This smoked pit beef sandwich is a hearty char-grilled eye of round roast sliced thin and drenched in a rich gorgonzola smokehouse cheese sauce with sliced onions and an airy bun for that perfect bite every time.

Charcoal Grilled Smoked Pit Beef Sandwich with Fries

It started with the roast, or maybe leftover smoked prime rib….

Pause… Iit actually started in a little roadside shop in Maryland, where pit beef stakes its claim to fame.

Unlike a low and slow cook, where the beef shreds for killer bbq sandwiches, this roast only cooks until it reaches medium-rare and then is pulled off the heat to be shaved thin.

It doesn’t have the heavy smoke flavor of barbecue and is served wrapped in foil with a peppery horseradish sauce and thin shaved onion. I’m pretty sure there’s some major chain that claims to have the beef, but if you want a true sandwich, it starts in industrial pockets of hard-working Americana Maryland.

For those of us who can’t pop in off Rt. 40 for a foil-wrapped sandwich, here’s one to level up your game at home.

Ingredients to Make Smoked Pit Beef Sandwich

What you need:

Slow-smoked roast beef is where you want to start for this recipe – here is my base recipe I use every time for charcoal grilled roast beef. It’s rubbed in a horseradish herb crust and is smoked to just 125 and then allow it to cool. It’s a great start for this recipe and the perfect way to use up leftovers.

You’ll also need some gorgonzola (splurge on the smoky one for more intense flavor), another melty cheese, like Monterey Jack, heavy cream, White Tux Spice Blend, GirlCarnivore Ooomami Blend, mayo, onion, and soft buns.

Special tools are a deli slicer – if not a well-sharpened knife will do the trick and aluminum foil for steaming the meat.

Juicy, Smokey Beef Sandwich

Making Pit Beef Sandwiches at home:

The trick to good pit beef at home is shaving the beef thin and still keeping everything hot. I like to cool my roast entirely, and then shave off just what I need. The cool temp keeps the meat from becoming soft while slicing.

After the beef is shaved, use steam to bring it back to heat while keeping everything moist.

While the beef steams, a quick aioli is whipped up with a pinch of umami and horseradish.

Lastly, the cheese sauce comes to life – by simmering just a bit of cream enough to stir the crumbly gorgonzola into with extra spices to drown the sandwich in.

All before topping with a thin slice of onion.

TL;DR – Pit Beef, it’s delicious and not that complicated. Promise. Meat, cheese sauce, good bread. Bam.

Soft Bun Smokey Pit Beef Sandwich severed with Fries and Dip

Campfire Foil Wrapped Pit Beef Sandwiches:

We love campfire cooking, and this sandwich is a perfect recipe to bring on your next camp trip. Simply make the sandwich as direct, wrapping in foil and heating over indirect heat on your camp grill.

To make the cheese sauce, use the same instructions below on your camp stove or over the campfire in a small cast iron or other fire-safe sauce pan, whisking until melted and creamy over indirect heat or over medium-low on your camp stove.

Want more bold recipe inspiration? Try some of my favorite recipes

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Pit Beef Sandwiches with Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce

5 from 1 vote
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Servings: 4
pit beef sandwich on plate with fries and a beer
Smoked beef shaved thin piled on top of a soft bun with an ooomami based mayo and drenched in a peppery sauce of gorgonzola and horseradish.

Recommended Equipment

  • Deli slicer

Ingredients  

For the Pit Beef Sandwich

For the Ooomami Mayo

For the Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce

Instructions 

Shave the Beef

  • Using a deli slicer, shave the beef as thin as is safely possible.
    sliced beef on a baking tray

Steam the Beef

  • Preheat the oven to 300 degrees
  • Divide the beef into 4 equal portions and wrap in foil.
  • Pour the stock evenly into each packet.
  • Place the packets on a baking sheet and put in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the beef is piping hot.

Make the Ooomami Mayo

  • Meanwhile, make the mayo by whisking the mayo, GirlCarnivore Ooomami blend, and horseradish in a bowl until thoroughly combined.
    whipped mayo, girl carnivore ooomami, and horseradish in bowl

Make the Cheese Sauce

  • In a pan over medium-low heat, whisk the cream with the gorgonzola and Monterey jack cheese.
    gorgonzola cheese sauce ingredients in a pan
  • Add in the Ooomami and White Tux spice blends and whisk until thoroughly combined.
  • Allow the sauce to thicken over low heat, 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and whisk in the chives.

Assemble the Pit Beef Sandwich

  • Slather the buns with the Ooomami Mayo.
  • Top each bun with 1 packet of the foil wrapped heated beef.
  • Add sliced onions on top and drizzle with cheese sauce.
  • Top with remaining bun half and serve immediately.

Notes

This recipe uses leftover shaved beef for the best results. I do not recommend deli beef for this recipe. 
You can substitute blue cheese for gorgonzola if you prefer or omit it altogether and replace with a less fragrant melting cheese if desired. 
If you don’t have a deli slicer at home, chill the beef and use a well-sharpened knife for the best chance at super thin slices. 

To Make Foil Wrapped Pit Beef Sandwiches for Camping:

Follow the instructions to make these sandwiches, wrapping them in foil and cooking them over your campfire grate on the cooler side of a dual zone fire. until heated through. This recipe would also work in an RV oven. 
For the cheese sauce, use a cast iron or other camping pan to whisk the cheese sauce over indirect heat to prevent scorching or over a camp stove set to medium low. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 913kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 60g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 171mg | Sodium: 3176mg | Potassium: 704mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1160IU | Vitamin C: 54mg | Calcium: 1034mg | Iron: 18mg
Course: Main Course, sandwich
Cuisine: American
Author: Kita Roberts

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Well, Hey, Y’all.

Kita is a multi-talented individual, boasting numerous accomplishments such as being an award-winning recipe developer, world-traveled professional photographer, and journalist. As the lead creative force behind Girl Carnivore®, she is widely recognized as an authority on all things meat.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Totally awesome recipe. We used a grass-fed sirloin tip roast we marinated and grilled to have as a roast beef dinner, then a few days later we shaved the beef on our slicer, warmed it up in some of my beef bone broth, topped on toasted buns with some caramelized onions, the gorgonzola/pepper jack cheese sauce, and fresh chive from the garden. OMG!! BEST Pit Beef Sandwiches ever!