Beef and Cheddar Melt Recipe

I recently visited our local Mexican grocery store, El Rey Supermercado, not necessarily to buy groceries, or at least I thought, but to stop by and have a couple of tacos for lunch. As I devoured my tacos al pastor, I kept looking at what I had in sight in my peripheral vision. Cheeses, nuts, herbs, salsas, and a handful of other items caught my attention and made me pick up a basket and do some shopping. I always pick up avocados, limes, garlic, jalapeno and serrano chilies, as well as tomatillos and cilantro. I should also mention fresh tortillas as well, and as the tortillas are located by the butcher, I thought I would browse and see what they had to offer. I get a bit intimidated every time I purchase something from the butcher at El Rey, primarily because they are quick to speak their native language, and as I took well over ten years of Spanish, I still get a bit intimidated. But, I am always up for a challenge, so I made my way to the counter, and pointed at some very thinly sliced chuck roast. Dos libres, por favor, I said. Feeling great, I was handed the bag, said ‘gracias por todo, amigo’, and went on my merry way.

Now when I got back home, I had no idea what I was going to do with this thinly sliced beef. As I had a busy day ahead of me, I decided to quickly season it, throw in a thinly sliced onion, and let it marinate over night. The following day, I threw it in a slow cooker, and went on with my day.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb thinly sliced chuck roast
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 one inch thick slices of rustic bread
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 slices cheddar cheese
• pickles, optional

Now let me also say that I have been making my own bread recently. Jim Lahey’s “My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method” is the inspiration behind this bread making, and wow is it ever amazing. Not only is it simple to make, but it is some of the best bread I have ever made, and probably eaten. My entire family attests to that as well. So I had made a batch of bread and with that said, I knew that I was going to make sandwiches with that beef.

Mix the salt, pepper, and garlic, and sprinkle that all over the beef. Add the beef and onions to a sealable bag, and marinate the beef at least four hours or overnight. Place in a slow cooker and cook on low for eight hours. It will be fall apart fork tender when you are done.

Once the beef is cooked, use some tongs and place the beef in a bowl. Discard the juices. Pull apart with a couple of forks, taste, and season with any additional salt and pepper should you desire.

When you are ready to make the sandwiches, butter each slice of bread.

Add one slice of the buttered bread, butter side down on a preheated skillet on medium heat. Add two slices of the cheddar cheese to the top of the bread, covering the bread, then add as much shredded beef as you want. Top that with the remaining two slices of cheese, then top with the remaining slice of bread, butter side up.

Cook the sandwich for a few minutes, gently lifting to make sure you are getting that golden crust you want in a great grilled cheese sandwich. Once golden, carefully flip over, and cook on the other side. Lower the heat a bit, and if you have a sandwich press, at it to the top of the sandwich. If you do not have a sandwich press, add a heavy pot to the top, or add a bit of pressure with a spatula.

Cook another few minutes, and once that side is golden, remove it and get ready to plate.

Slice the sandwich in half, on a diagonal. Poke a few pickles with a toothpick and stack on top of the sandwich.

Food porn at its finest. The rustic bread really made this sandwich. The texture of the sandwich was awesome. The subtle crunch of the bread along with the super tender beef when bitten into and  the pull of the cheddar cheese, well, I will say no more. This sandwich rocked. Hope you enjoy!

Beef and Cheddar Melt

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 hours hrs

Total Time 8 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb thinly sliced chuck roast
• 1 medium onion thinly sliced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 one inch thick slices of rustic bread
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 slices cheddar cheese
• pickles optional

Instructions

 

• Now let me also say that I have been making my own bread recently. Jim Lahey's "My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method" is the inspiration behind this bread making, and wow is it ever amazing. Not only is it simple to make, but it is some of the best bread I have ever made, and probably eaten. My entire family attests to that as well. So I had made a batch of bread and with that said, I knew that I was going to make sandwiches with that beef.
• Marinate the beef at least four hours or overnight. Place in a slow cooker and cook on low for eight hours. It will be fall apart fork tender when you are done.
• Once the beef is cooked, use some tongs and place the beef in a bowl. Discard the juices. Pull apart with a couple of forks, taste, and season with any additional salt and pepper should you desire.
• When you are ready to make the sandwiches, butter each slice of bread.
• Add one slice of the buttered bread, butter side down on a preheated skillet on medium heat. Add two slices of the cheddar cheese to the top of the bread, covering the bread, then add as much shredded beef as you want. Top that with the remaining two slices of cheese, then top with the remaining slice of bread, butter side up.
• Cook the sandwich for a few minutes, gently lifting to make sure you are getting that golden crust you want in a great grilled cheese sandwich. Once golden, carefully flip over, and cook on the other side. Lower the heat a bit, and if you have a sandwich press, at it to the top of the sandwich. If you do not have a sandwich press, add a heavy pot to the top, or add a bit of pressure with a spatula.
• Cook another few minutes, and once that side is golden, remove it and get ready to plate.
• Slice the sandwich in half, on a diagonal. Poke a few pickles with a toothpick and stack on top of the sandwich.
• Food porn at its finest. The rustic bread really made this sandwich. The texture of the sandwich was awesome. The subtle crunch of the bread along with the super tender beef when bitten into and the pull of the cheddar cheese, well, I will say no more. This sandwich rocked. Hope you enjoy!