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.

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.

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.

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.

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.