Finally, after a week of work, the moment had arrived to build some Reubens. I started by toasting the rye bread in butter on the cast iron pan.
I used the heat in the pan to help meld the ingredients as I assembled. The cheese (Edam, as I recall) went on the bottom slice. Russian dressing went on the top. The pastrami went on top of the cheese. I didn't make my own sauerkraut; the Bubbies sauerkraut I found at Hy-Vee was of excellent quality. Some Russian dressing went on the top slice of bread.
We were too busy enjoying the sandwiches to get a lot of photos of the process. The pastrami was sublime. The brining came through very nicely without being overpowering. The texture was just firm enough, giving a gentle tug as we chewed. The Russian dressing was spicy and gave a nice kick. The cheese and saurekraut were of excellent quality. Everything came together for a wonderful---and very filling---sandwich.
Luella's is a nouvelle BBQ outfit on the north side of Asheville. It is nestled among the trees in a lovely neighborhood. The restaurant has lots of windows for inside seating and plenty of outside seating. Service was courteous and amazingly fast. This is a combination plate with pork and brisket. Both were very moist and tender. For the pork, I tried both the mild and hot vinegar sauces. To my surprise, I preferred the milder one because it didn't assert itself too much. I enjoyed the spicy tomato sauce for my brisket. The hushpuppies were very good. The fried okra was fresh out of the fryer and excellent. The slaw was of the vinegary variety, which I usually enjoy, but this version is heavy on the white stuff and didn't have quite enough variety in tastes for me.
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