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Sauce for roast beef sandwiches

Roast Beef Sandwich (Arbys copycat)

We wanted a classic Arby's roast beef sandwich cooked at home. Our version of Arbys sauce, "A" Sauce is perfect.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
acclimate time 1 hour
Total Time 6 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 4 sandwiches
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

For the beef
  • 2 - 3 lb. Beef roast Eye of round, rump roast, any lean cut of beef roast
  • 1 Tablespoon class beef rub We used Oakridge Black Ops beef rub
  • 2 tsp John Henry's Pecan Rub
  • 10-12 oz Dr. Pepper
For the "A" sauce
  • 1 cup Simply Heinz Ketchup make sure it has NO fructose sugar on the ingredient list
  • 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 8 Tbsp water
  • 3/4 tsp Franks Red Hot Sauce
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 4 Tbsp Dixie Crystals Light Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Equipment

  • Ceramic smoker

Method
 

For the "A" sauce
  1. Place all ingredients in a small saucepan. Stir to combine. Place over very low heat. Stirring occasionally, heat until just about to simmer. Do NOT allow it to boil. Once heated through, turn the heat off and allow to cool completely. It will keep in an air-tight container for about 4-5 days refrigerated.
For the roast beef
  1. Trim off any residual silver skin and fat from the roast.
  2. Give a liberal dusting of the Oakridge Black Ops Beef Rub
  3. Follow with a light coating of John Henry's Pecan Rub
  4. Place the roast in a disposable aluminum tray, with a small wire rack in the bottom.
  5. Pour Dr. Pepper around the edges of the roast, careful not to touch the roast, so the rub does not wash off. Do not above the rack level.
    raw beef eye round roast
  6. Allow the roast at room temperature for about an hour.
Preparing the ceramic smoker
  1. Make sure your grill grate is clean.
  2. Set up Smoker for direct grilling. We added cherry wood to our charcoal.
  3. Use Big Green Egg ceramic feet to elevate the aluminum pan. You can use wadded up foil, or a shallow, inverted pan. You want to avoid direct contact between the roast pan and the grate.
    placing pan of roast in egg
  4. Once the smoker is at 235ºF, place the pan in the smoker.
  5. Smoke the roast for 4-5 hours or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.
  6. Remove the roast from the smoker and tent with foil. Allow it to rest for 20-30 minutes.
  7. Place roast in a deli-slicer and cut, forming thin sandwich slices.
  8. Place a pile of slices on a brioche hamburger bun. Top with our "A" sauce and enjoy.