When I crave meat, I usually crave a big, fat, juicy burger with the works. I like my burgers BIG! The kind of burger you have to unlock your jaw for and squeeze together just to get it to fit in your mouth. The kind that leaves leftovers on your cheeks and juice running down your arms. I’m drooling just thinking about it. This burger is an extra special burger because it combines two of my favorite sandwiches, the burger, of course, and the reuben. This burger is massive! It’s piled high with sauerkraut and topped with generous amounts of sliced swiss cheese and homemade thousand island dressing. Yum.

Look at that gem of a burger. It makes you want to sink your teeth right in to its juicy goodness.

Start by combining 1 pound ground beef, 1/2 pound ground pork, and 1/2 pound finely chopped corned beef (I used the kind you purchase right from the deli), one egg, and salt and pepper. Mix together with your hands until thoroughly combined.

Next, patty these babies up. I got about 6 burgers out of the mixture- they were pretty big burgers. You can get 8 if you make them slightly smaller.

Heat your cast iron skillet or preheat your grill and cook for about 4-5 minutes per side.

This is where you’re supposed to top the burgers with cheese, but I forgot to take a photo of that for you. Sorry.

The thousand island dressing is super easy to make and super delicious. After making it homemade, I’ll never go back to eating the store bought dressing. To make, combine 3/4 cup store bought mayonnaise, 1/4 cup chili sauce, 2 tbs. ketchup, 2 heaping teaspoons relish, 1 minced garlic clove, 2 tablespoons minced onion, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine. Place in an air tight container and store in the fridge.

Reuben Burgers

1 lb ground beef

1/2 lb ground pork

1/2 lb corned beef, finely chopped (I used the kind from the deli)

1 egg

1/4-1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper.

Swiss cheese, sliced

1 bag of sauerkraut

Kaiser rolls

Add the ground beef, ground pork, chopped corned beef, egg, salt and pepper to a large bowl. Mix with your hands until thoroughly combined. Patty up the burgers. Heat a cast iron skillet to medium high heat (you can also cook these on the grill). Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side. Top with sliced swiss cheese. I love cheese, so I used two slices per burger. When the burgers are finished cooking, let rest for a few minutes. The burgers will still appear slightly pink in the center. Don’t worry, they’re done- it’s just the corned beef causing the pink hue. While the burgers rest, heat the sauerkraut. Place your lovely burgers on a toasted kaiser roll. Smear the top roll with a generous amount of thousand island dressing and pile high with sauerkraut.

Thousand Island Dressing

1 clove garlic, minced

3/4 cup prepared mayonaisse

1/4 cup bottled chili sauce

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 tablespoons onion, minced

2 heaping teaspoons sweet pickle relish

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir. Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Trust me, you’ll never go back to the store bought dressing.