauce
Instructions
- In a resealable container, combine the slaw ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
- Slice pre-cut French bread loaves in half. Layer one slice of Swiss cheese on the bottom of each bun. Divide corned beef equally between each sandwich. Toast sandwiches until corned beef is heated through and cheese is melted, if desired.
- Pile cole slaw over the top of each sandwich. Drizzle with comeback sauce.