Po Boy Beef
Ingredients
- 3 lb roast (beef, chuck or shoulder traditionally; rump also an option)
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 minced onion (small)
- freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- red pepper
- salt (coarse) (preferably kosher)
- 3 T shortening (or bacon fat or lard)
- 2 c beef stock
- 3 T Worcestershire sauce
- 1.5 T hot sauce
- water (as needed)
- 2 T thyme
- 1 bay leaf
Method
1. Poke holes in the roast on all sides. Stuff with garlic and onion (don't try to put all the bits of onion in, just fill the holes!).
2. Season liberally on all sides with peppers and salt.
3. Melt fat in skillet on medium. Turn the roast into it and sear on all sides (about 3 minutes per side is fine). Add the onions you didn't stuff it with into it (You should have plenty left!).
4. While that's going on, heat up your beef stock in a large braising pot. Add Worcestershire and hot sauce to it. Take a deep breath.
5. Put the roast into the braising pot. As to the pan you took it out of, keep stirring the onions and frying them in the fat and shortening for a couple more minutes, until they look translucent.
6. Cover the roast to about 3/4 with water added to the pot. Put the thyme on top, the bay leaf in, and sprinkle the onions and pan drippings directly on top of the roast.
7. Cover the braising pot with a lid, turn the heat down low, and let cook for 3-4 hours.
8. Take out roast at the end of cooking time, let rest, and slice across the grain -- you should get thin, juicy strips intermingled with lots of onion and garlic.
9. As to the liquid in the pan, turn up the heat and boil it as hard as possible. It's "done" when you stick in a spoon and get a thin greasy film on the back of it.
You're pretty much done after that. Put a liberal amount of meat on your sandwich loaf and dress the rest however you like it (lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and creole mustard are my favorites). I like to go heavy on the juice, although it also tastes great with some barbecue sauce on the side. Use your imagination.
Notes
Notes from source: Traditionally, po' boys are made with chuck or shoulder roast. Reason being that it's the ideal kind of stewing meat; cheap, fatty, flavorful, and perfect for boiling down into gelatinous debris. Sometimes I like to use rump roast for a better flavor, but the tradeoff there is that it usually makes for a firmer, more intact end product. It's your choice.
SJ Note: We've had this many times, always a favorite.