A hot dog Reuben is the deli classic you didn't expect to make in an air fryer

Here’s a whimsical take on a classic deli sandwich, made with hot dogs rather than the more standard corned beef, from our cookbook “The Instant Air Fryer Bible."

Any hot dog will do — beef, pork, turkey even vegan hot dogs — although the best results are had with more standard, backyard-barbecue dogs, rather than fancier varieties.

You probably never thought you’d be making sandwiches in an air fryer when you bought the machine. You thought you’d be making French fries, sure. You might have thought you’d be making crunchy sides like steak fries. You might even have thought about crispy fish sticks. But sandwiches?

Yep! The air fryer can toast bread evenly and quickly, giving even classic deli sandwiches a delectable crust without burning or melting the ingredients inside.

Change up this recipe by substituting drained kimchi for the sauerkraut, swapping out the Swiss for Gruyère or Comté, and/or substituting thin, link-like brats for the hot dogs.

Makes 2 Hot Dog Reubens

Four 1-1/2-ounce hot dogs

4 slices of rye bread

Olive oil spray

1/4 cup Russian dressing

2/3 cup squeezed-dry purchased sauerkraut

Four 1-ounce slices of Swiss Cheese

1. Set the machine to air fry. Set the temperature to 400°F and the time to 20 minutes (which will be a little more than you need). Press start.

2. When the machine beeps, indicates ADD FOOD, or is heated to the proper temperature, set the hot dogs in a single layer in the basket or on the tray. Because you’re working with only two sandwiches, you’ll only need one tray in toaster-oven style machines. Set it in the middle rack.

3. Air-fry undisturbed until hot and sizzling, about 4 minutes. Use nonstick-safe kitchen tongs to transfer the hot dogs to a cutting board. Keep the machine going. Split the (hot!) hot dogs in half lengthwise.

4. Generously coat one side of each slice of bread with olive oil spray. Set two slices oiled side down on a cutting board. Top each with an even coating of 2 tablespoons of dressing, four hot dog halves, half of the sauerkraut and two slices of cheese. Smear the remaining dressing over the not-oiled side of the remaining two slices of bread, then set them oiled side up on top of the sandwiches.

5. Use a nonstick-safe spatula to transfer the sandwiches to the air fryer. Use separate trays or work in batches as necessary. Air-fry, turning once after 4 minutes but otherwise ignoring any TURN FOOD indicator, until golden brown and visibly crunchy at the edges, about 7 minutes.

6. Turn off the machine and use that same spatula to transfer the (hot and messy!) sandwiches to a fine-mesh wire rack to cool for a couple of minutes. Have plenty of napkins on hand.

Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough are the authors of “Cold Canning” and more than 35 other cookbooks, including “The Instant Pot Bible” series. They live in rural Connecticut.

Excerpted from “The Instant Air Fryer Bible” by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. Copyright (copyright) 2022 by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.

This image released by Voracious shows cover art for “The Instant Air Fryer Bible" by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. (Voracious via AP)

This image released by Voracious shows a recipe for Reuben hot dogs from “The Instant Air Fryer Bible" by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. (Eric Medsker/Voracious via AP)

PROVO, Utah (AP) — A key hearing kicks off Monday in Charlie Kirk's murder case in Utah, where prosecutors aim to convince a judge they have enough evidence to try the man accused of killing him and seek the death penalty.

The five-day preliminary hearing will mark the most significant presentation of evidence in the case so far — and the first time Kirk’s parents and widow will be in the courtroom with defendant Tyler Robinson.

Robinson, 23, is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 assassination of Kirk, a conservative activist and ally of President Donald Trump, at Utah Valley University. Robinson turned himself in the day after the shooting.

Prosecutors allege he confessed in a note left for his roommate, who was also his romantic partner, that read: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”

Robinson has not yet entered a plea, and his attorneys have not commented on his guilt or innocence. They have, however, sought to get the death penalty taken off the table, so far unsuccessfully.

The proceeding will resemble a mini-trial, but prosecutors need only demonstrate that there are reasonable grounds to believe Robinson killed Kirk. The standard is lower than for a trial, where prosecutors must prove guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Once the hearing is finished, state District Judge Tony Graf must determine whether there is enough evidence for the case to proceed to trial.

Prosecutors have said they plan to present DNA evidence linking Robinson to the suspected murder weapon, testimony from investigators, autopsy findings, witness statements and video of Kirk’s killing. They are also expected to argue the shooting endangered others at Kirk's campus event — an aggravating circumstance that could make the crime punishable by death under Utah law.

Prosecutors this week can use secondhand information, or hearsay, to help present their case.

Robinson's roommate is not expected to testify in person during the hearing. Still, the roommate's recorded testimony could be a focal point for prosecutors.

In addition to the alleged confession note, Robinson reportedly texted his roommate that he targeted Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred,” prosecutors have said.

Before his death, Kirk and the organization he co-founded, Turning Point USA, galvanized the conservative youth vote to help Trump win a second term.

The Republican president has said he hopes Robinson receives the death penalty.

Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, said during his memorial service that she forgives Robinson.

Ahead of Monday's hearing, she thanked supporters in a statement posted to X for their kindness and prayers.

“Every court proceeding serves as a painful reminder of his death,” she wrote, “and the loss that has irrevocably impacted our lives and the lives of his children.”

She added that the public outpouring “has sustained us during the darkest days of our lives.”

She is expected in court throughout the week with her husband’s parents, Robert and Kathryn Kirk, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Brown reported from Billings, Montana.

FILE - A well-wisher places flowers at a makeshift memorial set up for Charlie Kirk at Turning Point USA headquarters, Sept. 11, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)