Roast Beef Sandwich

A great cold roast beef sandwich should feature lean, thinly sliced, rosy meat piled so high on a hearty bun that you need two hands to eat it, and very little more. Yes, there are many iterations of the roast beef sandwich with specific identities that are deeply rooted to their place of origin. Los Angeles has the French Dip, Chicago has Italian Beef, Baltimore has pit beef—all of these are incredible examples of regional American warm roast beef sandwiches. But a basic cold roast beef sandwich defies regionality. It’s an all-purpose go-to sandwich to satiate your hunger. Here’s how to make the freshest, tastiest version possible at home.

The Beef

A proper roast beef sandwich starts with the beef itself, so you need to take care in choosing the cut, seasoning it well, cooking it just right, and slicing it thinly. Here are the key factors for beefy perfection.

Choosing the Right Cut of Beef: Go for Eye of Round or Top Round

The best cut of roast beef for a cold deli-style sandwich isn’t necessarily the same cut you would want when serving roast beef hot out of the oven. A hot roast demands plenty of marbling so that the rich fat can melt and baste the meat. Plus, when served hot, any pockets of fat or inner webbing of connective tissue are still melty and tender, so the meat is enjoyable to bite into and chew. But if you take that hot roast, cool it down, and slice it thin, the hardened fat and any remaining connective tissue becomes tough and unappealing. For a beef roast that’s thinly sliced and served cold, a leaner cut of beef is best, preferably one with a mineral, earthy flavor and dense fibers that retain some substance when sliced. 

To arrive at the best beefy flavor and texture for cold roast beef sandwiches, I tested a few cuts of beef. I selected roasts that come from the sirloin or the round primal cuts, because these feature heavily used muscles and therefore have little fat on them. The first roast I cooked and tasted was the eye of round, also referred to as just the eye round roast. The eye of round is the cut of choice for most store-bought deli roast beef. It comes from the upper portion of the rear leg, known as the round primal cut. The second cut was the tri-tip—the small, triangular muscle from the bottom tip of the sirloin primal. And the third cut in my testing line-up was the top round, which also comes from the rear leg. I cooked all three to a final cooking temperature of 125℉(50℃), cooled them down completely, then thinly sliced each for sampling. 

I tasted all three cuts side by side and compared their texture first. Both the eye round and the top round were lean, juicy, and had a pleasant silky texture—closest in texture to traditional cold-cut deli meat. In contrast, the tri-tip was unpleasant to eat. The marbled fat in the tri-tip had a gristly, chewy texture when eaten cold.

Next I focused on the flavor of each. Both the eye round and top round had a comparable deep beefy flavor, a similar flavor profile to traditional deli roast beef, but even more intense. The tri-tip was even more assertive in flavor than the eye round and the top round and was richer as well, but not by a large degree. This is most likely due to the tri-tip having more interior fat marbling than both round roasts.

 There was a clear difference in flavor and texture between the trip-tip and the two round roasts. Should I go with the round roasts with the preferable texture, or the tri-tip with the more assertive flavor? All three cuts had positive attributes. Ultimately I decided that either the eye round or top round were the best cuts of beef for this recipe. The large discernable difference in texture between those two cuts and the tri-tip outweighed the more nuanced difference in flavor. 

Based on my research and tasting, if these two specific cuts—eye of round and top round—aren’t available at your market or butcher, I’d suggest choosing any roast from the round that is available. Roasts cut from the sirloin, like the tested tri-tip or even a top sirloin roast, will also work well and taste great but will have a slightly chewier, tougher texture.

 My other purchase advice is to look for a round roast with a fat cap on it, and to keep that fat intact. Since top round and top round are on the lean end of the beef-cut spectrum, all exterior fat is welcome, as it will render and melt into the meat during roasting, which will enhance the beef's flavor.

Cook It Right

Before jumping right into cooking, take time to properly season and truss the roast. At minimum one hour, but preferably a day before cooking the roast, sprinkle it generously on all sides with kosher salt, then tie the roast with butcher's twine (or your butcher can do this for you when purchasing). Trussing the beef gives the roast a more even cylindrical shape which will promote even cooking of the roast from end to end. Refrigerate the roast uncovered once salted on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. The roast should be fully exposed to the air to let any moisture evaporate that has pulled to the surface—theroast should be as dry as possible from the start of cooking to promote exterior browning.

Since leaner cuts have very little collagen and connective tissue, they’re prone to dry out when cooked for an extended period of time. You want the roast to cook evenly until just medium-rare while also having a browned and flavorful outer crust. Kenji's reverse-sear method is ideal for cooking roasts to this degree. Slow-roasting meat at a very low temperature ensures that it cooks evenly from edge to edge, and it also minimizes surface moisture, thereby triggering the maillard reaction. The less moisture on the exterior of the protein, the faster the temperature will rise on contact with the hot cooking surface. For this recipe, we slow-roast the beef at just 225°F (105°C) until it registers 115°F (46°C) at its thickest point. We’re purposely undercooking the roast at this stage to account for the fact that we are going to sear the meat, which will continue cooking it, as well as the fact that the meat's temperature will continue to climb due to residual heat from the oven. After coming out of the oven, the meat gets a quick final sear in the skillet to build the flavorful brown crust. The result is roast beef that is juicy and a perfect medium-rare throughout with an attractive mahogany crust.

