R&R's Reuben Balls

"I am not a fan of the typical Reuben sandwich, but many of my family and friends are. So I found a way to please everyone, including myself, with this concoction. I absolutely love these, and could eat them daily, which is the nice thing about this recipe. They can be prepared all the way up until the fry-time, but then frozen to use "as needed/wanted"... (in the directions below) for up to a month. These make for a fantastic appetizer for a party/gathering, or for an afternoon/midnight snack! (see freezing instructions). Fry up 3 for yourself as a late night binge, or fry up 20 for unexpected guests. I hope you enjoy these as much as we do. (Please just be sure to read the directions carefully, so they are as delicious for you and yours as they are for us). *NOTE: Prep time includes refrigeration time. Also, using ingredients 1-5 and steps 1 & 2, you can easily make this into a creamy spread for cocktail rye (or whatever makes you happy), just microwave the mixture for a few seconds"
 
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photo by rosie316 photo by rosie316
photo by rosie316
photo by pammyowl photo by pammyowl
photo by rosie316 photo by rosie316
Ready In:
1hr 32mins
Ingredients:
10
Yields:
26-30 balls
Serves:
8-10
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ingredients

  • 1 (12 ounce) can corned beef (Hormel brand)
  • 1 (14 ounce) can sauerkraut, drained, rinsed, chopped, dried (Franks brand, see instructions)
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temp (1/2 of 8 oz block of Philadelphia brand)
  • 4 ounces swiss cheese, shredded (1/2 of 8 oz block or 1 cup)
  • 1 12 tablespoons minced dried onion (dehydrated)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup plain dried breadcrumbs (out of the canister)
  • 3 cups vegetable oil, in a deep heavy sauce pan (or 2 inches of oil)
  • 12 cup thousand island dressing (optional) or 1/2 cup Russian salad dressing (optional)
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directions

  • Pour the canned sauerkraut into a colander, "drain" and "lightly rinse" under running water. (If using fresh kraut, you may not need to rinse, your choice). Using your hands, "squeeze" as much water out as possible. Place kraut on a cutting board, pat it "dry" with paper towels, and chop it up finely. (It is very important to do the "drain, rinse, squeeze and dry", otherwise they will not cook properly or be too tasty)!
  • Crumble the canned corned beef into a large bowl, add the 2 cheeses, chopped up sauerkraut and dried onions. Using your hands, mix (smoosh) it all together (like your making a meatloaf). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour, to let mixture get firm and the dried onions to soften.
  • In the meantime, place 3 plates and 1 bowl on the counter to make an assembly station.
  • Plate #1: flour, Bowl: milk, Plate #2: dried bread crumbs, Plate #3: just somewhere for your balls to hang out while waiting for the fry.
  • When the meat has been chilled for about an hour and has firmed up a bit, start making BALLS! I usually try to do 1" size. Roll some in your hands, toss 'em in the flour, dunk them in the milk, roll thru the bread crumbs and set them on Plate #3! Easy peasy, but messy! Just be sure that each of these steps are completely covering your balls.
  • This is where you can choose to fry them right away, or put them on cookie sheet and place in freezer for an hour, and let them freeze thru. Then toss them all in zip-lock baggies to use as a "when needed" basis. Just be sure to let them rest on the counter from freezer to fry (DO NOT try to defrost in microwave).
  • Frying: Heat up the oil over med-high heat.The oil should be hot enough to make a pinch of the flour we used bubble. (I never use a thermo, I always just guess at the temperature. One sacrificial ball goes in at the start of the fry)! Depending on the size of your pot of oil, DO NOT over-crowd it, or the oil temp will drop, and you will end up with very greasy balls (that is why I test one first). Make batches at a time. They will stay hot for a very long time. Fry for approx 1 - 2 mins, turning with a slotted spoon, until the coating gets browned (DO NOT burn them, they will taste "icky" then)! Place on a paper towel lined plate to drain.
  • I serve these with cups of Thousand Island dressing (or Russian) for a dipping sauce, but I don't eat the balls with either. Plain is fine by me! I hope you enjoy these as much as we do.

Questions & Replies

  1. Can these be baked instead of deep fried? if so, at what temp and time?
     
  2. I always use fresh corned beef from my leftover brisket. I don't care for canned meats. :)
     
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Reviews

  1. Can these be done in an air fryer? Once fried can they be reheated in oven?
     
  2. Made these today and came out Amazing. Would have given 5 Stars, but the Hormel canned Corned beef was an issue. I will make these again with thinly shaved Corned Beef from the Deli and I know they will be even better. Great recipe.
     
  3. These are great for parties and taste like little Reuben sandwiches, My son idea of using Triscuit Rye with Carraway crackers & they were perfect in flavor. And you do have to all the water out that you possible can. I using a 3/4 - inch cookie dough scoop to make the balls I had about 32 tasty little morsels. Than I followed the directions completely. I DID DO NOT over-crowd it, or the oil temp will drop, and you will end up with very greasy balls, I too put a sacrificial ball to go in at the start of the fry. Good TIP!! Thanks for posting!!! I made for PLEASE REVIEW MY RECIPE 2013 SEPT-OCT 2013..... Thank you!!! Happy Cooking to you-all!! Grpa NOW it's party time!.....party!.....party!.....party!
     
