Kelley Smith

My mother-in-law Hazel has proven herself to be a rock star in the past few months. At the age of 83 (no she doesn’t look 83 at all) she had open heart-triple bypass surgery. This is a huge surgery for anyone at any age, but especially for someone 83 years old. Her recovery was going nicely. Slowly but surely, she was trudging along and getting her strength back. 

At a routine re-check, just eight weeks after the heart surgery, they discovered a mass in her lung.  It turned out to be a malignancy. Much to our shock and distress, surgery was needed immediately to remove the cancer from her body along with 1/3 of her right lung.   

So let’s recap here: 83-year-old mother-in-law,  triple by-pass surgery and  lung cancer surgery.  All within two months.  That’s a bit much don’t you think?

I am pleased and blessed to report that the rock star mother-in-law came through the second surgery just like the first, with flying colors! Recovery is still slower than she’d like, but each day brings a little more strength for which we are all very grateful. No treatments were even needed. Between her blood family, church family and close friends, she’s acquired quite a fan club in 83 years.

One of the biggest problems we’ve experienced in her recovery is loss of appetite. Not much sounds good to her. So when she finds something that sounds appealing, we all rush around trying to make sure she has what she wants.

I don’t sew, I’m a “moderate” house keeper, I crochet a little and knit like I’m knitting with two left feet. Thankfully I can cook.  I am eternally grateful for this gift because they might have fired me from my job of chief cook at the Smith house if I wasn’t any good at rustling up some grub. 

One day, sweet mother-in-law Hazel and I had a long discussion about Reuben sandwiches.  Seems she and I are always talking about food. We talk about old recipes, watch the Food Network and I get the privilege of listening to her tell me stories about the food she enjoyed growing up. She said it made her mouth water just thinking about the first Reuben she ever ate in Atlanta with one of her nieces. 

So I decided it was time for some Reubens to be delivered.  Most everyone seems to enjoy these Reubens I make so I’m willing to share the recipe.  It might not be the best Reuben recipe in the world, but my family seems to think it is and it puts a smile on my mother-in-law Hazel’s face so that’s good enough for me.

Reubens are made with corned beef. There’s no corn in corned beef. It’s called that because you add in a lovely flavor bundle of pepper corns and a bit of bay leaf to a nice brisket.  By the way, there is no picture for this recipe.  The sandwiches got eaten up faster than my camera could catch them.

Kelley’s Reuben Sandwich

• Brisket-whatever size you need.

• Peppercorns and a bay leaf if the brisket doesn’t come with a packet including these.

• 1-2 bottles of Guinness

• Thousand Island Dressing

• Loaf of good Rye Bread

• Swiss Cheese Slices (Kerrygold Brand if you can find it. Publix and Kroger carry this brand)

• Jar of sauerkraut

Depending on how many you are feeding, pick the brisket in the size that best fits your needs. If you are feeding the Smiths, get the big brisket.  The briskets labeled “Corned Beef”  will come with a flavor packet including the peppercorns and bay leaf. 

Unwrap the brisket and rinse it good under some cool water. Put the brisket in a crockpot and add in the seasoning packet or a tablespoon of peppercorns and 1 bay leaf.  Now cover the entire brisket with 1-2 bottles or cans of Guinness.  Guinness is a very strong, stout Irish beer.  You can purchase it at Walmart, Publix, etc.  You can get it in a can or bottle, either will do. Like I’ve said before I’m not a fan of drinking beer or liquor, but I adore using it as a cooking tool. Guinness adds brilliant flavor to beef, ham, pork, chocolate and even a good corned beef. 

Allow the brisket to cook in the crockpot for at least 8 hours, preferably 24 hours. The longer it cooks the more tender it becomes and the more flavor it absorbs. 

Once the brisket is done, shred it with a fork. 

Now comes the fun part … building the sandwich. I lay out the slices of rye bread on the cabinet in even numbers. Then spread a bit of Thousand Island Dressing on each slice. Then on one slice I lay one piece of Swiss Cheese then layer with a bit of the shredded meat, some sauerkraut and top with a piece of the bread already spread with the dressing. 

Put a wee bit of butter into a non-stick skillet and brown the sandwich on both sides until the cheese melts.  Serve immediately. Although they are best eaten fresh, they can also be wrapped in a paper towel and then a piece of aluminum foil to keep them warm. If you have leftovers, the sandwiches can be warmed over in the microwave. Remove the aluminum foil and keep the paper towel on it. Warm 10 seconds at a time until it is good and warmed through. 

If you would like to see more of Kelley’s recipes visit her food blog at http://kelleyusmith.blogspot.com.