Pioineer Beef BBq on a Bun

Beef BBQ on a Bun

Back when my dad worked at the Iroquois Hotel during the 50’s, it was a very busy hotel and known for its good food. A lot of kitchen help was needed and a lot of the area mom’s filled the many positions as cooks and restaurant help. As the decades changed a lot of the ladies were trained to be good cooks and carried on cooking in other Galt/Preston/Hespeler restaurant kitchens. They were the one’s responsible for cooking up good fare in places like The Knotty Pine, Preston Pioneer BBQ, Moffatt’s, Breslau and numerous other dinning establishments throughout the years. They were well taught by the area chefs and soon they took over positions using their well-rehearsed recipes, which became the branded menu item for that particular restaurant. Many of the Knotty Pine recipes prepared by these ladies became the back bone items on the menu! One of my favourites was the Preston Pioneer BBQ. Back when the kitchen was on Fountain Street and they were noted for this extremely popular Beef BBQ on a Bun. Roast Beef dinners were very prevalent during these times and finding uses for the beef end pieces other than soup or hot/cold beef sandwiches. Making beef pot pies and beef bbq became cost efficient side dishes.

Thanks to the TV advertisers like Kraft Foods, Jell-O and Betty Crocker simple home recipes adding the dominant food trend item of the time, like Kraft Russian Dressing when it was introduced. This was one of the ingredients used to give the Pioneer BBQ’s, Barbequed Beef on a Bun its unique taste just like the secret ingredients KFC’s 11 herbs and spices did for the Colonel’s fried chicken.

I don’t how many times I had to make this recipe item, back when I worked as junior cook in the kitchens but it stuck in my repertoire and I still make it to-day!

This works well with very well cooked beef and when hand knife sliced and chopped becomes soft and very tasty when cooked for a few more hours in these retro ingredients. So the next time you have some left over roast beef and few moments to prepare an original Pioneer BBQ’s beef on a bun and say good bye to the boxed hamburger helper. Pick up some fresh Hamburger Buns and the needed ingredients and in 15 minutes of prep time you will have a very mouth-watering retro meal.

You will need;

1 lb. of sirloin tip roast beef roasted, sliced and chopped.

1 tbs veg oil or beef fat drippings

1 large onion chopped.

1 16 oz. can of Campbell’s Chicken Gumbo Soup or Cream of Celery

1 16 oz. can stewed tomatoes

½ cup tomato ketchup.

¼ cup Kraft Russian Dressing

¼ cup yellow mustard

2 tbs sweet relish

1 tsp beef base or Oxo cube

1 cup spring water, [not tap chemicals]

1 tsp. worchestershire sauce

1 Dash of tabasco sauce,

Grind of ground black pepper to taste.

[One hand full of fresh dried bread crumbs added if mixture needs to be thickened.]

Slow roast the beef off in a covered cooker until it is tender. Enjoy a roast beef dinner and save all the trimmings, or slice up the beef and finish cooking in the sauce.

In a thick bottom sauté pan with a lid add the oil/beef fat and set on medium heat add the onion and fry for 5 minutes mixing.

Now when adding the beef trimmings mix and stir for 10 minutes mixing the onions and the beef together till it is thoroughly heated. Add the canned tomatoes, stir, add the Campbell’s Gumbo Soup or [Cream of Celery] and stir in till well blended. Add the rest of the other ingredients and bring to a rolling simmer while giving the mixture continuous mixing to help break down the tomatoes and the beef while bringing all the flavours together nicely.

Let simmer on low mixing every 10 minutes or so for the next hour. The aroma that fills the kitchen will make your family very interested in what you have made for lunch. Grill up the buns  and serve with some baked potato fries and coleslaw.

Definitely a might tasty retro dinner.