Sandopedia: The '06

The ‘06, formerly known as The Buffalo ‘06 — a sly nod to the cult-favorite film Buffalo ‘66 — is roughly a Reuben sandwich.

Previously made with whatever mass-market rye bread we carried, it’s now assembled betwixt two slices of our Haus-developed “Northern Waters Smokehaus Rye,” baked by (and also sold at) 3rd Street Bakery — a recipe developed, and for a time baked by former longtime Smokehaus employee, Jerry.

Upon the toasted bread, you’ve got some options: For The ‘06 proper, you’ll choose between Smoked Bison Pastrami or Corned Bison, then you’ll select either Hausmade Sauerkraut or Hausmade Kimchi. Everything you’ve selected so far runs through the toaster, topped with Swiss cheese that melds everything together. Before the sandwich is completed, we douse it with our Hausmade Russian Dressing (essentially Thousand Island).

Previously its own menu item (before the Great Menu Re-Organization of the Early 2020s), The Phoebe is our spin on a Rachel sandwich: Same process as the ‘06, but with Smoked Maple-Sage Turkey Breast as the protein option, and cheddar cheese holding down the infrastructural support. We understand that Phoebe was predominantly a vegetarian on that show, but she gave in to meat cravings when she was pregnant, so we wanted to be clever on that technicality!

Since we try our best to be kind and accommodating, we’d probably let you get away with ordering a Phoebe with Smoked Bison Pastrami or Corned Bison. Though maybe that would be better expressed as an ‘06 substituting cheddar cheese 😵‍💫 The head reels at such thoughts!

In conclusion (if you’ve made it this far, you are a true blue Smokehaus fan), The ‘06 is a real-deal legend of the Smokehaus menu. It’s been around almost as long as the business itself, and save for the cheese slices, every ingredient is either made in-Haus, or made locally based on our recipes. And in true Smokehaus fashion, it’s a riff on a classic sandwich with a cheeky name. It’s also another one of those sandwiches that can be enjoyed right away, a couple hours later, cold out of the fridge the next day, or reheated in your oven.

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Sandwich Lab: Of New Sandwiches and Menu Revisions

Beginning Monday, January 30th 2023, we’re adding three brand new sandwiches to our menu, moving a couple of sandwiches to the Secret Menu, and making a small improvement to a Smokehaus classic! By the conclusion of this blog post, we hope you’ll be thoroughly informed of these updates. The Secret Menu sandwiches aren’t going away entirely, they’re just going to be hidden, and at the end of this blog post, we’ll provide instructions for how to find them.

Blog post too long? Don’t feel like reading? Here’s a quick breakdown of key sections:

  • New Sandwich Introductions: The Club-Mariner, mmMmm, and The Sunday Sushi

  • Sandwich Update: The Gorilla

  • Menu reconfigurations/Secret Menu: Big Dipper/Squealy Dan, The ‘06/The Phoebe

Onward to new sandwiches!

Back in November, we held our occasional Sandwich Lab training and menu development session. Six members of our staff each submitted a sandwich for peer review, and of those six contenders, the three highest rated sandwiches—based on Taste, Use of Ingredients, how the sandwich Highlights NWS, and the sandwich’s Feasibility—earned a spot on our menu: The Club-Mariner, mmMmm, and The Sunday Sushi.

Introducing: The Club-Mariner

A club sandwich like you’ve never seen before! An homage to the Golden Age of comic books in what may be the Golden Age of sandwiches!

The Club-Mariner combines the flavor of land and sea, featuring the opulent pairing of Traditional Smoked Atlantic Salmon and crispy Smoked Pancetta, dressed with sweet hausmade quick pickles, lettuce, and a kiss of wasabi mayo on two slices of toasted white bread.

The Club-Mariner was the highest-rated sandwich at Sandwich Lab, and was developed by our in-haus graphic designer, newsletter writer, social media coordinator, and all-around cool dude, Zac.

