Roast beef like Arby's

[AllenOK]

I used to work for Arby's, for a year, before I went to college for Culinary Arts. While I like the sandwiches, let me tell you, it's not exactly what you think it is.

The beef comes in frozen, raw, and is basically a "forcemeat". Think a giant, finely processed meatball (or a quenelle), with small chunks of beef mixed in to simulate the grain of a good roast. These are slowly thawed over 3 days to avoid water loss. They are slow-roasted for about 6 hours to achieve the best flavor.

I wouldn't know about fillers, and other seasonings/flavorings. I can tell you that yes, there is obviously a lot of salt in there, as I can taste it, and it's so salty, in fact, that I can't finish a "Big Montana" (8 oz roast beef sandwich).

 

[tiggerbengal]

Regardless of what it is, I still like it .. I like the giant sandwich with homestyle fries. I dip the fries in the arby sauce since I'm not big on ketchup.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Arby's uses inside round that has been brined in a solution of water, sodium chloride...
...For me, slow-cooking a good roast over a divided bed of charcoal, with some good hardwood thrown in, and regular salt and coarse grind pepper produce a far superior flavor. I have an inexpesive rotary meat slicer that cuts pretty thin. But I can do as well, though more slowly with my chef's knife.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

Boy did I ever goof here. One of my boys used to work at
Arby's. I should have known it was a pressed meat product. :?

It does have sodium nitrite to preserve its color, and lots of salt. As for fillers, and flavorings, I just don't know. Sorry for the misinformation.

I still stand by home smoked beef, such as inside round, top sirloin, etc. It tastes better, is healthier, and less expensive. The downside is that most people don't have a rotary slicer to get those paper-thin slices. I have a small one that will make slices just right for sandwiches. I just cut my cooked roast into sandwich sized chunks and slice. Sometimes I use my knife, just to stay in practice. But you need a kife with a straight grind to do it well. Hollow gound knives tend to cut unevenly, unless you have a lot of practice with them, and even then...

Oh, and even though spam isn't the greatest stuff in the world, it is made from real meat, albeit with too much fat and salt. It was a method devised for cooking a ham in a can, for servicemen during the world war years. It was fast, cheap, and could process a lot of meat in a hurry. Yet, it's still edible. And since little was know about nutrition back then, was considered a good source of protien. It was the soldiers "fast food".

I understand that the food is much better now. I wouldn't know as I was in the Navy and had a mess hall to eat at for every meal. It had to be better than sitting in a fox-hole eating from a can in the rain.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North