Roast Beef Sandwiches Are 10X More Flavorful When You Add This Iconic Spicy Sauce

When you're looking to elevate the flavor of your roast beef sandwich, adding the right ingredients can make all the difference. And one of the easiest ways to dramatically spruce up your sandwich is by slathering it with the right sauce.

Louisiana-style tiger sauce is ideal for adding a sweet, tangy dimension to a roast beef sandwich while giving it a subtle boost of spice. Made with cayenne peppers, crushed red peppers, tamarind extract, oregano, cumin, and anchovies, this condiment offers a pleasant heat that cuts through the fat of slow-cooked roast beef. Just a drizzle of the gluten-free sauce can turn a basic packed lunch into a deli-worthy sandwich.

It's worth knowing that "tiger sauce" can refer to several different condiments, including a Southeast Asian sauce and various store-bought brands. Redditors speculate that this particular sauce originated in Tennessee sometime in the mid-20th century. "It's almost like sweet Thai chili sauce met a vinegary hot sauce, with a little bit of red pepper flakes and a couple of other seasonings," explains one Reddit user. In Baltimore, tiger sauce can also refer to a condiment made with horseradish and mayo that's served on pit beef — a charcoal-grilled roast beef sandwich – and the sauce's sharpness balances the richness of the sliced meat.  

If you're craving Louisiana tiger sauce but don't have any to hand, home cooks have recreated their own version of the condiment using mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, dry mustard, garlic, lemon juice, horseradish, and Worcestershire. For a custom flavor profile, store-bought tiger sauce can also be mixed with mayonnaise, with the ratio adjusted to suit your preferences.

Once you've bought or made Louisiana tiger sauce, you can add it to all sorts of dishes, from deep-fried appetizers to barbecued meats hot off the grill. Fans of the sauce say they put it on everything, from sliders to homemade bagel sandwiches. "It's definitely a staple in this house," writes one Facebook user. Judging from its online reputation, you may need to stock up on more tiger sauce than you think you'll need. The good news is that it's relatively inexpensive, and you can buy an entire gallon of sauce for less than $30. While the original tiger sauce provides a mild amount of heat to spruce up your recipes, spice lovers may also want to try the habanero-lime variant for a more fiery and complex flavor.