I ordered a roast beef poboy from a local place (I won't name names) but it was gross. The beef was way too salty, the gravy was nasty and the bread was tough. I threw it out. Very disappointing. So, I decided to make my own the next day. Here's how I did it:
The poboy in this pic is not "dressed". That's what we call it when it has mayo, lettuce and tomato. I like my poboys dressed (especially shrimp poboys!) but I was in the mood for plain old meat and bread.
ROAST BEEF POBOYS
1 chuck tender roast (3 lbs or so)
12 small cloves of garlic or 6 big ones cut in half (I like it garlicky, you can use less)
3 TBS vegetable oil
All-purpose flour
Salt/pepper/Creole seasoning
Onion powder/garlic powder
3 TBS Worcestershire sauce
Unsalted Beef broth (2-3 cups or so)
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
Cut 12 deep slits in the roast (all over it including the underside). Stuff the garlic cloves into the slits, as far down as they'll go..
Season the roast with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder on all sides.
Season the flour with the Creole seasoning (I like Tony Chachere's).
Dredge the seasoned roast in the seasoned flour on all sides. Shake off the excess flour.
You'll need a pot with a lid that's oven-proof. Let it heat up over medium-high heat. Add 3 TBS oil. When the pot is hot, brown the roast on all sides. You want it to have a nice crust on all sides.
Once browned on all sides, remove the roast to a plate and set aside.
Now, we want to get all those brown bits off the bottom of the pot (that adds great flavor to the gravy). While it's still hot, pour about 1/4 cup of beef broth in and scrape with a wooden spoon.
Return the roast to the pot and add enough beef broth to reach about halfway up the side of the roast.
Then, add 3 TBS Worcestershire sauce. Now, taste the broth in the pot to see if it needs any seasoning. I use unsalted beef broth because I like to season it to my own taste. I usually add a little Creole seasoning at this point.
Bring it to a boil then cover it with the lid and place it in the preheated oven. Let it roast in the oven for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. This takes some time but it's easy and well worth it. You can also transfer everything to your crockpot at this point and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8-10 hours. But I find the oven works best.
Use 2 forks to shred the meat. Remove any big chunks of fat and discard. Stir the shredded meat into the warm gravy in the pot.
Serve on poboy rolls or split french bread. Spoon extra gravy over if desired.
This beef is so tender and flavorful! My old-school Italian hubby said it was a little too garlicky for him (he still ate two poboys!) but I love garlic, so I thought it was great. Feel free to use less garlic if you're not a big fan. You can also stud it with chunks of onion if you prefer. This makes a lot of shredded beef! We had leftovers that I used to make quesadillas a few nights later. Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think.
