Apr 14, 2011
I LOVE Chipped Beef (we call it Chipped Beefy at our house, for whatever reason). This recipe is fine but it's missing the CRUCIAL step of rising off the dried beef in hot water before adding to the roux. You can always add more salt later, but you can't take it out! Pour some hot water over the dried beef and let it soak for a few minutes. Then, rinse the dried beef with hot water. In fact, rinse it twice! Rinse it with cold water after that, then squeeze and chop up.
To avoid lumps the easy way, add the beef to the roux after it's done browning BEFORE you add the milk!. Trust me on this. I've made this recipe since I was 10. Then, add the milk and keep stirring. I think because the beefy brings down the temperature of the roux, you avoid cooking it and it becoming lumpy before it is incorporated into the milk. (which is really the only challenge with this easy recipe)
Also, at our house, we always added a touch of Dijon Mustard at the end, which adds a note of complexity to the roux. (incidentally, the more browned the roux, the "nuttier" the flavor. just don't burn it. then it'll be bitter.)
You can always let the individual diner salt, mustard or cayenne their own slice.
Oh! And my favorite toast to serve this on is whatever is the cheapest Wonderbread-y bread that is at your grocery store.
Now I'm super hungry for some Chipped Beefy!!
—chickenvittle
