re: Looking to make an out of this world Roast Beef Poboy, need help

The things that separate a great roast beef poboy from an ordinary or bad roast beef poboy are the bread, meat and gravy. Getting the right bread is a geographic issue. You may not be able to duplicate the New Orleans standards, but you should be able to find an acceptable substitute in most urban area. This is the ingredient you have the least control over.

The choice of meat is also important. Chuck roasts are my favorite for making debris type roast beef poboys. If I am making a sliced roast beef poboy I am happy to use a nice bottom round roast as it has enough flavor for a sandwich.

The last ingredient is the gravy. The gravy must be made from the drippings, or remaining braising liquid. The gravy is where you can customize the taste of your poboy with the seasonings of your choice. Since my preference is for a thicker gravy it requires reducing and adding a thickening agent.

Master these ingredients and you will be happy with your roast beef poboys, and so will anyone you choose to feed.

Okay, listen up.

Buy a rump roast. Get the best beef stock that you can find. NO bouillon or Better than Bouillon.

Saute onions and then garlic in a cast iron pot (not pan). Enamel or dutch over or whatever.

Place your roast in the cast iron pot. Fill the pot with stock until the roast is over half covered. Add a decent amount of Worcestershire. Cover and simmer on low for a few hours. Flip the roast and let it go a few more hours.

Repeat until it literally falls apart. Pull the roast and crank the heat on the remaining juices to reduce them a bit. Not a lot.

Pull that roast and put it on the best po boy bread you can find (very lightly toasted). A lot of mayo, shredded lettuce and tomato. Top with your reduced au jus and debris if you have. You want that shite dripping down your arms.

(If you want roast beef slices, pull before it gets too tender.)

Your welcome.

This is how I do mine

3-4lb boneless beef shoulder roast
Season it however you like
Brown on all sides in a #12 black pot (cause that's my roast cooking pot)
Preheat oven to 250
Once roast is browned, add beef stock (cover 3/4 of the roast), baby carrots, & quartered onions
Cover & put in oven for 3-4 hrs, check liquid every 1.5 hours, you probably won't need to add any liquid
Take roast out & let set in a deep dish
Put pot on stove, scrape all of that goodness & boil gravy down to the consistency you like. Some people may take out the veggies & purée & add back to gravy, I don't bother because after they've been cooked that long, with enough stirring they break down
Shred roast
I like to sauté some red & yellow peppers in a little of the gravy to add to the sandwich
Slice French bread, load it up, apply peppers & cheese of choice, put under broiler
Eat

You wont be disappointed. Whatever you do, dont overdo the butter. There is plenty of fat from the roast.

The hardest part is finding good bread in our part of the state. It isnt publicly advertised but atwoods sells good crusty poboy bread that is frozen but thaws quickly and is good. Not amazing, but good. The best option is to buy day old jimmy johns bread.

That being said, do you know somewhere in cenla to buy good crusty poboy bread?