Nothing like the holidays and time with friends and lots of meat to create something new. As with Nacho Kugel, I am blending 2 culinary traditions into something new and delicious.
What is a KoReuben you ask? Quite simply it is a Reuben, that classic Jewish sandwich, with some Korean flair! Let me break the components down for your drooling pleasure.
Obviously, you need to start with the Pastrami. This took some work to get the flavor profile I wanted.
As you may or may not know, Pastrami is basically smoked Corned Beef. So we'll start with how I made my Corned Beef. Step 1 is to brine a brisket, usually with traditional pickling spices. To that mix, I added Korean Chili Powder, Soy Sauce(in place of some of the salt), ginger powder, and toasted sesame seeds. After brining for 5 days, I pulled the brisket and transferred it to cook Sous Vide for 6 hours. Inside of the bag, I included some Bulgogi sauce to add a bit more Korean Flavor. Once the Corned Beef was complete, I added a fresh spice rub with more of the Korean influence and added the meat to the smoker for 6 hours. While the meat smoked, I rubbed it with the reduced juice from the corned beef, keeping it moist and adding more flavor. Let's just say it plainly, this Pastrami was like crack, so good!
The second piece of the puzzle for my KoReuben was the toppings.
In a traditional Reuben, you would probably have Sauerkraut. For this creation, I made my own Kimchi from scratch, napa cabbage-based with green onions and carrots, versus green cabbage-based kraut. Again, leaning in on the Korean flavors. If you start the kimchi at the same time as the brining process, you will have a pretty good kimchi to pair with the sandwich Though I recommend starting your kimchi sooner so it has more time to mature. This is the recipe I based my kimchi on.
For the cheese, tradition would call for Swiss cheese. I tried that version and it works well, but you could also sub in a Spicy Monterey Jack cheese for some flair.
On the bread front, I stick with old faithful, Marbled Rye, as a preferred bread.
And finally, if you like, mustard to finish the sandwich. My preference would be spiced ground mustard, maybe going so far as to do horseradish mustard, or to match the smoked meats, a Stout or Porter mustard. I like the ones from Sierra Nevada.
And that my friends, is the KoReuben! Live long and eat more!
