Reuben Bowls

This is a recipe I found in the February 2023 Bethel Living (Maine regional free mag, page 24) that inspired me to experiment with making Corned Beef Four Ways in Two Days.

These bowls were yummy! I've adapted it a bit from the recipe.

Make twice this dressing recipe, whisking together, and setting aside.

• 1/4 c mayo
• 2 T sweet pickle relish
• 4 tsp. catsup
• 1-1/2 tsp. prepared horseradish
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Make the bowl:

• 2 tsp. caraway seeds
• 1 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1/4 green cabbage, very thinly sliced
• 1 c. chopped fresh red peppers, separated into1/2 c each
• 1 c. shredded carrot
• 3/4 lb. cooked corned beef, sliced or shredded into bite-sized pieces (see post link above) 
• 1-1/2 c. sauerkraut, drained
• 1 c. shredded Swiss cheese
• 1/4 thinly sliced cornichon pickles
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced

In a large skillet over medium-high heat toast the caraway seeds for about 30 seconds and set them aside on a plate.

Return the skillet to medium-high heat and heat the oil. Add the onion and cook stirring slightly until lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Add the cabbage and carrot and season with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 c. red peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is crisp-tender, 5 minutes. 

Stir in the corned beef and sauerkraut, tossing until warmed throughout, 1 minute more. Top cabbage mixture with Swiss cheese, cover, and cook until cheese is melty and bubbly.  OR place large spoonfuls in 4-6 small baking dishes and melt cheese briefly under the broiler. 

Scatter roasted caraway seeds and cornichons on top, then drizzle with dressing and garnish with green onion

Corned Beef - Four Ways in Two Days

Although I've made corned beef several ways before, I've never tried the Dutch oven or the sous vide techniques. Having lots of time these days, and lots of ideas for ways to use the corned beef (Reuben bowls, hash, etc.), I decided to experiment with four flat cuts of the same brand of meat from Aldi's. They were slightly different in weight. 

Aldi's always has good meats, and interesting cuts, so I bought four 2-1/2 to 2-3/4 pound packages. The flat cuts were packed with 35% of a water-tenderizer-salt mixture which was pretty slimy to wash off.  I washed them and then soaked them in clear water for a few more rinses until they were clean. Before adding them with their spice packets, I cut off as much fat as possible and discarded it. (Now I wish I saved some for the later vegetable cooking, but, oh well.)

I found four recipes on four blogs online that I liked.  Pressure Cooking Today, Quiche My Grits, The Magical Slow Cooker, and Sous Vide Ways are the blogs I decided to use. I followed the recipes somewhat closely, without vegetables* or final seer, keeping the temperature and time according to each technique. I used Guinness and water in the crock pot; Guinness and beef broth in the IP and Dutch oven, but only broth and water in the sous vide. I ran out of Guinness and the results will have to keep this in mind. *I did not plan on including any vegetables like I usually would. One, I didn't want them to alter the taste of the corned beef, and two, I didn't want all those vegetables hanging around all week! (For St. Patrick's Day, I'll cook the cabbage, carrots, and potatoes in some of the saved broth.)

I've included edited versions of the online recipes at the end of this post.

I started with the crock pot, a mixture of water and a bottle of Guinness to cover, and the spice packets included in the package. I cooked the meat on low for 10 hours. I sliced it while very warm, set it aside in a sealed container with some of its cooled juice, and refrigerated it. (Both Gerry and I liked the tastes we did have.)

On the second day, I filled a small Dutch oven (perhaps 3.5-quart) with 3/4 bottle of Guinness, a cup or two of beef broth, the corned beef, and spices. I covered it with the Dutch oven cover and cooked it in a preheated 350-degree oven for one hour, and then turned it down to 300 degrees and cooked for 4 more hours. All the liquid cooked down, leaving a very tender and flavorful beef - but much saltier than we prefer. I'll use it in a hash recipe with no additional added salt. 

At about the same time, I placed the third cut in the IP, covered with spices and 1-1/4 bottle of Guinness and beef broth to make 4 cups of liquid. I sealed the cover, chose high pressure, and 90 minutes. After a 15-minute natural release, I quick released and when the steam was released, I opened and immediately cut a very tender corned beef. I placed it in another container, cooled it briefly, and put it in the refrigerator. 

I started the sous vide a bit later than I'd expected. (With 10 hours to go, I'll be up until 1 am!) I programmed the sous vide with my Anova app at 180 degrees. It was a bit lower temp than I wanted, and I should have added some very hot water. It took about half an hour to get up to 180 degrees. I then placed to sealed bag with spices and 1 cup of beef broth in the sous vide to cook at 180 degree for 10 hours. 

Once the Dutch oven and sous vide techniques were complete, I'm posting my favorite recipe. And the winner is the instant pot! The Dutch oven technique was too salty, as the liquid evaporated. The sous vide was compact and very sliceable (like ham) and not as stringy (stringy preferred for the Reuben bowls I was making.) The slow cooker was good, and very tasty, but the instant pot result was the best in my estimation. And the least time to cook. 

Instant pot, 90 minutes plus a heat up and rest = 2 hours cook. A+

Slow cooker or crock pot 10 hours = A

Sous vide, 10 hours = B+

Dutch oven, 5 hours in oven = B