Parasol's Style Roast Beef Po Boy

This is our favorite po'boy by far. The beef is so very tender and the gravy is tasty. I ended up doubling the gravy because I had a larger piece of beef than the original recipe called for.


I found the original recipe at the Nola Cuisine blog. Someday we hope to return to New Orleans and eat the real thing at Parasol's!

Makes: 6-8 sandwiches
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 3-4 1/2 hours
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2-3 loaves French bread
• Mayonnaise
• 2 large tomatoes, sliced
• Shredded iceburg lettuce
• Dill pickle slices
• Beef and gravy (see below)

1. Split bread horizontally and into sandwich sized buns. Slather both insides with plenty of mayonnaise.

2. Top bottom halves of the bread with plenty of the beef and gravy mixture. Add lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles.

For the beef:

• 3 lb beef bottom round

1. Bring enough water to cover the beef to a boil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the beef and return to a strong boil. Continue cooking for 1 1/2 - 3 hours or until the beef is very tender. If you want to use sliced beef on your sandwiches do not let the beef cook until it starts to fall apart. If you prefer chopped beef, let the beef cook until falling apart.

2. Remove beef from liquid and wrap in foil. Place in refrigerator until cooled. Reserve the liquid for the gravy, below.

For the gravy:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 T garlic powder
• 2 t fresh ground black pepper
• 4 t Salt
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 t Kitchen Bouquet (I found it near the BBQ sauces in the store)
• 6 cups broth from the beef (plus more, if needed)

1. Place 6 cups of the broth in a pot and bring to a boil.

2. Whisk together the flour, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt in a bowl. Add in the oil and kitchen bouquet and mix well. Add to the boiling broth and whisk together.

3. Reduce mixture to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more beef liquid if the gravy gets too thick. Do not worry if the gravy tastes a little salty. The beef was not seasoned, so the extra salt in the gravy is needed.

4. Preheat oven to 350 F.

5. Slice cold beef as thin as possible. Place in a large baking dish and cover with gravy. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour or until hot. (You can also put the meat and gravy in a large pot and heat there. It's a little quicker. Just make sure you check if you need to add more liquid. You don't want the gravy to get too thick).