Introducing: mmMmm

(stylized as “mmMmm”)

If you’re wondering how to pronounce the name of this sandwich, just imagine yourself taking the first bite: Maple-sage Smoked Turkey, massaged with Sriracha & Hoisin, then toasted, sits atop a mayo-spackled hero roll, and is further dressed with thinly-sliced cabbage, red onion, pickled ginger, and cilantro. The sweet and spicy flavors dance on your taste buds, as the wave of umami pulses to a rhythm only you can feel. You can’t help but to proclaim, almost in song*, “mmMmm!” You might’ve wanted to say more, but your mouth is full and you do not want to rush this bite.

Deli manager and chief goofball Leif developed and pitched mmMmm to the Lab.

*That’s a glissando’d octave up and down of B, for any readers with perfect pitch, or any sort of musical background. Trust us, we tested it.

Introducing: The Sunday Sushi

Another umami-bomb joins our menu, especially tailored to the “not too spicy” crowd! The Sunday Sushi doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s the first time a sandwich of its sort has appeared on our menu. The Sunday Sushi takes a classic Midwestern hors d'oeuvre, oftentimes nicknamed “Lutheran Sushi”, as its influence—savory sliced Smoked Berkshire Ham, brushed with scallion cream cheese, and wrapped around a dill pickle spear—deconstructs it, adds sliced cabbage, and puts it on a hero roll. This combination has graced many a Smokehaus sample tray and employee snack session, and now it’s available for your everyday nutritional needs!

Michael, our Mail Order Director and in-haus music festival aficionado, finally codified The Sunday Sushi into sandwich law before the council.

Introducing: The (Improved) Gorilla

When Eric Goerdt speaks, we listen. And not just because he’s our boss, but also because he’s a rare intellect, a wellspring of knowledge and insight about food and life. So, when Eric said “The Gorilla should have pickles,” we listened. 

Henceforth, dear reader, The Gorilla will include sliced dill pickles as a base ingredient!

In order to make room on our paper menus for The Club-Mariner, mmMmm, and The Sunday Sushi, we’ve folded two of our sandwiches into similar offerings. Say (sort of) goodbye to The Squealy Dan and The Phoebe! Before we explain the changes, please know that over the phone and at our ordering window, you’ll still be able to order both of these sandwiches by their original names! The changes will mostly affect your online ordering experience, or a newcomer’s navigation of our paper menus. We understand that this may cause some minor headaches, but rest assured, our staff is prepared to help you navigate the reconfigured menu.

Reintroducing: The Squealy Dan has become a variant of The Big Dipper!

The Squealy Dan aka The Ol’ Standby aka The Smokehaus Staff’s Favorite Morale Sandwich bears such a strong resemblance to The Big Dipper that it’s only natural to combine them.

•The (new) Big Dipper has meat options: choose from Porketta, Smoked Pork Loin, or dry-cured Salami Mix.

•The (new) Big Dipper still comes with zesty three-pepper dipping sauce. This is an improvement over The (old) Squealy Dan, which notably did not include dipping sauce.

How to make your Big Dipper a classic Squealy Dan: choose Smoked Pork Loin or dry-cured Salami Mix as your meat, hold the green olives, and add black pepper.

Reintroducing: The Phoebe has become a variant of The ’06!

The Phoebe is a Smokehaus spin on the classic deli sandwich known as a Rachel, which is itself a variant of the classic deli sandwich known as a Rueben. The Smokehaus spin on a Rueben is called The ’06.

The official changes to The ’06 are as follows:

•Meat options: Smoked Bison Pastrami, Corned Bison, or Maple-sage Smoked Turkey Breast.

•Cabbage medley options: hausmade Sauerkraut or hausmade Kimchi.

•Cheese options: Swiss cheese becomes the default. Cheddar cheese or provolone cheese are available as substitutions.

How to make your ’06 a classic Phoebe: choose Maple-sage Smoked Turkey Breast as your meat, select Kimchi, and substitute cheddar cheese.

We appreciate your patience and adaptability as we enact these changes to our menu, and we’re excited to get these new sandwiches out of your thoughts and into your hands, mouths, stomachs, and hearts!