Pit beef facts for kids

Pit beef is a tasty dish made from roast beef cooked over a charcoal fire. It's usually made with a cut of beef called "top round," which is a lean part from the back leg of a cow. After it's cooked, the beef is sliced very thin. People often eat it on a Kaiser roll, which is a type of bread roll. It's usually served with a special sauce called "tiger sauce" (made from horseradish and mayonnaise) and slices of raw onion.

Unlike traditional barbecue, pit beef is cooked quickly at high temperatures. This means the meat stays rare (a bit pink in the middle) and has a light, smoky flavor. It's a very popular food in the area around Baltimore, Maryland.

What is Pit Beef?

Pit beef is a simple but delicious meal. The beef is cooked over hot coals, giving it a unique taste. The "pit" in its name comes from how it's cooked, often in a pit or on a grill that acts like one.

How it's Made

To make pit beef, a large piece of "top round" beef is placed over a hot charcoal fire. The high heat cooks the outside quickly, sealing in the juices. The inside stays tender and juicy.

Once cooked, the beef is sliced very thin, almost like deli meat. This makes it easy to eat and helps it soak up the flavors of the sauce.

Serving it Up

Pit beef is most often served as a sandwich. It's piled high on a Kaiser roll. A Kaiser roll is a round, crusty bread roll, often with a star shape on top.

The most common toppings are tiger sauce and raw onion slices. Tiger sauce is a creamy, tangy sauce with a bit of a kick from the horseradish. It adds a lot of flavor to the sandwich.

Where Did Pit Beef Come From?

Pit beef became well-known in the 1970s in Baltimore, Maryland. It started on the east side of the city, especially along a road called Pulaski Highway. By the 1980s, it was a very popular local food.

Baltimore's Food History

Even though pit beef is often linked to working-class areas, it has roots in Baltimore's German and Jewish food traditions.

• The Kaiser roll became popular in Baltimore because many German immigrants lived there. They brought their baking traditions with them.
• Tiger sauce was first made by a company called Tulkoff Foods. This company made kosher horseradish. The sauce was named after the founder's son, Sol Tulkoff. He was part of the 802nd Tank Destroyer Battalion during World War II.

So, pit beef is a mix of different food cultures that came together in Baltimore to create a unique and beloved dish!

Images for kids

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  A pit beef sandwich with tiger sauce

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  Station for preparing pit beef sandwiches