  4. Yum, so good! I couldn't find the plain Hormel corned beef, but subbed Hormel corned beef hash and it worked just fine. I used my own bread for the breadcrumbs, let the crumbs dry for two days, then went ahead. I'll make them all and freeze unfried for unexpected company. Next time I will try using rye bread instead of white. Thanks for posting!
     
  5. Very tasty - I agree that they are good on their own without the dressing. I followed the directions completely, but the balls just would not stay together. We ate them with a fork and enjoyed them; however, I will freeze the balance of the balls and see if that helps when frying. Made for PRMR, June, 2013.
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<p>&nbsp;</p> <p>(FYI Update: 06/03/14)... My About Me page is correct. I joined as a member on March 19, 2012 (2+ years ago). But if you click on my public recipes, it states that I joined on Dec 29, 2112. It's way off... but I'm sure the staff will take care of this issue soon. (I will remove this when this error has been corrected).</p> <p>Anyway...</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Hi fellow chefs. Looking to expand here. Everyone on here has been a pleasure to meet &amp; share recipes with.</p> <p>My hubby and I live in Northern Illinois USA, just NW of Chicago. I'm a very proud mom of 2 kids (my daughter in college &amp; my son in highschool). I also have 4 semi step-children, from which we are now proud grandparents of a 4th grandchild (June 2013).</p> <p>I love to cook and experiment (using my family &amp; friends as guinea pigs). If I had the time and $$$, I would spend all of it on creating dishes to feed people. I try to have family and neighbors over whenever possible to feed them. I've cooked many large meals (at home) to take to our county's women/children's shelter, and also to the homeless men that spend 1 night, (once a week), in the local church basement. It's the right thing to do (when you can afford to do it).</p> <p>I love to throw a party, even when it isn't a holiday. Cookouts in the summer or a bring a dish to pass type of get together or an appetizer only event, or even a fondue party. But my favorite... a rolling dinner party ... that's when each of our neighbors who participate pick a dish, and we walk to their home to have cocktails at house #1, then on to house #2 for appetizers, then house # 3 for soup &amp; salad, house # 4 is the entree, and finally house # 5 is dessert! Now keep in mind, we take house #1's cocktails with us when we go on to the next few houses! LOL It's alot of fun. Try it sometime. We usually do it the weekend before Christmas and then go caroling the neighborhood. It's hilarious... grown adults, with full bellys, withstanding temps in the single digits, singing to the community!</p> <p>Sorry folks, I tend to ramble. Anyway, in any spare time, I love to garden. Flowers, veggies and herbs. Always planting in the spring/summer when I can. My bucket list includes making a Moon Garden. Not the kind that some farmers use as a planting chart, but a garden containing flowers, herbs and veggies that are white or somewhat white in color, and they glow beautifully under the moonlight!&nbsp;</p> <p>Hubby and I are caretakers for a little cabin, up north of us, in Wisconsin. It is truely a thing to see. Located on 40 acres (formerly a paper mill plantation). Huge pine trees abound and so very peaceful. The downside is... NO electricity and NO running water. That's correct... we literally have an outhouse (like a skinny, wooden shed with a hole beneath it and a crescent moon cut in the door). Ewww. Sorry.&nbsp;We use propane to grill with, and have a oil burning stove in the little 2 room cabin. We also use a charcoal grill or our wood smoker, on which we make a brisket every time we go up there. Another favorite thing to make are Pudgie Pies using cast iron pie irons over the open firepit!... Google them... they are fun and tasty! We also have a trailer set up for the youngsters that has a propane stovetop and oven. And when we go in the summer, there is a farm stand just 15 minutes away that we can get fresh produce from. It's great! And luckily, the public lake (2nd largest in Wisconsin) is only 20 minutes away. They have a beach with restrooms and showers. It's a blast going there. We take the kids and grandkids with on occasion and have a great time! We love to ATV around the trails on those 40 acres of heaven.</p> <p>Okay, on we go...I have been working independently as an owner/operator of a pet grooming salon for 20 plus years, which is why I now have a Chinese Crested dog, (pretty much hairless, so basically, no real grooming involved). We also have a cat, 4 ducks &amp; drakes, and 2 chickens. Oh... and a $0.15 cent goldfish that I bought from the pet store, because he was too cute to be in the stores feeder fish tank. The old one lived 3 yrs and had passed, and grand-babies missed seeing him. I got a new one. The new one with us still doesn't have a name.&nbsp;</p> <p>So, there you&nbsp; have it... thats me.</p> <p>-Rosie</p> <p>My rating/review system is as follows:</p> <p>5 stars - Excellent, as is. Would not change a thing.</p> <p>4 stars - Very good, liked by most.</p> <p>3 stars - Good, but needs to be altered on some things.</p> <p>2 stars -&nbsp; It could have potential, but not for me.</p> <p>1 star - Will not attempt again.</p> <p>0 stars - I only post a reply without stars to comment, as I do not want to mess up someone's rating.</p>
 
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