How to Make the Reuben Bagel

Think you know bagels? You know nothing, until you’ve tried the Ghetto Grillz take on the New York Reuben: a gooey, cheesy, zingy, steaming hot meat sandwich stacked with juicy layers of salt beef, cheddar, Russian dressing and sauerkraut.

Co-founder Marisa Capaldi and her brother Phil spent over a year developing their classic-with-a-twist Reuben until they got it perfect. We don’t have that long, so who better to ask for a foolproof guide to doing it DIY.

Scrap rye bread.

Bagels are better because they absorb the acidity of the cabbage, the creaminess of the sauce, the gooeyness of the cheese, crisp up nicely on the outside and hold the whole thing tight. Ghetto get theirs from Brick Lane’s Beigel Bake.

Make your cheese mild.

If you want your cheese gooey, which you do, use a mild cheddar. A New York Reuben will traditionally be made with Swiss cheese but a good mild cheddar packs a bigger flavour punch and melts like a dream.

DIY the dressing.

Shop bought is a no-no – you want to play around with the flavours and tailor it to your taste buds. Russian dressing is essentially a mix of mayonnaise and ketchup, but you can add a drop of Worcester sauce or smoked paprika for a little kick, and even put chopped gherkins, dill pickle or onion in it.

Use the best-quality salt beef.

It’s about getting a cut that falls apart and melts in your mouth. Kettyle Irish Fine Foods, a family-run meat supplier is the best in the business. The cows are grass fed and the meat is salted in a way that makes it perfect for Reuben making.

For more info about Ghetto Grillz and where to find them, click here.