For A New Reuben Sandwich, Try Some Polish Sausage

I love a great deli. Notice I used the word "great."

You see, I don't like all delis. My tolerance is very low for a "just good" deli. As far as an "average" deli goes, I could take it or leave it (usually leave it). When you walk into a truly great deli, you're really giving yourself a treat.

Now that I have visions of processed meats and cheese blocks dancing through your head, I have one question: What sandwich can you use as the threshold test for a great deli?

Any deli can pull off a great turkey club, but the crown jewel in any delicatessen that is worth its kosher pickles is the Reuben.

The sandwich has everything you need to be almost perfect. I say almost perfect because there is no bacon on a Reuben sandwich. ... Add some bacon to anything and you are one step closer to perfection's door than you were before.

Now, let's think of how we can incorporate the Reuben sandwich onto our grill. Let's start with the basic ingredients. Corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, rye bread and Thousand Island dressing all sound innocent enough, but we know that the greatness of the combination of these parts is so much better than any of them will ever be on their own.

To start your Reuben sandwich, lay two pieces of rye bread down on your cutting board, and spread Thousand Island dressing on the top side of each piece. On one piece of bread, put a layer of sauerkraut and add corned beef on top of that.

Top off the beef with a slice of Swiss cheese, and finish by adding the last piece of rye.

At this point, any deli would normally butter the outside of the bread and grill each side for a couple of minutes. As we prepare our Reuben for the grill, we will do the same.

Have your grill preheated for medium-high, direct heat. After each sandwich is made and buttered, wrap it completely in heavy-duty aluminum foil and place it on the grill.

Some of you might be thinking that the cook at your favorite deli will "press" your Reuben. If that's how you like it, then fine. Use a clean red brick and put it on top of your foiled sandwich; it will press itself.

The heat will toast the buttered bread, the cheese will melt, and the beef and sauerkraut will warm up.

Grill both sides of the foiled sandwich for about 5 minutes each. Remember to use your spatula to remove the sandwiches from the grill, and be careful as you open up the foil. The sandwich will be very hot.

If you feel a bit more daring and want to incorporate your grill into the sandwich-making process even further, grilling up the corned beef will get you nowhere fast. But you can change out that key ingredient for kielbasa.

PERFECT GRILLED POLISH REUBEN

1 pound of Polish kielbasa sausage

1 bag of sauerkraut

1/4 pound of sliced Swiss cheese

8 slices of rye bread

1/2 cup of Thousand Island dressing

8 slices of cooked bacon (optional, but it won't be perfect without it)

Preheat your grill for medium-high, direct grilling. Fry the bacon, and heat up the sauerkraut. Split your kielbasa down the middle, and then cut each piece in half. (For those of you who are not good at math, you now have four pieces.)

Grill each kielbasa for about 8 minutes. Be sure to grill all sides of the sausage and watch out for flare-ups. When the kielbasas are finished, cut each piece in half again and have your other ingredients ready to go.

Slap some dressing on a piece of rye. Throw on a slice of Swiss, and lay 2 pieces of bacon over the cheese. Put 2 pieces of kielbasa on top. Put on a healthy pile of sauerkraut over the sausage, and top it off with the other piece of rye.

Butter the outside of both slices of bread, wrap the sandwich in heavy-duty aluminum foil, and return it to the grill for about 5 minutes per side. Place a brick on top of the sandwich if you prefer your sandwich pressed.

Makes 4 sandwiches.