Name: Reuben Burgers
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 recipe recipe (see note) or 1¾ pounds 85 percent lean ground beef; ½ teaspoon table salt; ¼ teaspoon pepper; 1 teaspoon vegetable oil , plus extra as needed; 6 ounces thinly sliced deli pastrami; 1½ cups sauerkraut , drained and pressed dry; 1 teaspoon caraway seeds , toasted; 4 slices deli Swiss cheese (4 ounces); 4 hamburger buns , toasted if desired; 1 recipe recipe

Why This Recipe Works

We started by making a classic sauce of mayo, ketchup, and sweet pickle relish. Next, we turned to the burgers: Rich patties made from one of our own burger blends were the perfect complement to the leaner pastrami. After cooking the burgers, we sautéed the pastrami and sauerkraut to drive off moisture and added caraway seeds for classic Reuben flavor. We separated the pastrami and sauerkraut mixture into four portions, mounding them to form little piles in the still-hot skillet. We topped these mounds with Swiss cheese and covered the skillet to melt the cheese. Finally, we assembled our burgers, first stacking the pastrami mounds on top of the patties and then adding our burger sauce.

Before You Begin

We prefer to use either our Grind-Your-Own Sirloin Burger Blend or our Grind-Your-Own Ultimate Burger Blend here; however, you can substitute 1¾ pounds of 85 percent lean ground beef if desired. If food safety is your primary concern, you may want to cook your burger to a higher internal temperature. To learn more, check out this guide.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Divide burger blend into 4 lightly packed balls, then gently flatten into ¾‑inch-thick patties. Using your fingertips, press center of each patty down until about ½ inch thick, creating slight divot.

Season patties with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12‑inch skillet over high heat until just smoking. Using spatula, transfer patties to skillet, divot side up, and cook until well browned on first side, 2 to 4 minutes. Gently flip patties and continue to cook until well browned on second side, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer patties to rimmed baking sheet, divot side down, and bake until burgers register 120 to 125 degrees (for medium-rare) or 130 to 135 degrees (for medium), 3 to 8 minutes. Transfer burgers to platter and let rest while making topping.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. (If necessary, add extra oil as needed to equal 1 tablespoon.) Add pastrami and cook over medium-high heat, breaking up pieces with wooden spoon, until beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Stir in sauerkraut and caraway seeds and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Off heat, separate pastrami mixture into 4 portions in skillet, then top each portion with Swiss. Cover and let sit until cheese has melted, about 3 minutes. Serve burgers on buns, topped with pastrami mixture and burger sauce, passing extra burger sauce separately.