The Baltimore Pit Beef Sandwich

“Pit Beef” sounds like the name of the villain from an 80’s kick-boxing movie, but it’s actually the name of a really dank sandwich from Baltimore, Maryland. Baltimore is home to one of the more unique styles of BBQ, one that’s just about as bare bones as it gets... no Post Oak, no Hickory, just good ol’ lump charcoal, open pits and controlled heat.

In Baltimore BBQ is different. Here you won’t find racks of ribs basted in sauce or perfectly trimmed briskets smoked to perfection, no no. In Baltimore Bottom Round is king, specifically the bottom round “flat” as it’s called. The flats are lightly trimmed before getting a treatment of direct heat until evenly charred. The fat cap is then removed as the meat comes to a rare temperature (110-115F, 43-46c) then the bare side is charred again. Be sure to slice across the grain of the muscle to help manually tenderize this thing. I like it rare, but feel free to throw it back on the grill to take it to a higher temp and/or give it some extra smoke flavor.

I was fortunate enough to travel to Baltimore this summer to try a pit beef sandwich from Chap’s BBQ outside the city. This recipe is directly inspired by that experience. Let me know if you have any questions and I hope you dig! 🤘🏼 Adam

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Baltimore Pit Beef Sandwich + Kaiser Rolls

Ingredients

Tiger Sauce

• 1 cup Mayonnaise
• ⅓ cup Horseradish Root, grated
• 3 Garlic cloves, minced
• Juice of half a Lemon
• Black Pepper, to taste
• Kosher Salt, to taste

Pit Beef

• 10-12 pound Bottom Round Flat of Beef
• ½ cup Baltimore BBQ Rub
• 2 White Onions, thinly sliced
• Kosher Salt, to taste

Baltimore BBQ Rub

• 3 Tbsp Black Pepper
• 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
• 1 Tbsp Onion Powder
• 1 Tbsp Paprika
• 1 Tbsp Dried Oregano
• 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Kaiser Rolls

• ¾ cup Warm Water, 105F (180g)
• 1 ½ tsp Active Dry Yeast (5g)
• 1 ½ tsp Sugar (8g)
• 3 cups Bread Flour (360g)
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt (4g)
• 1 Whole Egg (55g)
• 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, tempered and cubed (28g)
• 4 Egg Yolks, for egg wash
• Splash of water, for egg wash
• Poppy seeds (optional)

Instructions

Tiger Sauce

1. Mix and let mellow out for 30 minutes in the fridge.

Pit Beef

1. Season the beef all over with salt, then with the Baltimore BBQ Rub.
2. Cook the beef over medium-high heat (around 400F) until blackened and evenly charred all over, about 30-45 minutes. Carefully slice most of the fat from the top of the bottom round and char the newly bare side. Cook to an internal temperature of 110F, just below rare.
3. Keep the grill hot, but remove the meat from the grill and allow it to rest on a cutting board for 15 minutes before slicing. Slice into manageable chunks, then carefully slice the beef into very thin slices.
4. If serving a crowd, portion the beef and cook each to order by throwing the sliced meat back on the grill and cooking to the specified temperature. Serve the beef on a roll (kaiser, potato, burger bun) with a dollop of Tiger Sauce and thinly sliced onions with a side of pickles.
5. If needed, cut the beef into manageably large pieces. Season and sear over hot coals (4-500F) until evenly browned and slightly charred, about 30-45 minutes.
6. Trim the fat cap off and throw onto the coals or discard. Flip and char the trimmed side until it has a nice char, 30 more minutes. Remove and allow to rest. Slice thin.
7. Cook the sliced beef to temperature (rare, mid rare, medium, etc.), season with a pinch of salt and a few cracks of pepper, and serve on a warm white burger bun.

Baltimore BBQ Rub

1. Mix all together. Store at room temperature in a sealable container.

Kaiser Rolls

1. Add yeast, sugar and water to the bowl of a stand mixer and let it activate for 5 minutes. Once bubbly, add in a whole egg, then pour over flour and salt. With the dough hook attached, run the machine on medium kneading until the dough is smooth. Begin dropping in the butter little by little, waiting to add more until each piece is fully incorporated into the dough. Once the butter is fully worked in and the dough passes the window test, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 1 hour or until roughly doubled in size.
2. Transfer the dough onto a clean work surface and divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Use the tips of your fingers to roll the pieces into log shapes, then roll them out into strips about a foot long. Lightly dust the dough with flour, then tie it forming a knot in the middle. Curl the dough around the knot and feed the end of the roll up through the middle of the roll. Place each roll on a sil-pat lined sheet tray.
3. Mix the egg yolks together with a splash of water and brush each kaiser roll once with egg wash. Let sit uncovered for roughly 1 hour or until doubled in size.
4. Preheat the oven to 425F. Coat the rolls with a second layer of egg wash, then sprinkle each with poppy seeds. Bake the rolls for 15 minutes or until perfectly golden brown and plump.
5. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Do not store in the fridge immediately or the rolls will dry out, instead once cooled, store at room temperature in a plastic bag.

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