We’re big fans of reverse searing at Serious Eats, but I’ve also tested cooking the roast beef with the more traditional technique of searing first, then finishing it in the oven until it reaches 125℉ (50℃), and the result was also great. I’ll dare to say that you can use either cooking method for this roast beef with great results (Just don’t tell Daniel).

Let It Rest and Slice It Nice

I know I’ve just taken the time to methodically describe the process of selecting, searing, and slicing the best roast beef possible for cold sandwiches, but let’s not avoid the elephant in the room, which is the question, “If I can’t slice the meat at home as thin as I can purchase it at a deli counter, why should I even waste my time roasting it myself? Why don’t I just buy good cold-cut roast beef at my local deli?” It’s a valid question, and you can of course just start this recipe with thinly sliced cold-cut roast beef. If you do go that route, I’d still recommend following my advice below for bread and cheese selection and assembly suggestions. But I’ll argue that freshly made roast beef at home for cold sandwiches will always taste so much better than any roast beef you can buy at the deli. While you might not be able to slice the beef as paper thin as a deli slicer can, what you gain in flavor with making roast beef at home is worth the effort and the difference in texture. 

There are two main tips to slice roast beef as thin as possible at home for sandwiches. The first is to have the roast as cold as possible when slicing. The colder and firmer the roast, the easier it will be to slice. Cooling the roast for an hour is good, but refrigerating the roast for a full 24 hours is better.The second tip is to use a very sharp knife with a long and thin blade. If your blade isn’t sharp enough, I have found that using a long serrated bread knife, when used slowly and without applying too much pressure, is a surprisingly easy way to get relatively thin slices of beef.

With a cold and firm roast and a sharp blade in hand, it’s time to slice it up. Orient the roast on the carving board so that you slice against the grain. Slicing against the grain will give you clean slices instead of shredded meat. Apply firm and steady pressure when slicing and push the knife back and forth in a smooth long sweeping movement. Don’t push and slice straight down—if you do you’ll apply too much pressure and create a jagged cut. Slicing your roast will take a bit of time, but work slowly and just enjoy the repetition.

The Bread

I tested making this roast beef sandwich with eight different bread options. My least favorite breads from the lineup were soft breads like brioche, pain de mie, or supermarket white sandwich bread because they were too delicate when paired with a large amount of roast beef. On the other hand, I found firmer breads like thinly sliced rustic boule and deli rye too dry when paired with the lean beef. My favorites were the Kaiser roll and the New England bulkie roll. Both are slightly enriched breads, which means they have a moderate richness and pillowyness to them. But they’re also sturdier than thinly sliced sandwich bread and other soft breads like broiche, so they hold up well when buttered, toasted, and topped with a dense mound of beef. 

The Cheese

While it's not uncommon for a roast beef sandwich to be served without cheese, since the main ingredient here is a very lean cut of beef, the added richness from cheese adds a lot of value to the sandwich. I recommend using cheese with a mild flavor. The brawny beef should shine in this sandwich, and you don’t want a super-tangy cheese to compete with that. American cheese or a mild cheddar cheese are great options here, and just one slice per top and bottom of the bun is all this sandwich needs.

Bringing It All Together: Assembling the Perfect Roast Beef Sandwich

You could just pile the meat high on a cold bun and dive right in, but since you’ve just taken the time to lovingly slow roast and thinly slice your own fresh roast beef, I’d recommend putting more thought into assembly. Think of it like properly framing a work of art (maybe a bit over the top, but you get the point).

Take the time to butter and toast the cut sides of the rolls. This creates a sturdier toasted surface that gives way to the softer interior of the bun, followed by a cascade of satiny meat once bitten into. Toasting the bun briefly in a skillet also warms the bun just enough to slightly melt the cheese into the bun. Bonus: the softened cheese “glues” the roll and the roast beef together for a secure sandwich.

There's No Wrong Way to Sandwich: Topping Suggestions

I believe a good roast beef sandwich doesn’t need more than a couple slices of mild cheese to top it. The beef is the star, and I don’t want a bunch of toppings competing for flavor. That’s why the recipe below is presented in its most basic form. But don’t feel limited by its simplicity. Here are a couple of ways to make it your own.

Slather on your favorite sauce: I’ve listed mayonnaise as the basic condiment here, but horseradish cream sauce, Dijon mustard, or even chili crisp would be incredible here. I live in Massachusetts, just a stone’s throw away from the North Shore, where roast beef sandwiches are slathered with mayo and James River BBQ Sauce (IYKYK). The point being, you can take this basic recipe in whatever direction you prefer by adding your favorite sauce.

Add your favorite crunchy topping: The sandwich consists of a squishy bun, soft cheese, and tender beef slices, which translates to soft on soft on soft. A bit of texture from some crisp lettuce or pickles or crunchy potato chips would be welcome.

However you choose to top your sandwich, just make sure to appreciate the beef in every bite.