A roast beef sandwich with a beef jus easily fits into the list of my wife and I’s favorite things to eat. The combination of the slow-smoked beef along with the jus makes them an explosion of big beefy flavor.
I am lucky enough to have a couple of tools on hand that makes them much more comfortable to cook and assemble.
- A pellet smoker along with a smoke tube. – You can use a smoke tube with a plain old grill as long as you’re familiar enough with your grill to maintain the temperature at about 225 degrees throughout the cooking time.
- Wireless meat probe. – A wireless meat probe is a critical piece of equipment for slow roasting meat in a barbecue pit. You want to open the lid as little as possible at lower and slower temperatures, so you don’t let out the heat. A standard kitchen probe will make that impossible.
- A small deli meat slicer. – You can cut the meat with a good sharp knife, but it is tough to cut it as thin and consistent as deli meat. My slicer was a birthday present from my amazing wife.
I love my kitchen gadgets.
Another tip, never ever throw away beef fat. Never.
Whenever you trim any fat off of a cut of beef, vacuum seal it and freeze it. It comes in very handy for making jus for recipes like this.
You may be tempted to add additional ingredients to this recipe, like grilled onions or peppers, but I don’t recommend it. At least not the first time you try it. It’s perfect without all the extra ingredients, you may just detract from that big beefy flavor.
I think sticking to the simple ingredients is best here. Maybe change it up for your palate next go-around.
Roast Beef Sandwich with Jus
Ingredients
Roast Beef
- 2.5 lb. eye of round roast
- 2-3 tsp. coarse Kosher salt
- 1 tbs. ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. American paprika
- 1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder
Jus
- 1/4 cup rendered beef fat - – solids discarded
- 2 tbs. all-purpose flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 tsp. coarse Kosher salt
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Sandwiches
- 16 slices provolone cheese
- 8 buns or rolls - – I prefer Mexican Torta rolls, but any bun that is soft and not too doughy is good. Oroweat Crustini rolls work well too.
- 2/3 stick unsalted butter
- 1 tsp coarse Kosher salt
Instructions
The Day Before
- Trim the beef well (silverskin and fat off of the outside), then sprinkle the Kosher salt all over and put it into a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Put in the refrigerator until the following day.
Cooking Day
- First thing in the morning, set out some butter to come to room temperature.
- Start your smoke tube (I like pecan wood in mine) and let it get going well.
- Combine all the dry ingredients for the roast beef and sprinkle it evenly all over the eye of round roast. Place in your grill with the smoke tube for an hour prior to preheating your grill.
- Insert your temperature probe into the thickest part of the beef and heat your grill to 225 degrees. Cook until the internal temperature of the beef hits 145 degrees.
- If you haven't already, render your fat until you have about 1/4 cup of liquid. Discard the solids.
- Once your meat has reached temperature, remove it from your pit and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Let rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
- As your meat rests, make your jus. Heat the rendered beef-fat over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the flour and whisk until it is fully incorporated and begins to thicken. Whisk in the beef broth, salt, and pepper. Whisk until it begins to thicken, then turn the heat down to very low so that it stays hot for serving.
- Slice the meat in your deli slicer on the thinnest setting that still allows you to have fully intact slices.
- Preheat your broiler on high. Butter all of the buns and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt. Place on a sheet pan butter side up and toast under the broiler, being careful not to burn them.
- Take your buns out of the oven and set the tops aside. Pile the bottoms with sliced meat and two slices of provolone. Place in the middle rack under the broiler long enough for the cheese to start melting, then move to the top rack and lightly toast it.
- Remove from the oven and place the buns tops on each sandwich. Serve with the jus in wide bowls on the side for dipping.
Leave a Reply