Corned beef and cabbage gets the showy night, the whole table, the photographs. The corned beef sandwich is the next day, when the brisket has gone cold in the fridge and rye bread is the only sensible plan anyone has. Sliced thin against the grain, piled higher than looks reasonable, pressed in a hot pan until the outside cracks and the Swiss goes slack. This is the actual reason to cook a whole brisket in the first place.
This sandwich starts with properly cooked corned beef. If you need the base recipe, our Corned Beef and Cabbage shows you exactly how to get it tender. Not sure if you should be using corned beef or pastrami? Here’s the difference.
Then it goes in a hot pan and gets pressed, 3 to 4 minutes a side, until the bread is dark gold edge to edge and the cheese has given up. Rye holds. Swiss melts. The slaw stays cold in the middle of all that heat, which is the contrast the whole sandwich is built on. Make the brisket on Sunday and this is what Monday looks like.
🥪 What is a corned beef sandwich?
There are parts of a cow that just aren’t easy to eat. Brisket is tough and generally chewy. But, let it sit in a brine for a while, then slow cook it all day, and suddenly, it is tender as can be and full of flavor. This is why we make corned beef. And the end product is well worth the wait.
A corned beef sandwich is a simple recipe packed with corned beef, Swiss, Russian dressing, and coleslaw. Everything is piled high on your favorite toasted rye bread for the perfect sandwich.
🔪 Ingredients for a corned beef sandwich
- Butter – just like making grilled cheese, you need something to brown the bread. We use unsalted butter.
- Fresh Pumpernickel or Marbled Rye Bread – Choose one of these options for bread to make the best Reuben sandwiches.
- Russian Dressing – Smear this over your bread to make the best corned beef sandwich. Alternatives include thousand island dressing.
- Coleslaw – Homemade is preferred, but storebought works in a pinch.
- Salt and Pepper – use kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Sliced Corned Beef – Make the meat the day before or use leftovers. Then, just add your corned beef to slices of bread, and you have a simple meal the next day.
- Swiss Cheese – the sandwich isn’t complete without melted cheese, and tangy Swiss is by far the best option for this hot corned beef delicacy.
📝 How to make a corned beef sandwich
- Preheat your skillet or pan on medium-high heat.
- Smear a generous helping of Russian dressing onto your choice of bread. Add your coleslaw and season with salt and pepper if you wish. Top the coleslaw with heaping piles of sliced corned beef and a slice or two of cheese. Add the remaining bread half.
- Melt the butter in the pan and place the sandwiches in. Press them down to help the bottom of the bread brown quickly and cook for 3 to 4 minutes before flipping and doing the same on the other side. Toast each side until golden brown.
- The corned beef rueben is finished when the cheese is melty, and things start to get messy. Serve with dill pickles, and enjoy.
💡 Meat Nerd Tips
Skip the butter and use mayo on the bread when toasting for edge-to-edge golden brown bread. We also use this trick any time we make grilled cheese.
🍽️ What to serve with a corned beef sandwich
If you are looking for yummy sides to serve with your class Reuben, try fried pickles, dill pickle dip, a smoked cabbage recipe, sugar-glazed carrots, Irish nachos, or fried mac and cheese bites. If you don’t want to try bites, try smoked mac and cheese.
Other great options include spinach artichoke dip, creamed spinach, and Irish Soda bread. Of course, they are also perfect with crispy beef tallow french fries or potato chips, because what sandwich isn’t!? They’re deli staples.
🧊 Leftovers and storage
Don’t store your corned beef and coleslaw ON the bread, it will definitely get soggy that way. Store your bread and toppings separately and prepare the dish from scratch the next day.
Reheat the sliced corned beef as needed for the best biters.
📚 More sandwich recipes
Seafood
Blackened Swordfish Sandwich
Dinner Recipes
Spicy Mustard Brats with Sauerkraut
Dinner Recipes
Quick Chicken Cheesesteaks
Dinner Recipes
Messy Steak Sandwiches
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Corned Beef Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbs butter
- 4 slices fresh pumpernickel or marbled rye bread
- 1 tbs Russian dressing
- 3/4 cup fresh homemade coleslaw
- salt and pepper
- 3/4 lbs sliced leftover corned beef
- 2 slices swiss cheese
Instructions
- Preheat skillet or griddle over medium-high heat.
- Smear one side of each slice of bread with the Russian dressing. Pile generous portions of coleslaw over the bottoms. Season with salt and pepper if desired. top with even more generous portions of sliced corned beef and a slice of cheese. Top with remaining bread halves.
- Melt the butter in the skillet and place the sandwiches in. Press each to get a good brown on the bottom of the sandwich and cook 3 to 4 minutes before flipping and finishing off the other side to a nice toasted golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes longer.
- The cheese should be melted and things should be starting to get messy.
- Serve with pickles.
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❓ FAQs
Another name for a corned beef sandwich is the Reuben. They both use pre-cooked corned beef, served with a Russian dressing recipe, delicious sauerkraut, and coleslaw piled on rye or pumpernickel.
The classic Reuben sandwich combines corned beef, coleslaw and relish, cheese, and a condiment (often Russian dressing, which is a blend of spicy mayo, regular mayo) and sometimes mustard. So yes, mayonnaise can go on a corned beef sandwich. The condiment is up to the creator.
When choosing your beef for making corned beef from scratch, like our smoked corned beef, the best cut to use is the flat cut. This portion of the beef brisket is long and thin. It has a layer of fat on top that keeps the meat moist even during cooking. It’s perfect for slicing and is what you’ll find in the deli section of your grocery store.
Corned Beef Recipes & Guides
- Ultimate Corned Beef Guide – Everything you need to know about cuts, curing, and cooking methods.
- Classic Corned Beef and Cabbage – Traditional stovetop method with tender brisket and braised vegetables.
- Smoked Corned Beef – Bark, smoke, and deep flavor from the grill or smoker.
- Smoked and Braised Corned Beef – Smoke for flavor, braise for fork-tender texture.
- Homemade Pickling Spice – Control the flavor from the start.
- Corned Beef Stuffed Baked Potato – The best way to use leftovers.
- Fried Cabbage with Bacon – A richer, year-round cabbage side.
- Smoked Cabbage – Our favorite way to cook cabbage.
- Corned Beef Sandwich – Thin-sliced and piled high for deli-style results.
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I’ve been making that sandwich for years and agree it’s awesome, however have you tried it with 1000 island dressing instead of Russian.
Thank you! I have switched it up a few times with 1000 island (mainly because it’s so much easier to find). So good!
Your recipe is OK but I prefer the more traditional rye bread for my corned beef sandwich.
Also use yellow mustard and Fontina cheese.
Sorry just not a big fan of pumpernickel bread.
Dude. That’s an amazing sandwich. And you’re right about every word. My man would be proud to see the slaw dripping off my chin. Ok, well, maybe not proud. But he’d definitely hand me a napkin. 🙂