This week, it will be Roast Beef Po Boy! Not that I eat them that often, but my dear friend Rico who has promised to teach me Salsa dancing in return for making them for him whenever he wants, absolutely adores them!
The recipe I’m going to give you right now should be enough to fill about 10-12 baguettes… which means you’ll either feed 10 to 12 people or one Aristotle… Mon dieu! I don’t know where he fits it all in his sleek… muscular… I mean, fit body.
So without further ado: Po Boys to Die for!
First of all you’ll need (and I know this is long, but trust me it’s worth it!):
5-6 pounds beef chuck roast (grass fed preferred) or shoulder roast
¼ pound of salt pork, sliced into ¼ inch strips
3 cups of minced onions
1 tablespoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 tablespoon of Creole seasoning blend
¼ cup of lard (bacon drippings or solid shortening such as Crisco can suffice)
6 diced carrots
6 sliced celery ribs
1 tablespoon minced parsley
2 to 3 springs of FRESH thyme
1 bottle of good red wine
2 beef marrow bones
2 quarts of beef stock
Now take your roast and cut a pattern of incisions across the top every couple of inches… each incision should be deep enough and long enough to fit a slice of salt pork. Combine half of the garlic and 1 cup of the finely minced onion, ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Place an even amount into each slit you made in the roast. Then press the salt pork into these slits and tie it down so that the roast is as even as possible for even cooking.
You will need a pot that is deep enough and broad enough to hold the roast, but also allows room to spare for all the braising and liquid. First you will melt the lard over medium heat and then place the roast in and brown it all the way around, make sure the salt pork remains inside the roast! Add all the remaining seasonings and vegetables to the pot and cook them until the onions are limp. Then add the wine and enough HOT beef stock to nearly cover the beef. Next come the bones then cover the pot and let it simmer for 4 hours until the beef is nice and VERY tender.
Remove the beef from the pot onto another dish that will hold the dripping sauces. Raise the heat of the pot until the liquid is hard. This should be done with the pot uncovered for about 45 minutes. While boiling down the gravy, baste the roast so it doesn’t dry out!
By now the beef should be ready to fall apart (if cooked properly), but do your best to slice it as thinly as possible, putting these pieces into a separate serving dish. Strain the gravy and season it to taste with salt, freshly ground pepper and throw in some cayenne pepper if you’re brave!
Lastly, pour the gravy over the beef… the result should be a sloppy, beautiful, beefy mess!
I cannot emphasize this enough… you MUST… I repeat… MUST serve them on CRISP… CRUSTED… FRENCH bread. Then dress your Po Boys with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mayonnaise and whatever else is to your liking. You can also mix a little horseradish in with the mayonnaise to give it an extra kick of flavor!
