| Roast Beef Southern Style In Lousiana and South Mississippi a favorite sandwich is the Po Boy. This is a French baguette filled with a variety of good things like shrimp, catfish, fried softshell crab, etc. One of the most favored fillings is roast beef. This isn't any old roast beef. This is slow cooked pot roast, swimming in savory gravy. I use it as filling for Po Boys but it is also nice served with mashed potatoes or over rice. If you want to make Po Boys, use a high quality baguette, dress with mustard and mayo, fresh lettuce, sliced tomato, and swiss cheese. Start with a large roast, 2-3 kilograms. Salt and pepper the roast heavily and dust with flour. Heat a black iron skillet or very heavy saucepan (must have lid) on medium-high flame. Add about 1/4 cup oil (not olive oil, it can't take high heat). When the oil is so hot that it is smoking, brown the roast on all sides, about 4 minutes each side. Add enough water to just cover the roast. Add two sliced onions, two tablespoons minced or sliced garlic, 3-4 bay leaves, a heaping teaspoon of black pepper, and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt. Turn heat down to lowest setting. Put lid on pan and simmer for two to three hours. The roast is done when the meat is so tender that it flakes away with a fork. Remove bay leaves. Shred roast apart with fork. If necessary, thicken gravy with flour premixed in cold water. Note: You cannot just put the roast on simmer and leave for three hours. Water escapes as steam and must be replaced. Check roast every half hour. Replace lost water as necessary. If you don't do this you will burn the roast. |
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