by Kelly J. Larson

It’s one month before Saint Patrick’s Day when I typically make corned beef and cabbage for dinner at least once. The anticipation for our March 17 dynamic duo grows as the shift in decor turns from red to green.

A few days ago, my jaw dropped when I saw a Traeger smoked corned beef Reuben sandwich by Aaron Baker (@baker_bbq). We have had our Traeger Pro 34 for about six months and I had never thought of cooking corned beef on it. Aaron shared his methods with me and the Instagram image he had posted from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, came to life in our Austin, Texas, home, with rave reviews, as I had predicted.

A helpful tip that Aaron offered was to buy more than just one corned beef brisket. The amount of oak pellets used for the several hours of smoking and cooking needed and the fact that it doesn’t yield a ton by the time it’s cooked were useful suggestions. I made two at once and he suggested four for his family size.

He also advised me to rinse the meat off first, then add the seasoning packet. I followed his instructions and put the seasoning on both sides of the brisket.

How I cooked the two briskets.

1. With seasoned meat directly on the Traeger rack, cook at 180 F for 4 hours.
2. Increase Traeger temperature to 225 F and cook 5 more hours.
3. Pull from grill when internal temperature is at 177 F.
4. Wrap each brisket in foil, place in cooler and cover with a thick towel to rest for 45 minutes before slicing.

Note: Cooking times vary, based on outside temperatures. In frigid weather, Aaron cooked his briskets an additional 2 hours at 250, pulling from the grill when the internal temperature got to 204.

Once it’s rested, slice thinly, then refrigerate until ready to make sandwiches.

Store meat in a handy air tight container.

Thousand Island Dressing

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup Whataburger spicy ketchup
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
• 2 teaspoons vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Whisk everything together, transfer to jar with lid. Refrigerate until serving.

Grilled Reuben Sandwiches

• corned beef pastrami
• sauerkraut, drained
• Swiss cheese, sliced
• thousand island dressing
• Pepperidge Farm Jewish Rye & Pumpernickel Swirl bread
• butter
• dill pickle spears (optional)
• potato chips (optional)

Spread butter on two slices of bread, then layer with cheese, pastrami, dressing, sauerkraut, more cheese, then one more slice of buttered bread to top it off. This is the same concept as making a grilled cheese sandwich, but with a few more layers. Heat sandwich in grill pan with grill press atop, on medium to medium high heat until browned. Flip sides and brown the other side.

Cut sandwiches in half, serve with pickles and chips.