I had a hankering for a really good roast beef sandwich last week. All I could think about was that rich beef, on a fresh roll with cheese, a good spicy mustard, horseradish and nice au jus to dip it in. This sandwich practically makes itself, all I had to do was cook up a roast which I’ve had some trouble with cooking in the past. But I was ready to give it another try; I was not going to let a hunk of beef get the best of me again.
The last couple of roasts I’ve cooked were top rounds, this time I decided to go with a bottom round. It was bigger, had a really nice marbling throughout the meat and a thick fat cap, all of the qualities I look for in a good brisket. After cooking the bottom round I think the problem with the previous roasts was the cut, the top round is just too lean for the tenderness and flavor I was looking for.
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| Smoked Bottom Round Roast |
I started by scoring the fat cap, coating the roast with a good olive, then seasoning with my SPG seasoning. This roast was the perfect application for SPG. It’s a simple seasoning developed to enhances natural beef flavors. The 4-½ pound roast cooked for about 3 hours at 300º in the Big Green Egg over mesquite charcoal. When I pulled it off the grill it was 140º, just a tad over my target temp of 130º, but it was acceptable. I should have pulled it off about 15 minutes earlier. Since I was trying to recreate deli style meat I placed it in the fridge over night.
The next day I pulled the roast from fridge, I took my taste test and was very pleased with my work, but my work was not complete, as it was time to make the au jus. I sliced the fat cap off and placed it in a stockpot with the beef drippings and simmered it for 10 minutes. Then I added 4 cups of beef stock to the pot and simmered it down for another 20 minutes.
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| Au Jus Base |
Once the au jus was done it was time to make the sandwich I had been dreaming about. My dreamy beef sandwich started with a fresh Ciabatta roll, a coating of spicy mustard on one side and creamy horseradish on the other. Between the bun I layered on the roast beef, a slice of provolone cheese, a few sliced dill pickles and a few leaves of fresh lettuce.
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| Roast Beef Sandwiches & Kirby’s Crunchy Potatoes |
Finally, my sandwich was ready. I dipped it in the warm au jus and let the bread drink in the savory broth, then I took that first bite. It was everything I was hoping for and more. The roast was perfect, it had a rich, beefy flavor with just a hint of smoke and the SPG was the perfect seasoning for it. The au jus really added another layer of beefy flavor, it was just awesome. I have since eaten 4 more sandwiches from my roast and there’s still some left, I never get tired of eating a good sandwich.
Feeling quite hungry now! Wanna eat this roast beef!