I know about Baltimore Pit Beef. I was initiated to the Pit Beef scene in 1975 when I attended Towson State College, just sightly North of Baltimore city. A trip to the East side of Baltimore conducted by my older Senior roommates, led me to the discovery of this amazing roast beef sandwich along with Polack Johnny’s spicy sausages and the town’s professional baseball team the Baltimore Orioles.
This was a Pit Beef stand under a small tent, on the side, a big charcoal pit blazing away. The pit master used hardwood charcoal and the smoke and smells coming from the pit were amazing. They didn’t have a commercial slicer. Instead, the beef was hand carved expertly and then crammed high on an H&S Bakery Kaiser roll. The spicy Tiger sauce with thinly sliced onions was delicious. The Orioles lost the game that night, but I found the love of Pit Beef at first bite!
I learned how to make authentic Baltimore Pit Beef from Carl. Carl was one a fine journeyman line cook that I met in the 80s, but his passion was the charcoal grill. We were working a Pit Beef stand at a golf tournament, and he shared with me some of his preparation and cooking techniques, but until now, I’m sure he held something back. It has been my journey to discover that secret. The journey is the fun, right?
What Is Pit Beef?
Pit Beef is a Baltimore style traditional hot roast beef sandwich. Consisting of beef top round or bottom round that has been cooked quickly over hot charcoals until it is charred on the outside and rare (120 degrees F) to medium rare (130 degrees F) on the inside. The beef is lightly seasoned with a rub consisting of salt, pepper, paprika, thyme and onion powder then allowed to marinate overnight before going on a charcoal grill.
After resting, The pit beef is then sliced thinly and served on a Kaiser roll or rye bread with Tiger sauce and sliced onion. Tiger sauce is a combination of mayonnaise and horseradish sauce with each pit beef stand adding their own secret spices.
Is Pit Beef A Baltimore Thing?
Baltimore Pit Beef originated along Route 40 as it ran through Baltimore, Maryland. The 4 lane portion of the highway, known as Pulaski Highway, was home to restaurants, motels, dealerships and industry before the interstate highway system was built.
Roadside stands with charcoal grills popped up along the highway and seasonally opened (along with the snowball stand) as the traffic surged on its way to points North and East along the busy highway. After the completion of Interstate 95 in 1971, between Baltimore and Washington DC, traffic began to dry up along Route 40 and many businesses were forced to close along with the pop-up Pit Beef stands.
Pit Beef doesn’t reach the notoriety of Crab Cakes as a Baltimore thing but still comes in a very close 2nd place. You can still find Pit Beef stands through the Baltimore area and a few in the Mid-Atlantic East Coast, but surprisingly yes, Pit Beef remains a Baltimore thing.
What Is The Best Cut Of Beef For Pit Beef
Understanding that Pit Beef was a working man’s lunch, inexpensive cuts of beef were seasoned and charcoal grilled to provide a tasty and affordable meal. The best cuts of meat for authentic Baltimore Pit Beef sandwiches are bottom round of beef and top round of beef.
Top Round is a very lean cut of beef, coming from the backend of the cow. Sometimes, you may see this labeled as a London Broil in the grocery store. It has great beefy flavor and is perfectly suited to making Pit Beef sandwiches.
Bottom Round is an inexpensive cut of beef, also called a rump roast. Coming from the rear of the cow, it is a muscle that gets more work, has more connective tissue and is somewhat tougher than the top round. It is a slightly larger cut of beef than the inside round, taking a more skill and care in arriving at the perfect internal temperature. Bottom rounds also have a solid beef flavor, which makes it very suitable for Pit Beef sandwiches.
How Do You Make Baltimore Pit Beef with Tiger Sauce
For this recipe you’ll need a top round of beef, white onions, mayonnaise, sour cream, prepared horseradish, seasoned salt and pepper, and kaiser rolls. If you prefer rye bread or white bread, certainly enjoy. The Kaiser roll really holds up well under the weight of all that roast beef piled high.
Start by trimming any silver skin that has been left on the top round by the butcher.
Make a rub by mixing the seasoned salt, and black pepper. Season the roast beef all over and then wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the beef for at least 2 hours, but better overnight.
How To Make Baltimore Tiger Sauce
To make Baltimore Tiger Sauce combine mayonnaise (½ cup), with sour cream (2 tbsp). Add in prepared horseradish (¼ cup) and dry mustard (1 tsp). Finish the Tiger sauce with Seasoned Salt (¼ tsp) and freshly cracked black pepper (⅛ tsp). Refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the flavors develop.
Start a charcoal fire in your pit, creating a 2 zone fire. When the coals have ashed over, put the beef directly on the grill over the hot coals. Turn the beef as it cooks every few minutes (about 4- 5 minutes each side) until the beef has developed a good char all over. Check the beefs internal temperature.
