What Cut Of Beef You Need To Make Your Own Arby's-Style Roast Beef Sandwich

There is a difference between eating a roast beef sandwich and eating a roast beef sandwich from Arby's. Sure, you can get a solid roast beef sandwich from your local deli — or you can take the advice of the late Steve Albini and buy your own ingredients for the price of a meal from McDonald's — and have a reasonably good time. But sometimes you're after a sandwich only the big cowboy hat can give you: thinly-sliced, unnaturally pink meat, piled high on a bun and drizzled with something called "horsey sauce" despite the better judgment of everyone involved. But what if you don't live near an Arby's? You might have a bit of trouble approximating the sandwich at home, but your best bet will be seeking out something called the round primal.

So, one thing you might have heard about Arby's is that their meat comes from...shall we say, dubious provenance. There are rumors about it being some gross dehydrated gelatin substance brought to life in each kitchen, as well as rumors about Arby's serving horse meat. There isn't a lick of truth to either of these claims, and the company itself has pushed back on it to the point of airing a 13-hour commercial showing the preparation of their Smokehouse Brisket in real time. With that said, though, their meat is ground and formed into bricks, much like the lunch meat you'll find behind the counter at your local deli — meaning you won't likely be able to replicate exactly what they do.

If you look around the internet for various Arby's copycat recipes, you'll find some suggesting you just buy roast beef from the store — which will certainly work in a pinch, but it won't quite approximate that Arby's taste and texture. Others, however, suggest a cut from the round primal. What's that? It's meat from the hind leg and rump of the steer. This meat can often be quite tough and chewy, despite the fact that there isn't a whole lot of fat on it. From a certain perspective, that might seem like the worst of both worlds. But it's quite inexpensive, and if prepared right, it can be tasty in its own right.

You can get eye of round or bottom round roast beef, prepare it by searing it for flavor before simmering it in beef broth, and slice it ultra-thin, and there you go: you've got yourself a decent approximation of Arby's roast beef. Now, you'll just have to pick your favorite Arby's side option and approximate that, too; thankfully, you can buy Arby's fries frozen from your supermarket.