What Kind Of Beef Do You Need For An Arby's-Style Roast Beef Sandwich At Home?

A good fast food dupe is all about the details. Since Arby's Classic Roast Beef sandwich — and its other roast beef-based delights — features little else than thinly sliced beef piled high onto a bun, there's no denying that the meat matters. It's for this reason that selecting the best cut (and cooking it correctly) is a must when preparing any Arby's-style roast beef sandwich at home.

Aside from sharing that beef is simply seasoned and slow-roasted in a self-basting solution, not much is known about how Arby's iconic roast beef is made, leading many to speculate on which exact cut is used. While several copycat recipes suggest using pre-packaged roast beef or thinly sliced deli meat to achieve a similar taste and texture as Arby's, for an especially juicy and rosy-colored result, roast beef should be prepared from scratch. Generally, most DIY recipes suggest using the round primal, which consists of the rear and rump area. Lean and flavorful cuts such as the eye of round, top round and even the bottom round are ideal as they hold up nicely during cooking and when sliced.

For roast beef that closely mimics the aesthetics of Arby's, the meat should be tied with twine as this preserves its shape while cooking. After searing the meaty hunk for color, we recommend simmering the beef low and slow with a medley of ingredients like beef broth, butter, and spices to guarantee totally tender and tasty results that are strikingly similar to Arby's.

It's essential that the meat in any Arby's-style roast beef sandwich be sliced properly. To ensure that it retains all its juices, always let the beef rest beforehand — some even suggest chilling it so it firms up for easier slicing. In any case, we suggest using a long and sharp knife (serrated or straight) to slice the meat against the grain. To achieve Arby's melt-in-your-mouth textures, be sure shave the roast beef as thinly as possible.

An Arby's Classic Roast Beef Sandwich contains about three ounces of sliced meat. To craft something closer to Arby's Double or Half Pound Roast Beef sandwich, simply layer extra meat onto a (lightly toasted) sesame seed. While that's all it takes to assemble the sandwich, a drizzle of Arby's sauce or Horsey sauce can also elevate the sandwich. Whether you use leftover sauce packets or make them from scratch is up to you. Alternatively, you can riff on Arby's Classic Beef 'N Cheddar by introducing velvety cheese sauce or draw inspiration from the French Dip and dunk the dupe in au jus. But, that's just the start.

An Arby's-style sandwich can be customized in dozens ways. For example, substitute the bun for an onion roll or sliced rye. Otherwise, work in flavorful upgrades like grainy mustard, red pepper jelly, sauteed mushroom, or fried onions. To really elevate the dining experience, you can even serve your Arby's-style roast beef sandwich with a pile of crispy curly fries!