Baltimore Pit Beef Sandwiches

I recently picked up a copy of the new Cook’s Illustrated Meat Book.  This book has over 400 recipes and has a ton of detail on all aspects of buying, preparing and cooking all kinds of different cuts of meat.  One recipe that instantly caught my eye was the Baltimore Pit Beef Sandwiches.  Since the holidays were approaching and I knew we had several parities planned, I thought this one would be a great option for feeding a crowd.  Let me tell you…it did NOT disappoint!

Pit Beef

4 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp pepper
1 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 (4- to 5-pound) top sirloin roast
Kaiser rolls
1 onion, sliced

Trim off any excess fat from the top sirloin roast. Next, coat the roast with a light layer of olive oil then apply the rub evenly to all sides. Cover in an air tight container or plastic bag (or more preferable…vacuum seal it if possible…) for anywhere from 6-24 hours.

Tiger Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup prepared horseradish
1 tsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper

Whisk together all ingredients except the salt and pepper until nice and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside in the fridge until it’s time to serve the sandwiches. The sauce will good in the fridge for up to a couple days.

Set up the Grill Dome for indirect/direct cook using the Grill Dome Half Moon Rack, Half Ceramic Stone and Sear Grates. Preheat and stabilize the Dome to 250°. Cook the roast over the indirect side until an internal temp of around 100° – 110° is reached then remove the roast from the Dome and let rest uncovered.

Open up both the bottom and top vents on the Dome to get the temp cranked up to a hot grilling temp of about 500°. The Sear Grates will be hotter than 500° at this point so it will provide a nice searing environment. Place the roast on the Sear Grates and sear for 1 – 2 min per side until an internal temp of 125° – 135° is achieved (this depends on how rare you like your meat).

Let the roast rest for 5 – 10 min then slice as thinly as possible, against the grain. Slice up the onion then build out the sandwiches with onion slices, the pit beef and some of the Tiger Sauce drizzled on top. Serve and enjoy!