The Godfather Sandwich Ground Beef Poboy Recipes

THE GODFATHER SANDWICH (GROUND BEEF PO'BOY)

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 425 F and place a sheet of aluminum foil on a rimmed baking sheet.
• In a large skillet, cook the ground beef, seasoned with salt and ground pepper, over medium heat until browned.
• Drain the oil from your jar of olive mix and pour all the olives into your ground beef. Cook another 3-5 minutes until heated through. Set aside.
• Cut your loaf of bread in half, horizontally, and hollow out each side.
• Line each half with 4 slices of provolone cheese, pressing the cheese into the hollowed-out bread.
• Fill each half of the bread with as much of the ground beef filling as you can, then press the two halves together.

ROAST BEEF PO-BOY SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Cut a pattern of incisions across the top of the roast every couple of inches, each long and deep enough to hold a slice of salt pork. Combine half the garlic, 1 cup of the onion (mince this finely), and 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper, and push this mixture into the slits you've made for the salt pork. Press salt pork into the beef and tie it securely, trying to make the shape of the roast as even as possible for even cooking.
• In a pot broad and deep enough to hold the roast with room to spare for all the braising liquid, melt the lard over medium heat. Brown the roast well all around, keeping the salt pork inside. Add all remaining seasonings, carrots, celery, parsley and thyme to the pot, cooking until the onions are limp. Add wine and enough hot beef stock or water to nearly cover beef. Add bones. Cover pot and simmer 4 hours, until beef is very tender.
• Remove beef from pot to another dish that will hold dripping juices. Raise heat under liquid and boil hard, uncovered, 45 minutes. While boiling down the gravy, baste the roast so it doesn't dry out.
• Remove salt pork strips from beef and slice it as best you can (it will fall into chunks and shreds; the smaller you shred it, the more it'll be like the legendary "debris"), putting the pieces into a separate serving or storage dish. Strain the gravy, season it to taste with salt, freshly ground pepper and optionally a small pinch or two of cayenne and pour it over the beef. There should be about a quart of gravy. The resulting mixture should be sloppy, luscious and profoundly beefy.
• Serve on fresh, crisp crusted New Orleans-style French bread -- average po-boy size is at least nine inches. Make sure the French bread (a good baguette will do) is not chewy. The bread must be crispy on the outside and light on the inside. Serve your roast beef po-boys dressed (with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, etc.) or with nuttin' on it, but "mynez" (mayonnaise, that is) really is a must. I like mixing plenty of horseradish into my mayonnaise, by the way. Optionally, you could serve this as a plate lunch or dinner with vegetables and potatoes as well.

THE BIG EASY BEEF PO' BOYS

Steps:

• 1. Chef's Note: This beef Po' Boy sandwich is based on some research I did over the weekend, and my interpretation of what an original Po' Boy might have tasted like way back in 1929, when it was first conceived. The Po' Boy of 1929 was a simple sandwich of beef, bread, and gravy. It came "dressed" (lettuce and tomato) or "plain." The one thing that I did discover is that the Po' Boy sandwich of today, has been elevated to the status of Sainthood. And after making this version... I agree. One of the essential parts of the Po' Boy is the bread... you must have long sticks of French bread (I found that baguettes or batards works best).
• 2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S-blade, place the onion, mushrooms, garlic, and parsley. Blend until smooth, and set aside.
• 3. Season the beef with salt and pepper.
• 4. Add the vegetable oil to a large pot, and heat over medium high, until shimmering.
• 5. Add the beef roast, and sear on all sides, and then transfer to a plate.
• 6. Add the onion mixture to the pot and then simmer over medium heat until most of the liquid evaporates.
• 7. Add the beef stock, and stir; scraping up any brown bits (fonds) that are on the bottom of the pot.
• 8. Add the liquid to your slow cooker, and then add the beef roast, and any accumulated juices.
• 9. Cook until it's fall-apart tender.
• 10. Chef's Note: The temperatures on slow cookers are determined by the manufacture, and they do vary between models. My model, on high, took about 7 hours to get to the tenderness I wanted.
• 11. Tradition dictates that the roast should be so tender that it will fall apart with a hard stare.
• 12. Take a French roll (freshly baked would be excellent), and cut in half lengthwise.
• 13. Spread the mayonnaise on the bottom of the rolls, and then add a generous portion of the shredded beef.
• 14. Use a ladle to add some of the au jus to the beef.
• 15. Chef's Note: The more au just you add the soggier the bread will be... I like mine REALLY soggy.
• 16. Lay some sliced pickles on top.
• 17. If you're dressing your Po' Boy, add some shredded iceberg lettuce, and some thinly sliced tomatoes. Maybe a slice or two of provolone cheese (optional).
• 18. Serve them immediately, with the hot sauce on the side.
• 19. Chef's Tip: Some people like a bit more body to the au jus, and you can accomplish by the addition of a blond rue. But you will need to do this before adding the shredded beef back into the liquid. I like mine thin; like a French Dip.
• 20. Chef's Note: I like so much of the au jus that when I'm eating the sandwich, it's falling apart in my hands, and the juice is running down my arms... but I don't care.
• 21. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

PARASOL'S ROAST BEEF PO' BOY SANDWICH

Steps:

• 1. Trim the beef of any excess fat and cut into large chunks. Place the beef into a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 1 hour or so. Remove the meat and place it into the fridge, reserving the broth.
• 2. In a separate pot, bring 4 cups of the broth to a boil. Whisk in the flour a little bit at a time until well blended and no lumps remain. Next whisk in the garlic powder, salt, pepper, oil and Kitchen Bouquet until well blended. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook the gravy for about 20 minutes. Add more salt, and pepper if necessary.
• 3. Preheat the oven to 350°F Slice the cold beef into very very thin slices and against the grain if you can. Place the beef slices in a baking pan and cover with the gravy. Cook for 30 to 45 minutes or until the beef is so tender it just falls apart. Keep the oven on.
• 4. To make the Po' Boys, line both side of the bread with mayonnaise and Creole mustard. Then pile on the beef / gravy mixture, then the lettuce, then the tomatoes (maybe a little salt and pepper) Flip the top piece of the bread on and put the whole thing into the oven for just a couple of minutes or until the bread is a bit crispy and toasty.