Move the beef to the cool side of the pit and cover the grill. The pit should run between 225 and 250 degrees. If the pit is too hot, take the beef off the grill and close the lid. Adjust the dampers to cool the pit down. Then, Cook the pit beef, rotating occasionally, until the internal temperature reaches 115 degrees F. Remove the round of beef from the pit and let it rest for 20 minutes before slicing thinly. Make sure you slice against the grain to get the thinnest slices.
Serve the Baltimore Pit Beef sandwich topped with Tiger sauce and thin slices of white onion.
Quick Tips For Making Authentic Baltimore Pit Beef Sandwiches
2 Zone Fire
Building a 2 zone fire will greatly improve the quality of your finished roast beef. Pit beef is not like cooking a steak. Pit beef is also not low and slow barbecue. Steaks can be done hot and fast while Pit Beef should be cooked slowly and evenly to bring the temperature just to rare before moving the beef aside to rest. By building a 2 zone fire, you can move the beef on and off the hot part of the grill so that the beef doesn’t seize, toughen and overcook.
Toppings For Pit Beef
We espouse the virtues of authenticity in this recipe for Baltimore Pit beef, but there are many people who don’t care for horseradish or onions. Provide barbecue sauce, yellow mustard or mayonnaise and slices of pickles to the guests who may prefer alternatives to Tiger Sauce. Plain mayonnaise by itself is simply wonderful on a hot roast beef sandwich.
How To Make Pit Beef In The Oven (Cast Iron Pan Pit Beef)
No charcoal grill for pit beef, no problem. The unmistakable flavor of charcoal won’t be present, but you can still accomplish as a nicely done version of Baltimore Pit Beef by cranking up the heat on a cast iron pan and turning on the oven.
The key to this version is to reverse sear the beef. Turn your oven temperature to 250 degrees F and cook the beef until it reaches an internal temperature of 110 degrees F. Crank up a large cast iron pan to 450 degrees F. Remove the beef from the oven and then sear the exterior of the beef on all sides until a nice crust develops. Tent and rest the beef top round before slicing.
I have, occasionally, due to the weather, used the oven and the pit. First I seared the roast over a very hot charcoal fire and then moved the beef into the kitchen oven. The oven was set for 225, and I finished cooking the roast to an internal temp of 120. It’s not BBQ heresy. It’s convenient.
Make Your Own Seasoned Salt
To make your own seasoned salt combine fine sea salt (4 tbsp), white sugar (2 tsp), smoked paprika (1 tsp) turmeric (½ tsp), onion powder (½ tsp) garlic powder (½ tsp), and Cayenne (¼ tsp) optional.
For Best Pit Beef Results
Season the beef on all surface with seasoned salt and allow sitting for at least 3 hours before you start cooking it, preferably the day before. Leave the roast uncovered in a rack in the refrigerator. The salt in the mix will draw out some moisture, dissolve and then be absorbed back into the beef for a better flavor. This is a process also known as dry brining.
How To Thinly Slice Roast Beef At Home
The key to slicing thin roast beef without a commercial slicer is a very sharp knife and patience. Begin by inspecting the beef carefully. Find the way that the beef muscle grain is running. Turn the beef on the cutting board and slice the beef against the direction of the grain. Let the weight of the knife do most of the work as you make long thin slices. It helps greatly to have firm control of the beef by using a rag or carving fork to hold it securely. Check the pit beef video to see our carving in action.
Watch Champion Baltimore Pit Beef Recipe {YouTube}
Equipment
- Grill or Smoker, Oven
Ingredients
For the Pit Beef
- 3 pounds Top Round of Beef
- 2 tbsp Seasoned salt
For The Tiger Sauce
- 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp Sour cream
- 1/4 cup Prepared horseradish
- 1 tsp Mustard flour
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1 pinch Black pepper
Instructions
- Start by trimming any silver skin that has been left on the top round by the butcher.
- Season the roast beef all over with Seasoned Salt and then refrigerate the beef (uncovered) for at least 2 hours, but better overnight.
- Make Baltimore Tiger Sauce combine mayonnaise (½ cup), with sour cream (2 tbsp). Add in prepared horseradish (¼ cup) and dry mustard (1 tsp). Finish the Tiger sauce with Seasoned Salt (¼ tsp) and freshly cracked black pepper (⅛ tsp). Refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the flavors develop.
- Start a charcoal fire in your pit, creating a 2 zone fire. When the coals have ashed over, put the beef directly on the grill over the hot coals. Turn the beef as it cooks every few minutes (about 5 minutes on each side) until the beef has developed a good char all over. Check the beefs internal temperature.
- Move the beef to the cool side of the pit and cover the grill. Set the dampers to run a pit temperature of 225-250 degrees F. Cook the pit beef, rotating occasionally, until the internal temperature reaches 115-120 degrees F. Remove the round of beef from the pit and let it rest for 20 minutes before slicing thinly. Make sure you slice against the grain to get the thinnest slices
- Serve the Baltimore Pit Beef sandwich topped with Tiger sauce and thin slices of white onion.
Notes
Nutrition
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