'Better Than Arby's' Beef And Cheddar Sandwich Recipe

Arby's has a lot of surprising sandwich choices, but none as uniquely delicious as the classic Beef and Cheddar. Ranked as the best sandwich on the menu, the sandwich consists of shaved roast beef, gooey cheddar cheese, and a sauce Arby's calls Red Ranch, all piled onto an onion roll. It's stunningly simple, yet completely unique, and an item that you'd be hard-pressed to find on any other fast-food menu. It's basically an elevated version of the Classic Roast Beef, which in itself is a strong contender for the best fast-food sandwich.

Though nothing beats the convenience of fast food, it's also true that everything is better and fresher when made from scratch. Making the Arby's Beef and Cheddar sandwich at home is easier than it sounds: Most of the recipe happens in the oven, and once roasted, the beef is sliced and served with a quick and easy cheese sauce and a ketchup-based sauce that comes together while the beef cooks. The Red Ranch, which is less like a ranch and more like a salad dressing or barbecue sauce, adds a tangy flavor that complements the beef and ties together the rich elements of the stacked sandwich. Developed with Michelle McGlinn, this Arby's Beef and Cheddar dupe is a great way to turn roast beef into a hearty, filling dinner without leaving the house.

You'll use a lot of spices for this recipe, so first, check your spice drawer for salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. From there, you'll also need basic ingredients like granulated sugar, butter, flour, and milk, which you likely already have on hand. You'll need around 3 pounds of beef to roast — we recommend an eye of round, but there are many cuts you can try for roast beef. You'll also need ketchup, apple cider vinegar, cheddar cheese, and a few onion rolls, which can be swapped for hamburger buns if needed.

Place the roast fat-side-up on a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack. Coat it completely in salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder. Let rest for 90 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

Pat the roast dry, then add it to the middle rack of the oven and roast it for 20 minutes.

Lower the heat to 300 F.

Roast for 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 130 F.

Remove the roast from the oven and let it cool.

Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator for 12 hours.

To slice the beef, remove it from the plastic wrap and thinly slice with a sharp knife. Reheat the beef in the microwave when ready to serve.

In the meantime, make the Red Ranch. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat.

Cook, stirring constantly, until reduced and darker in color, about 10 minutes.

Let cool, then refrigerate for 2 to 12 hours in an airtight container.

Just before serving, make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat.

Add the flour and whisk to create a roux.

Add the milk, whisking constantly, and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently until thick, about 2 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add the cheese, seasonings, salt, and pepper and stir until smooth.

To serve, first add red ranch to the bottom of an onion roll. Stack 1 cup of sliced beef on top.

Cover the beef with cheese sauce.

Top with top bun to serve.

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Without a commercial meat slicer, it can be difficult to slice the beef exactly as thin as you need it for a sandwich. The beef needs to be about as thick as a dime, so it can bend and fold into tender slices. Slicing beef this thinly requires a few tricks, starting with controlling the temperature of the beef, which is why this recipe calls for an overnight stay in the fridge. Not only does chilling the beef overnight lock in the juices, making it more tender, but it also makes it more firm and therefore easier to slice. Once chilled, place the beef on a sturdy work surface and sharpen your best chef's knife. If you aren't confident, try using a serrated knife, which will give you better leverage but less smooth slices.

When ready to slice, carefully slice away the very end of the meat on a diagonal, or against the grain. Then, place the knife as close to the cut edge as possible and angle it slightly away from the meat while slicing. This will allow you to slice as thinly as possible, so you can achieve paper-thin slices. Don't worry too much about slicing all the way through; small pieces work just as well and will be easier to eat than larger slices that are too thick.

Though making the roast beef from scratch is fairly straightforward, it still requires some advanced planning to cool, chill, and slice it properly. If you want to make this sandwich same-day, you can shortcut this by using roast beef from the deli, which is likely still made the same way. If already sliced, deli roast beef is often thinner than the Arby's version, but you can also ask the deli clerk to slice the whole roast (which is usually available in the deli case) into thicker slices — Arby's tend to be around the same thickness as a dime.

You can also shortcut the cheese. You could use Velveeta melted into a splash of milk for an easy, semi-homemade version, or you can buy pre-made. You could use queso, which may have a slight spicy flavor, or even Cheez-Whiz, which has a similar flavor but a thicker consistency. For an even simpler alternative, you can also skip using a sauce and simply top the beef with a slice of cheese. To make it melty, just add the sandwich to the oven for a few minutes until it's melted.

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