Arby's, just how is their roast beef made?
About twice a year I get a craving for a roast beef sandwich from Arby's, which makes me wonder, just what is in that roast beef loaf they use to shave the meat for their sandwiches and how is it made? is it then pressed or formed together somehow? Does anyone know how they do this? Is it then roasted or ............ ???
cheri
Aug 23, 2007 08:17PM
I don't think it's pressed...or maybe sort of. I always thought it was cured like a ham, which then allows it to be sliced like paper.
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What is curing exactly? I have seen cured and uncured pepperoni and was wondering then, and also now that you mention it in relation to Arby's roast beef.
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I think inuksuk hit upon it. When I mean cured, I mean with salt and sugar like the average supermarket ham or coldcut...not a real smoked/cured ham.
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This article on Snopes.com will not completely answer your question but might allay the worst of your fears. Arby's roast beef is not made from some sort of meat-flavoured congealed gel. I think, just my own guess mind you, that Arby's beef is just cheap round roast that has been tenderized with papain (or something) to its peculiar, almost gelatinous texture. http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient...
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About 15 to 20 years ago you would in to Arby's and see actual beef roasts that they roasted in ovens on site. When you ordered a sandwich, someone would slice it off the roast in front to you and make the sandwich. Obviously that has changed!
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i don't get that. why would people accept a change like that?
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Because many people value cost more than quality.
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...and Arby's seems to "butter" (or is it margarine) their buns and it gives you that extra taste of fat. It's also a good change from a burger.
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the way the beef was processed then, is the way it's processed now, emphasis on processed.
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I worked at Arby's 20-odd years ago, and it might have appeared to be a "roast", and yes they were sliced after cooked, but I remember seeing what those things looked like when they came out of the packaging before they were cooked. They looked like processed meat that had been formed into a roast, not a real beef roast.
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I too worked at Arby's many years ago and for a very short period of time . . . but I recall the pre-cooked roast beef looked similar to a loaf of liverwurst, hardly solid and entirely unappetizing. That being said, I never minded the flavor of the beef once cooked.
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From the Arby's website, under "printable ingredients list"
Roast Beef:
Trimmed Boneless Beef Chunks (Minimum 70%) Combined With Chopped Beef For a Maximum of 12% Fat. Contains up to 9.0% of a Self-Basting Solution of Water, Salt, Sodium Phosphate.
But heck, it tastes pretty good, especially on an onion roll.
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When you can get 4 for $5, do you really want to know??
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Exactly. Roast beef sandwich + Arby's sauce = yum.
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I don't want to know... for the price, I'll choose to be blissfully ignorant.
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just watch the documentary about Arby's meat freezer... I believe it's called The Green Mile
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Hi, new to chowhound, but very interesting. Found the site when researching how to copycat the recipe for Arbys Beef Sandwich (and the person who referred to "Snops" WOW!!!) Ending result, SCORE!!! A recipe @recipegoldmine.com/crockpotsand/betterthanarbysroastbeef.html. Didn't have to cook 24hrs, but turned out really good and it's real beef. Shredded not shaved, but you know what's in it. Even had leftover packets of Arbys and horsey sauses! RIGHT ON!!! Good Luck
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Well, it's always been a kind of "meat loaf" concoction, and I used to REALLY like it...I'd go WAY out of my way to eat there a couple of times a year (there are none close to where we live).
Something has changed, though. A new Arby's was built about 30 miles from here last summer, so we went there.
The texture of the beef has changed form vague (which was OK with me) to revolting, now including BONUS GRISTLE BITS.
And the flavor? I suspect they changed the marinade to include a healthy splash of kerosene, if my taste buds don't deceive me.
Redstone
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