The Cuban Reuben

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons caraway seeds
1 Tablespoon fennel seeds
2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
8 Tablespoons premium salted butter
1 small head green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced (by hand)
1 large sweet onion, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 Tablespon sugar
2 cups prepared mayonnaise (Hellmann or Best)
1/2 cup Heinz Chili Sauce
2 Tablespons prepared horseradish
1/3 cup minced flat leaf parsley
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 Tablespoons grated sweet onion
1/2 cup finely diced dill pickle
3/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 lbs. ground beef brisket (have your butcher grind it for you)
6 large challa or brioche hamburger buns (5 1/2\”-6\” diameter)
high heat canola oil spray (aerosol that is made for the high heat of the grill)
12 ounces sliced Swiss Gruyere cheese

Instructions

DIRECTIONS:
STEP #1. For the toasted caraway and fennel seeds and Caraway Butter: Preheat your grill to medium heat. Place the caraway seed into a small grill-safe heavy-duty pan and place over the heat. Toast the seeds, swirling the pan every few seconds until the seeds turn golden brown and fragrant (2-4 minutes). Immediately empty seed onto a small plate so they don’t burn. Repeat the process with the fennel seeds. Let the seeds cool completely. When they have cooled (it should only take a few minutes if you spread them out on the plates), crush the toasted caraway and fennel seeds (separately) coarsely using the bottom of a heavy pan, a meat mallet or a rolling pin. Place half of the crushed toasted caraway seeds into a small bowl and set aside (these will go into the burgers). Add the crushed toasted fennel seed to the caraway you have set aside for the burgers. Combine the remaining caraway seeds, all of the poppy seeds and the softened butter in a small bowl and use a rubber spatula to combine them thoroughly.
STEP #2. For the Slaw: Combine the thinly sliced cabbage, sweet onion kosher salt and sugar in a medium sized mixing bowl and toss to combine thoroughly. Let the cabbage mixture sit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, place the cabbage mixture into a colander set over a bowl. Cover the cabbage mixture with plastic wrap and then weigh down with something heavy (a heavy pan, a stack of plates, or a plate with some heavy cans place on top). Let sit and drain until just before cooking the burgers.
STEP #3. For the Russian Dressing: In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, chili sauce, horseradish, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, grated sweet onion, dill pickle fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Use a whisk or rubber spatula to combine the ingredients thoroughly.
STEP #4. For the Burgers: In a large wide mixing bowl combine the reserved crushed caraway and fennel seeds, the 1 ¾ tsp. fine sea salt, 1½ tsp freshly ground black pepper. Use a spoon or spatula to combine the ingredients in the bowl thoroughly. Lightly crumble the ground brisket and over the ingredients in the bowl. Toss everything together lightly (as you would a salad) until everything is evenly distributed. Use your hands to lightly but thoroughly combine the ground meat and other ingredients. Everything should be evenly mixed, but be careful not to overwork the meat. Divide the meat mixture into 6 portions (about 1 cup of the mixture per portion). To form each burger, lightly shape each meat portion into a patty that is about 4 ½” inches across and ¾ – 1” thick. Slightly press/indent the center of each burger/patty so the center is a little bit thinner than the edges. Place the shaped burgers onto a clean platter and cover with plastic wrap. Chill the burgers if you are not going to cook them within the hour.
STEP #5. Finish the Slaw: Remove the weights from the cabbage mixture. Line your work surface with five layers of paper towel (2-3 sheets wide) and spread the cabbage mixture out on the paper towel. Cover the cabbage with another couple of layers of paper towel and press firmly to extract as much liquid as possible. Put the cabbage mixture into a medium sized mixing bowl, add 1 cup of the Russian Dressing and toss to combine thoroughly.
STEP #6. To Finish the Burgers: Make a “divot” or small receptacle in the inside of each top bun by gently removing a small portion of the bread from the cut side of each top bun (you are creating a sort of concave “shell” out of the top bun which will be filled with the Swiss cheese and Slaw after the buns are heated on the grill). Lightly spray the burgers on both sides with the olive oil spray. Cook/grill the burgers on the hot grill (high heat) for about 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare (don’t over-cook them – they will cook again when you wrap and press them). While the burgers cook, spread about 2 tsp. of the caraway butter onto the cut sides of the buns and then lightly spray the cut sides of the buns with the canola oil spray and grill (cut sides down) for about 1-2 minutes, or just until toasted and warm (be careful not to burn them – butter burns very quickly). Remove the toasted buns to your work surface. Brush the top and bottom of the toasted buns with additional butter (1-2 tsp each). Spread 1 Tablespoon of the Russian Dressing on to the cut sides of each top and each bottom bun (1 Tbsp on the top and 1 Tbsp. on the bottom). Divide the sliced cheese into 6 portions. Divide each portion in half and place half on each top bun and half on each bottom bun. Press the cheese into the “divots” you have created in to top buns. Fill the “receptacles” in the top buns with about 1/3 cup of the Slaw. Place a cooked burger onto each bottom bun and quickly flip the Slaw filled top buns onto the burgers. Tear off 6 large sheets of nonstick aluminum foil (or regular foil). Wrap each burger tightly (like you would a burrito) in a sheet of foil, folding the edges underneath the burgers. Make sure the grill is heated to high heat. Place the wrapped burgers on to a grill-safe heavy-duty baking sheet or into a large cast iron skillet. Top the burgers with another grill-safe heavy-duty pan or another cast iron skillet and press the burgers a little (you don’t want to squish them too much – press just enough to compress them. Place the baking tray or cast iron skillet onto the grill and grill for about 4 minutes. Remove the top pan, flip the burgers and replace the top pan. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove the wrapped burgers from the grill. Unwrap the burgers and use a serrated knife to cut each burger in half (or, alternatively, cut each burger in half through the foil (this will make it easier/less messy to eat) and enjoy!!