Cream Chipped Beef

[squeaker]

CREAM CHIPPED BEEF
2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP flour
finely chopped onion to taste
2 c milk
1-4oz pkg Buding Beef (The beef that is like 70 cents a pack...I dry it myself in the oven at 200 since dried beef is more expensive)
Salt and garlic pepper seasoning
Cayenne pepper to taste

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth and heat until bubbly. Gradually, stir in milk and continue stirring to keep from getting lumpy. The mixture-which is white sauce-will gradually thicken. Add the chipped beef (separate and cut into thin strips) and keep over low heat about 5 minutes. Salt and pepper as desired. Serve over toast, biscuits, mashed potato or baked potato.

 

[GrillingFool]

My all time most favorite breakfast when I was a kid.
Mom didn't make it very often, and when she did, I always
wished she would just plop the skillet and loaf of toast in front
of me and get out of the way.

Sighhh, always had to share.

 

[sattie]

Yep GF... me too! Dad use to make this on Sunday mornings! Love it! Still have not been able to replicate the magic he did with it!

 

[justplainbill]

The SOS recipe looks good. Only problem is, it seem's impossible to find the chipped beef that the military used to use.

 

[pacanis]

The SOS recipe looks good. Only problem is, it seem's impossible to find the chipped beef that the military used to use.

When they got rid of the cavalry they no longer had to find a use for spent horses.....
OK, that was bad

I've gotta remember to pick up some canned beef next time I'm in the store. I'm sure I would love SOS.

 

[Constance]

I use the chipped beef that comes in a jar...I believe the brand is Armour. But the Carl Budding is good, too. I just think it's a little saltier.

 

[David Cottrell]

Military style SOS was just browned hamburger used for the beef in creamed beef.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Military style SOS was just browned hamburger used for the beef in creamed beef.

During WW II, Korea and at aleast as recently as the Vietnam era ... SOS/creamed chipped beef was made with sliced dried beef that came in a couple of different commercial kitchen sized cans. Hamburger would have required refrigeration ... the dried beef didn't.

Dad used to get cans of the dried beef at the base, and I've eaten it at mess at Tinker AFB (Midwest City, OK), Turner AFB (Albany, GA), NAS Dallas (TX), NAS Millington (TN), NAS Jacksonville (FL) and when we were on our training cruse on the USS Lexington (CVS-16). Basically - 1955-1970. I never had it made with hamburger in the military.

Now, Mom did sometimes make it with hamburger, onions and green peas when we didn't have any dried beef - but she wasn't a military cook.

justplainbill - the Armour sliced dried beef is as close as I can remember to the "original" flavor. It's been a few years ... but it's not cheap these days.

squeaker - Albertson's also had their own brand (Good Day?) that was cheaper than Carl Buding (usually 2/$1 but often on sale for 4/$1) and actually tasted a little closer to the Armour dried beef. Although not "politically correct" - if you want something a little spicier you can try the packages of pastrami.

I have to admit - I ate so much of this stuff when I was growing up that whenever we had it for breakfast when I was in the Navy - it was comfort food.

 

[Dove]

[Michael,
You said "we were on our training cruse on the USS Lexington (CVS-16). Basically - 1955-1970."
Didn't the Lexington get hit or go down at Pearl Harbor> Then you were on the second ship?[/B]

 

[Dove]

Battle of the Coral Sea

Main article: Battle of the Coral Sea

Lexington burning during the Battle of the Coral Sea
Confirmed direct hits sustained by Lexington during the battle

On 7 May, search planes reported contact with an enemy carrier task force. Lexington's air group sank the light carrier Shōhō. Later that day, 12 bombers and 15 torpedo planes from still-unlocated heavy carriers Shōkaku and Zuikaku were intercepted by fighter groups from Lexington and Yorktown, which shot down nine enemy aircraft.

On the morning of the 8th, a Lexington plane located the Shōkaku group; a strike was immediately launched from the American carriers, and the Japanese carrier was heavily damaged. However, enemy planes penetrated the American defenses at 11:00, and 20 minutes later Lexington was struck by a torpedo to port. Seconds later, a second torpedo hit her portside directly abeam the bridge. At the same time, she took three bomb hits from enemy dive bombers, producing a 7 degree list to port and several raging fires. By 13:00, skilled damage control had brought the fires under control and restored her to an even keel; making 25 knots (29 mph/46 km/h), she was ready to recover her air group. Then suddenly Lexington was shaken by a tremendous explosion, caused by the ignition of gasoline vapors below, and again fire raged out of control. At 15:58, Captain Frederick Carl Sherman, fearing for the safety of men working below, secured salvage operations, and ordered all hands to the flight deck. At 17:01, he ordered "abandon ship" and the orderly disembarkation began. Men going over the side into the warm water were almost immediately picked up by nearby cruisers and destroyers. Admiral Aubrey Wray Fitch and his staff transferred to the cruiser Minneapolis; Captain Sherman and his executive officer, Commander Morton T. Seligman ensured all their men were safe, then were the last to leave.

