Banjo Pickers (The sandwich that’ll make you sing)

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Banjo Pickers are a hot, hearty, and flavorful sandwich that leaves you feeling satisfied with a full belly.

I normally don’t care for sandwiches for supper because when we were little, sandwiches were what we had when we didn’t have anything “good” to eat. Sandwiches were a backup plan or a budget fall back. This is not one of those sandwiches. 

A little background on the Banjo Picker from Christy Jordan: There is this restaurant in Decatur, Alabama called “The Brick” that I hardly ever get to go to. It is a sandwich place in a brownstone building downtown and everything they serve is wonderful. My favorite sandwich on the menu is the “5 Finger Banjo Picker”. Since I don’t get to go there as often as I’d like (I’m doing good to make it out once a year!) I have to make my own version at home. My Banjo picker is a little different so make sure the next time you find yourself around Decatur, Alabama you stop in at The Brick and compare!

You’ll need: Mayo, Swiss Cheese, Sauerkraut, Spicy Brown Mustard, Kielbasa, Hot sliced Banana Peppers, and a large loaf of French bread.

*You can use regular mustard in place of spicy brown. You can also use sliced jalapeños instead of the banana peppers. Really, you can do whatever you want because it’s your kitchen. All we are required to do is die and pay taxes, everything betwixt is kinda up to us. 🙂

 Cut your sausage into two inch segments and cut each segment in half lengthwise.

Place these in a large skillet over medium high heat and cook, turning as needed, until lightly browned on both sides.

Cut your loaf of bread down the middle and open it up on a baking sheet. Spread mayo on one side and spicy brown mustard on the other.

I go a little light on both but you can go heavy if you prefer. I’m not a big mayonnaise person.

Spread out five slices of swiss cheese over your loaf.

Place keilbasa slices over one half of the sandwich and on the other half put sauerkraut and pepper slices.

Place this in the oven, open faced,  at 350 for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bread is toasted.

When you get it out of the oven, close the sandwich.

Cut into four sandwiches.

Banjo Pickers are great served with kettle chips or a side bowl of white beans.

Banjo Pickers – The sandwich that’ll make you sing!

Banjo Pickers are a delicious, hot, hearty, and flavorful sandwich that leaves you feeling as if you'd just ate A WHOLE MEAL!
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: sandwich
Servings: 4
Calories: 552kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 large loaf French Bread from grocery bakery
  • 1 package Polish keilbasa sausage
  • 1 1/2 cups Sauerkraut that's one and a half, not eleven ;
  • Swiss Cheese Slices
  • 1/4 cup hot banana pepper slices or jalapeno slices
  • 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard more if you want
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise more if you want

Instructions

  • Cut your sausage into two inch segments and cut each segment in half lengthwise. Place these in a large skillet over medium high heat and cook, turning as needed, until lightly browned on both sides.
  • Slice bread open lengthwise and lay open on baking sheet. Spread one side with mayo and one side with mustard. Arrange 5 cheese slices over bread. Top one side of bread with sauerkraut and pepper slices. Place browned keilbasa slices on bottom half of bread loaf.
  • Place in oven at 350 for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bread is toasted. Remove from oven. Close sandwich and cut into four smaller sandwiches. Serve warm with kettle potato chips or a nice bowl of white beans.

Makes 4 generous sandwiches

    Nutrition

    Calories: 552kcal
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    74 Comments

    1. This has seriously become one of my favorite sandwiches EVER! My hubby is not a big fan of sauerkraut, so I just swap it out with yellow onion sautéed in butter. I also fry up my kielbasa in some Tennessee BBQ Seasoning & add some Sweet & Hot Banana Peppers to it as well…soooooo good!!! My MIL thanks you too for the recipe, she makes them weekly!

    2. I made these once with Pickled Bologna (it comes in a jar and looks like a fat hot dog) and hot chow chow …I was craving a Banjo Picker and that’s what I had handy….boy it was good. I’ve made your version many times and we love them.

    3. We love these sandwiches! I have been making them for years. I stir up some sliced onions in the pan while I’m browning the sausage. These are a must on this sandwich at our house! Some prefer peppers, some not, pickles are the choice for some and others like it with my home canned Chow chow relish. Wonderful!

    4. I am looking for the recipe for a pie that my grandmother used to make. She called it simply fruit pie. There was a pie crust and a merengue but I am not sure what occurred in between! I think that she used dried apples and cooked them in sugar and water, until thick. She may have placed that in the crust, at this point. Not sure if it had eggs, to hold it together or anything else! Have you ever heard of anything similar to this??

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