One of America's Favorites - Beef on Weck

A traditional beef on weck

A beef on weck is a sandwich found primarily in Western New York. It is made with roast beef on a kummelweck roll. The meat on the sandwich is traditionally served rare, thin cut, with the top bun getting a dip au jus. Accompaniments include horseradish, a dill pickle spear, and french fries.

The kummelweck roll gives the sandwich its name and a distinctive taste. A kummelweck (sometimes pronounced "kimmelweck" or "kümmelweck") is topped with kosher salt and caraway seeds. Kümmel is the German word for caraway, and weck means "roll" in the south-western German dialects of the Baden and Swabia areas (northern Germans generally say Brötchen), although the kind of weck used for this sandwich in America tends to be much softer and fluffier than a standard German Kümmelbrötchen or Kümmelweck. The sandwich has been introduced to new areas of the United States with population movement. In Austria, a similar type of small white-bread is known as Kümmelweckerl (diminutive from Wecken, which refers to a whole big bread, i.e. Brotwecken)




The origin and history of the beef on weck sandwich is not well established. It is believed that a German baker named William Wahr, who is thought to have emigrated from the Black Forest region of Germany, created the kummelweck roll while living in Buffalo, New York. A local pub owner is said to have used the roll to create the beef on weck, with the thought that the salty top of the roll would make his patrons purchase more drinks.




A typical beef on weck is made from slow-roasted rare roast beef that is hand carved in thin slices to provide about 1⁄2 inch (13 mm) of meat on the bottom half of the roll. The cut face of the top half of the roll may be dipped in the jus from the roast. Prepared horseradish is usually provided for the diner to spread on the top half of the roll to taste. The traditional side dishes for a beef on weck are french fries and a kosher dill pickle spear.




The beef on weck has long been popular regionally, and has gained a following in other areas of the United States where it has been introduced. Expatriates from Western New York have taken the dish and brought it to other areas after relocating. It has also been featured by chefs on cooking shows including the PBS special Sandwiches That You Will Like. Bobby Flay, Anthony Bourdain and other chefs have featured the beef on weck, or a variant, on their television programs.

The American restaurant chain Buffalo Wild Wings was started by former residents of the Western New York area and the original name of the restaurant was "Buffalo Wild Wings and Weck" or as "BW3", the third W referring to weck. The chain no longer serves weck outside of the Western New York area and no longer uses the original name, but some still refer to the company with the extra "W" in its abbreviation.






Beef on Weck Sandwich - Beef on Weck Sandwich Recipe:

I came across this recipe for Beef on Weck off one of my favorite sites What's Cooking America.   http://whatscookingamerica.net/

Some people consider Beef on Weck (thinly sliced slow-roasted rare roast beef piled as high as 6 inches) on a freshly baked kummelweck roll, the Best Roast Beef Sandwich in America. Also called Beef on Wick, an alternative spelling usually used by older people from Buffalo and eastern suburbanites.

This sandwich is a tradition and a staple of Buffalo, New York, as it is Buffalo's signature sandwich. The key to a good Beef on Weck is freshness and freshly-carved beef! In Buffalo, the beef must be on the rare side, preferably carved right off the bone and served on a salty kimmelweck roll. In fact, it is this roll that makes the sandwich unique. Few, if any, restaurants outside the Buffalo area serve this sandwich or even know what it is.


Beef on Weck Sandwich - Beef on Weck Sandwich Recipe:

Yields: 8 sandwiches
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 minutes


Ingredients:

1 (3- to 4-pounds) beef roast (tenderloin, Prime Rib, or eye of round)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and coarsely-ground black pepper
Cornstarch Glaze (see recipe below)
8 Kimmelweck or Kaiser rolls*
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
2 tablespoons coarse salt**
Prepared horseradish

* Kimmelweck roll is a salty roll that is similar to a Kaiser roll.

** Rock salt (like the kind used for pretzels) is the preferred salt used in Buffalo. If you can’t get this, any salt with granules larger than table salt will do. I used coarse salt.


Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Rub roast with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place roast on rack in a shallow baking pan, tucking the thin end under to make it as thick as the rest of the roast. Bake, uncovered, 40 to 45 minutes or until thermometer registers 130 to 135 degrees F. Remove from oven and transfer to a cutting board; let stand 15 minutes before carving. Reserve meat juice, and carve meat into very thin slices (as thin as you can slice).

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Brush the prepared Cornstarch Glaze on the top of each kimmelweck or Kaiser roll; sprinkle equal amounts of caraway seeds and heat in the oven for 3 minutes or until tops of the rolls get crusty and the caraway seeds and salt begin to stick. Remove from oven and cut each roll in half lengthwise.

To assemble sandwiches, divide sliced beef on the bottom half of each roll, spoon with reserved beef juice, and top with the top half of each roll. Serve with horseradish on the side.

Makes 8 sandwiches.


Cornstarch Glaze:
1/2 cup cold water
1 tablespoon cornstarch

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together water and cornstarch. Heat mixture to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low, and stir until mixture thickens and is translucent. Remove from heat and let cool.


http://whatscookingamerica.net/Sandwich/BeefOnWeck.htm