Lexington blazed on, flames shooting hundreds of feet into the air. To prevent enemy capture, Destroyer Phelps closed to 1,500 yards (1,400 m) and fired two torpedoes into her hull; with one last heavy explosion, Lexington sank at 19:56, in [show location on an interactive map] 15°20′S 155°30′E / -15.333, 155.5.

[edit] Honors

Lexington received two battle stars for her World War II service.

In June 1942, five days after the Navy's public acknowledgement of the sinking, workers at the Quincy shipyard where the ship was built twenty-one years earlier cabled Navy Secretary Frank Knox and proposed a change in the name of a carrier currently under construction there to the USS Lexington (from the USS Cabot).[4] Knox agreed to the proposal, and by September 23, 1942 the fifth Lexington (CV-16) was launched.

My best girlfriend in Jr High and High Schools Dad was aboard her and was killed.

 

[Michael in FtW]

LOL - Dove - the reference to 1955-1970 was to the years that I had eaten creamed chipped beef on toast on military bases - either where Dad had been stationed or where later on I was stationed. In 1955 I was only 8-years old!

Yes, I had the honor to train and serve on the Lex commisioned in 1943 (CV-16). The Lex you are talking about was her predecessor designated CV-2. When I was on her, she was designated CVS-16 and assigned to the Atlantic Fleet as a training ship.

 

[David Cottrell]

Interesting military history and thank you Michael for your service. As a Regular Army volunteer in 1962 I was sent to the Third Armored Cavalry in Germany for my tour of duty. My brain may be going but for the life of me I remember eating a lot of creamed beef made with hamburger. I surely think I did - actually I liked it. I hope I haven't slipped that much - could be! Anyway at home growing up the real deal chipped beef was a treat and in that my memory is very clear.

 

[marigeorge]

I make chipped beef once in awhile for dinner....put it over boiled, fork mashed potatoes, oh....now I am making myself hungry!

 

[justplainbill]

Interesting military history and thank you Michael for your service. As a Regular Army volunteer in 1962 I was sent to the Third Armored Cavalry in Germany for my tour of duty. My brain may be going but for the life of me I remember eating a lot of creamed beef made with hamburger. I surely think I did - actually I liked it. I hope I haven't slipped that much - could be! Anyway at home growing up the real deal chipped beef was a treat and in that my memory is very clear.

My recollection was that the meat actually looked like small chips. However below is a somewhat recent (pre 9/11/01) version of Uncle Sam's recipe:

 

[letscook]

I haven't chip beef in years -- I use to love when i was a kid. now I am going to have to make it.

It makes me think of another one my mom would make.
white sauce, can tuna, peas and hard boiled eggs cut in half (like for deviled eggs)
take a biscuit place 2 halfs on it and spoon over the white/tuna/peas. Use to love that one also.

 

[BreezyCooking]

"Creamed Chipped Beef On Toast" - another "blast from the past".

Way back when I was a little sprout, my dad used to get paid once a month, & we always knew when the end of the pay period was approaching because instead of steak & roasts we were eating "Chipped Beef On Toast" among other budget dishes. Personally, I loved mom's cooking (unless she was making liver - lol!), regardless of what it was. Both she & my dad were/are terrific cooks, & I thank them profusely for bringing me up trying new things. Can't even begin to say how sorry I feel for those folks brought up so limited foodwise that they're too frightened to eat anything new unless it's coated in ketchup - lol!!

 

[mikki]

I just made SOS the other night. I don't care for it, but hubby and kids love it.

 

[AuntieV]

I just bought a couple jars of dried beef when I did my last shopping run.

My fond memories of SOS are around a campfire over boiled spuds. This was one of the standard meals for our camping trips. Mom always boiled a whole bag of spuds before we left for our camping trip. We had them fried for breakfast and diced up for dinner with something dumped over them.

At home we made it with real milk but on camping trips it was either canned milk, powdered milk or Cream of Mushroom Soup. It is also great over leftover biscuits.

Guess what we will be having for dinner.

 

[justplainbill]

Only probemo is that it's more than a bit high in the sodium department.

 

[Dove]

I use to fix SOS for Paul. We liked the hamburger better. Even if the C.Beef was rinsed it was too salty.
and yes. the military did use hamburger also.