joe randel's art dump

I make the best damn sandwiches. Seriously. The. Best. My wife says so and she’s one to tell you to your face if something isn’t right.

Why just today I made a great sandwich. On two slices of whole wheat bread, toasted, I put down a small pile of black forest ham, romaine lettuce, marble cheese, cucumber slices, sliced dill pickle, tomato, and topped it off with some Miracle Whip and some Beer and Chipotle BBQ sauce.

Just awesome.

What’s my secret? I’ll tell you some of my tips.

1 – Pile on the main attraction to your sandwich (eg: black forest ham) but don’t over do it. It’ll just take over everything else and you don’t want that.

2 – Place the lettuce next and then the cheese. If you put cheese on the meat it’ll slide around and it might come apart after a bite or two. If you’re using hot meat then you can put the cheese on it as it will act a a glue for the rest of your ingredients.

3 – Adding dill pickle can add a nice saltiness to your creation. Cucumber adds more crunch. Think about the texture you’ll bring to your sandwich.

4 – Don’t cut/slice your tomatoes, cucumbers, etc… too thick. This will pile up your sandwich too high and make it hard too eat.

5 – Using two sauces can add extra flavors to your creation. Experiment!

6 – Butter, bologna and a cheese slice isn’t a sandwich. Don’t fool yourself in to thinking it is. It’s an insult to sandwiches.

7 – Don’t hold back on what you make. Look in your fridge and see what you have that you can put on it. You might surprise yourself.

8 – Every ingredient is important. When you can, use fresh stuff. Buy special breads and meats. Your sandwich making skills will sky rocket.

9 – Read sandwiches are cut from corner to corner. Not across. This way you’ll create a small point for you to start eating at and make things easier if you’ve made a large sandwich. You won’t have to bury your face in to a long side on your first bite.

10 – Put love in to your sandwich. No, not like that you sicko. Really care about what you’re making. Whether it’s you or someone else, trust me… it makes a world of difference.

I remember long ago I just made peanut butter and jam… and that’s fine. Then my Mom brought home a real deli sandwich for me. I fell in love with the art of making a real sandwich. It pays off. My wife used to have crappy sandwiches at her house before I met her. When we where still dating I made her one of my sandwiches and, well… the rest is history.

No fooling, making a nice sandwich takes thought and planing. All around the world people screw it up everyday. Don’t let yourself be one of those people.

Thank you.