I'm an omnivore again, now how do I do this?

February 21, 2009 1:11 PM

I want to make some sandwich meats starting with roast beef and ending wherever my imagination takes me. I have a friend with a meat slicer, an oven, and an equal desire for cheap, awesome lunch sandwiches. Can you help us?

So, what's your best recipe for roast beef for cold sandwiches? Tips? Tricks? Awesome recipes for other tasty, thin-sliced animals I can't get at the deli counter?

posted by piedmont to food & drink (15 comments total)

Sliced cold tongue, with relish.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:31 PM on February 21

I've found that I like sandwich roast beef a little more done than dinner roast beef, so when we have it, we'll roast the beef, take it out of the oven, turn the oven off, rest it, carve it, then return it to the cooling oven while we eat.

That's my tip, really, there's not that much to roasting beef...
posted by pompomtom at 2:41 PM on February 21

I would suggest making a Dutch Loaf. I know you asked about cold meats, but there is nothing like the warm ends of a dutch loaf right out of the oven. Also, personally I think you can purchase roast beef, turkey, chicken, at the deli counter that equals some you might make yourself. But rarely have I found a great dutch loaf at the deli counter. Same for corned beef.
posted by travis08 at 2:55 PM on February 21

I just noticed the Dutch Loaf link I provided above is for more of a meatloaf type, rather than what you would find at a deli like this.
posted by travis08 at 2:58 PM on February 21

Oooh, make some corned beef. Unless you have a super good deli, homemade is so much better than what you buy...
posted by Emilyisnow at 4:00 PM on February 21

Oh yeah, consider that condiments are the sine qua non of the cold meat sandwich.

Any detailed investigation of the cold meat sandwich space should include in its ambit experiments with:
- whole grain mustard
- freshly ground black pepper
- thinly sliced sour pickles
- horseradish
- sauerkraut
- picalilli
- chutney
- ketchup
- mayonnaise (home made, with or without crushed garlic)
- chilli sauce (Mexican or Thai styles)
- Worcestershire sauce

although probably not all at once.

To my mind, what we're aiming for is meat + salt + crunch + acid + bite + token vegetable matter.

Based on yesterday's street food lunch, shredded slow-roast pork and kim chi might make an excellent sandwich.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 4:18 PM on February 21

sandwich ideas:

roast beef and corned beef on crusty french bread, with provolone, lettuce, onion, pickles, olive oil, vinegar, and lots of oregano. It's the sandwich of my dreams, the fabulous #22 from the now defunct Galley in Kalamazoo.

roast pork loin on oatmeal bread. marinate the pork loin in balsamic vinegar, sage, garlic, salt and pepper. Add thin slices of a crisp, tart apple and extra sharp cheddar. top with arugula and miracle whip, and oregano

mexican spiced chicken (cumin, chili, garlic, lime, oregano, coriander) baked, then slice a little thicker than roast beef. Monterary jack cheese, or pepperjack, lettuce, and, if you like them, tomatoes
posted by Ghidorah at 5:00 PM on February 21

I would roast the beef very, very simply.

Liberally season the outside with salt and pepper. Maybe rub it over first with the cut side of a garlic clove. Depending on the size and shape of the roast, you may want to tie it a bit into a bundle for more uniform cooking and slicing.

Give it a really hard sear on the outside first to cause the Maillard reaction (and not to 'seal in the juices'; that's an old wives' tale).

Then roast as per normal. I too would take roast beef slightly past rare for a sandwich. Not quite medium, but about halfway between. So you're looking at about 140F internal temperature, and bear in mind it'll climb 5-10 degrees as it rests.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 5:19 PM on February 21

Roast beef, a very soft bleu cheese, and fresh shredded beet on rye is so good it will make you weep.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 5:30 PM on February 21 [1 favorite]

i can vouch for this turkey sam'ich.
posted by msconduct at 6:05 PM on February 21

If you can set up a smoker, there are plenty of recipes out there for your own homemade pastrami and corned beef.
posted by scarello at 6:21 PM on February 21

Should you come into more spare cash, feel sufficiently hardcore in your meat skillz, and want something a little more dangerous to experiment with, a copy of Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing by Ruhlman and Polcyn might not be out of order.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 7:08 PM on February 21

Roastbeef:
-----------------
Buy your uncoocked roast, clean it from excess silverskin but leave the big fat on it intact. Preheat your oven to 350F.

In a food processor, mix the following:

1 whole large onion, quartered
3 -5 cloves of garlic
2 heaping tablespoons of dijon mustard
rosemary leaves, fresh
sage, chopped
a good number of pepercorns
1-2 CUPS of kosher salt -- You know you've used enough salt if this looks and smells like a salty slurpee that's been dumped into your food processor.

Coat the meat completely in the salt mixture, pouring the rest on the top so there is a nice thick crust of salt, onion and garlic. Put a smidge of water in the bottom of the roasting pan.

Roast in the oven uncovered until center temp reads 140F if you like pink 145F if you like less and 150F if you like well done. (Depending on the size, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours)

Once center temp is reached, remove from oven, crack salt crust (which will now be black and charred in spots) and discard (though I like to munch on a little of it). Let the meat stand for 45 minutes, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in fridge until completely cool. 4-8 hours later, unwrap the roast beef and slice on a meat slicer, or just be sure to cut it very very very thin by hand.

*ALWAYS* wrap your meat tightly while it is still warm and put it in the fridge to cool. During the cooling process, the meat will sieze and the big fatflavor chunks will fuze together. The thinner you want to slice it, the colder you want your meat to be when you cut it.
-----------------------------------------

Horseradish/Sourcream Spread
--------------------------------------
1 Clove garlic, minced
2 Tbs. horseradish, prepared (If you by raw horseradish peel and grate it- but do slightly less)
a couple of squirts of Worcestershire sacue
Sour Cream
Mustard, Stone ground
Lemon juice (to taste - don't go nuts)
Salt & Pepper


Sandwich time
----------------
Get a nice crisp french baguette - not a damn stick of italian garlic bread masquerading as a baguette, slice it in half the long way.

Slather on your horseradish spread on the TOP half.
Lay some washed green leaf lettuce on it (if you want a hot sandwich, ignore this step)
On the bottom half take that stone ground mustard and spread a thin layer of that.
Put the sliced roastbeef on the bottom - pile it on.
Slice some Gouda or a good smoked cheddar
Seal the top half.
If you're heating this up, wrap it in tinfoil and crisp the bread up.
If not, go to town.
posted by Nanukthedog at 9:37 PM on February 21 [4 favorites]

Raw horseradish has a powerful bit similar to that of wasabi. It's awesome or cold, rare roast beef.
posted by xammerboy at 10:55 PM on February 21 [1 favorite]

My favorite to pair with roast beef is Lebanon Bologna. Can usually be found in the deli section of some supermarkets.

Williams-Sonoma had a creole mustard that was absolutely fabulous, but they may be out in your neck of the woods.

happy eating.
posted by bach at 1:18 PM on February 22