The Big Easy Beef Po Boys Food

GARLIC-STUFFED ROAST BEEF FOR PO'BOYS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Stuff half of the garlic into the roast. Sprinkle the roast with the salt and pepper. Put the remaining garlic in the bottom of a roasting pan. Set roast fat-side up on top of garlic and add water to the bottom of the pan.
• Bake, uncovered, until the roast reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees F. Refrigerate the roast and liquid overnight.
• The next day, skim off any fat from the top of the liquid. Heat the liquid on the stove until it reaches the desired consistency for a gravy. Thinly slice the roast and add to the gravy. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. If you like, serve the beef in French bread with mayonnaise, lettuce, dill pickle slices and tomato slices.

SLOPPY ROAST BEEF PO' BOY

Steps:

• Cut 5 slits in the roast and stuff with the garlic cloves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil. Sear the roast on all sides until a rich brown color. Add the hot water, bay leaves and bell pepper and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer until the roast is very tender, about 3 hours. During cooking, you want to make sure you keep the level of liquid that you started with. You may have to add up to another 1 1/2 cups water. Do not let the liquid cook out.
• Transfer the roast to a cutting board to rest. Discard the bay leaves and bell pepper from the pot. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, whisking, until thickened. You may need to add more flour until you reach the desired thickness of gravy. Be careful not to add too much, since it will thicken faster than you may expect. Season with salt and pepper.
• Slice the bread down the center and warm slightly in the oven. Thinly slice the roast. Spoon the gravy over the cut sides of the bread and spread with some mayonnaise. Load the bottom half with sliced beef and top with lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. Cover with the top half of the bread. Cut into 6 pieces and wrap with butcher paper or parchment paper.

THE BIG EASY BEEF PO' BOYS

Steps:

• 1. Chef's Note: This beef Po' Boy sandwich is based on some research I did over the weekend, and my interpretation of what an original Po' Boy might have tasted like way back in 1929, when it was first conceived. The Po' Boy of 1929 was a simple sandwich of beef, bread, and gravy. It came "dressed" (lettuce and tomato) or "plain." The one thing that I did discover is that the Po' Boy sandwich of today, has been elevated to the status of Sainthood. And after making this version... I agree. One of the essential parts of the Po' Boy is the bread... you must have long sticks of French bread (I found that baguettes or batards works best).
• 2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S-blade, place the onion, mushrooms, garlic, and parsley. Blend until smooth, and set aside.
• 3. Season the beef with salt and pepper.
• 4. Add the vegetable oil to a large pot, and heat over medium high, until shimmering.
• 5. Add the beef roast, and sear on all sides, and then transfer to a plate.
• 6. Add the onion mixture to the pot and then simmer over medium heat until most of the liquid evaporates.
• 7. Add the beef stock, and stir; scraping up any brown bits (fonds) that are on the bottom of the pot.
• 8. Add the liquid to your slow cooker, and then add the beef roast, and any accumulated juices.
• 9. Cook until it's fall-apart tender.
• 10. Chef's Note: The temperatures on slow cookers are determined by the manufacture, and they do vary between models. My model, on high, took about 7 hours to get to the tenderness I wanted.
• 11. Tradition dictates that the roast should be so tender that it will fall apart with a hard stare.
• 12. Take a French roll (freshly baked would be excellent), and cut in half lengthwise.
• 13. Spread the mayonnaise on the bottom of the rolls, and then add a generous portion of the shredded beef.
• 14. Use a ladle to add some of the au jus to the beef.
• 15. Chef's Note: The more au just you add the soggier the bread will be... I like mine REALLY soggy.
• 16. Lay some sliced pickles on top.
• 17. If you're dressing your Po' Boy, add some shredded iceberg lettuce, and some thinly sliced tomatoes. Maybe a slice or two of provolone cheese (optional).
• 18. Serve them immediately, with the hot sauce on the side.
• 19. Chef's Tip: Some people like a bit more body to the au jus, and you can accomplish by the addition of a blond rue. But you will need to do this before adding the shredded beef back into the liquid. I like mine thin; like a French Dip.
• 20. Chef's Note: I like so much of the au jus that when I'm eating the sandwich, it's falling apart in my hands, and the juice is running down my arms... but I don't care.
• 21. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

THE ROAST BEEF PO'BOY (AND HOW TO MAKE ANY PO'BOY)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Cut french loaf in half lengthwise and place in oven for 4-5 minutes or until LIGHTY toasted. Spread butter on both the inside halves of toasted bread. It should melt on hot bread.
• In a sauce pan whisk the vegetable oil with the flour on med-high heat for about 5 minutes or until just lightly browned. Add your beef au jus to your roux and whisk until it thickens slightly- about 1 minute. Should only be thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon, add more stock/au jus to thin out a bit if needed.
• Toss sliced roast beef with thin gravy until evenly coated and heated through.
• Spread mayo on top inside half of buttered and toasted french loaf.
• Place dill pickles on bottom inside half of toasted buttered french loaf.
• Evenly place roasted beef on top of dill pickles with tongs.
• Add lettuce and tomato.
• You may also add american or swiss cheese and or hot sauce.
• Cut into 1/4s. Serve with kettle chips such as Zapps.
• Hint- you can make ANY poboy be it fried oyster, fried shrimp, fried catfish, grilled chicken breast, french fries, chicken parm, meatloaf, hamburger, smoked sausage you name it! Just follow the bread toasting and buttering instructions, and make sure you "dress" it with lettuce, tomato, mayo and dill pickles! You can eat it "undressed" also. It's more about the type of bread and using cajun/creole recipes of fried seafood or meats in the main filling. The traditional cheeses used are swiss, american, and provolone. Hot sauce and cocktail sauce for fried seafood. Ketchup is often used as a condiment also.