The North Jersey "Sloppy Joe" Deli Double-Decker
The Deli Counter Lunch
Forget the canned slop you grew up with. In Essex County, New Jersey, a Sloppy Joe is a towering, cold architectural marvel born from a Havana bender and perfected by Jewish-American deli men. It is an exercise in structural engineering. The secret to keeping this giant from turning into a soggy weeknight tragedy is simple: a whisper of hydrophobic butter to protect the rye, and wringing the absolute hell out of your cabbage.
Before you start
Extract the moisture from the cabbage.
Toss the shredded cabbage and grated carrots with kosher salt in a colander in your sink. Weigh it down with a heavy plate and a can for 20 minutes to draw out the water. Rinse it thoroughly with cold water to remove the salt, then wrap it in a clean kitchen towel and wring it aggressively until completely bone dry.
Dress the dry slaw.
Toss the dry, wrung-out cabbage mixture with the vinegar, sugar, and celery seed. Set aside.
Emulsify the Russian dressing.
In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy mayonnaise, chili sauce, dill relish, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce until it forms a thick, salmon-pink binder.
Ingredients
- green cabbage1/2 med
- carrot1 med
- kosher salt1 tbsp
- white vinegar1 tbsp
- granulated sugar1 tsp
- celery seed1/4 tsp
- heavy mayonnaise1/2 cup
- chili sauce3 tbsp
- dill pickle relish1 tbsp
- prepared horseradish1 tsp
- Worcestershire sauce1/2 tsp
- hot sauce1/4 tsp
- seeded Jewish rye slices3 large
- unsalted butter1 tbsp
- deli turkey breast1/4 lb
- pastrami1/4 lb
- Swiss cheese slices3 large
Method
- 01
Build the butter barrier.
Lay your three slices of rye flat on a board. Butter the top face of the first slice, both sides of the middle slice, and the bottom face of the third slice. This milk-fat layer repels liquid and keeps the bread crisp.
- 02
Lay the foundation.
Working from the outside edge inward, gently fold the turkey onto the bottom slice of bread to create volume, ensuring the edges align perfectly with the crust. Distribute half of the dry coleslaw evenly over the turkey, then use a knife to push and spread a generous layer of Russian dressing over the slaw.
- 03
Construct the mid-floor.
Place the double-buttered middle slice of bread firmly on top of the dressed coleslaw, then overlap half of your Swiss cheese across it.
- 04
Add the second story.
Fold the pastrami atop the cheese, again bringing it exactly to the crust. Add the remaining dry coleslaw, followed by another heavy application of Russian dressing. Lay the remaining Swiss cheese over the dressing, making sure the seam of the cheese does not align directly with the layer below to prevent structural failure when cutting.
- 05
Cap and cut.
Place the final slice of rye, butter side down, onto the sandwich and press down gently with a flat hand to compress the layers. Secure with three long frilled toothpicks, then use a sharp serrated knife to cut diagonally into thirds.
Notes
The Kosher Pivot.
To keep the sandwich strictly kosher-style, omit the Swiss cheese and butter. Your cabbage must be wrung out excessively well to make up for the lack of a butter barrier, and you can replace the cheese with a third layer of meat like corned beef.
Supermarket Substitutions.
If you can't find chili sauce for the Russian dressing, substitute equal parts ketchup mixed with a pinch of smoked paprika and an extra dash of hot sauce.