Next to Buffalo wings, Beef on Weck is probably the most loved food in and around Buffalo, New York. It is a delicious roast beef sandwich topped with prepared horseradish, and served on a kummelweck bun. Beef on Weck is a Buffalo tradition, so you can’t come here and not have one of these amazing roast beef sandwiches that are such an integral part of the Western NY food scene. Unfortunately outside of the western NY region, you will be hard pressed to find an authentic Beef on Weck sandwich.
I am so glad that I made this Buffalo classic from scratch. The tender beef is cooked to a perfect medium rare and the rolls are crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. I must say that this was one of the best roast beef sandwiches that I have ever had. For my Buffalo friends, once you try this recipe, it will become the standard that you compare all other Beef on Weck sandwiches too.
Ingredients and notes needed for Beef on Weck
- All purpose flour: You can use bread flour in this recipe. Bread flour will make the dough a little drier and you may not need the extra four 1/4 cup of flour that the recipe calls for.
- Active Dry yeast: You will need two rises if you use the active dry yeast. You can use Instant Yeast instead. If using instant yeast, it can be combined with the flour prior to mixing into the wet ingredients. Then you will only need to let the dough rise once before forming the rolls.
Recipe Instructions
To make the kummelweck rolls
The right roll is very important to making the perfect beef on weck and it is so worth making them scratch.
The right roll is very important to making the perfect beef on weck and it is so worth making them scratch.
- Combine the ingredients to make the dough.
- After the dough rises, form into eight even rolls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Brush the rolls with an egg white wash, sprinkle top of the roll with kosher salt or coarse sea salt and caraway seeds.
- Bake the rolls at 425 degrees for 5 minutes, remove them from the oven and mist with water, then return them to the oven for another 10-15 minutes.
Tips for making the rolls
- This is a wet sticky dough when you first turn it out of the bowl. As you knead the dough, add enough flour to make the dough tacky but not sticky.
- Make sure to let the bread rise for the right amount of time. You won’t be disappointed!
- Use a very sharp tipped knife to score the tops of the rolls with crescent shaped slits.
- Set your timer to 10 minutes to check the rolls for doneness. Because they bake at a high temperature they may brown quickly.
How to make the Roast Beef
- Season the beef.
- Place the beef in a roast bake and cook until the internal temperature reaches 125 degrees.
- Slice the beef as thin as possible.
Tips for making the beef
- When cooking the roast beef, use an instant read thermometer set to 125° for medium rare. This will make sure it is cooked to the optimum temperature for tender beef.
- Tent the beef and let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing it.
Assemble your Beef on Weck sandwich
- Slicing the beef thin will make it easier to eat.
- Dip your roll in the au jus sauce. It provides more beefy flavor and moistens the sandwich.
- Pile the roast beef on the bottom portion of the roll and top it with a generous amount of horseradish.
- The horseradish is one of the most important parts of the sandwich. An authentic sandwich does not use a horseradish sauce it is just prepared horseradish. Make sure it is fresh so you get the nice tangy flavor and a tingle in your nose! That’s when you know you made it right!
What to serve with this Buffalo specialty
This weck recipe is a great game day menu item. When we are watching a Buffalo Bills football game at home, we like to serve these sandwiches along side of other party favorites like, Barbecue Wings, Buffalo chicken wing dip and a platter of fresh vegetables. If you order Beef on Weck in a restaurant it will typically be served with French fries or potato chips. And it is always excellent with a nice cold beer!
FAQ
Kummelweck buns are a type of a Kaiser rolls that are topped with coarse salt and caraway seeds. They are baked in a high heat to create a dark outer crust with a distinct taste. These rolls are easy to come by in Western NY, but they are hard to find in other parts of the country. Apparently kummel means caraway and weck means roll in German.
Yes you can. If don’t have time to make the roast beef yourself, go ahead and get some rare to medium rare sliced roast beef. Be sure to ask them to give you some au jus so you can dip the bread in it.
You can use a Kaiser roll but you will miss out on the flavor experience from the kummelweck roll. If you use the Kaiser roll you can mist the top with water, sprinkle coarse salt and caraway seeds on them and bake them at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes.
Looking for other game day foods? Try one of these delicious recipes:
Oven Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings with Garlic & Parmesan
Easy Mexican Style Turkey Chili
I love to get your feedback so if you tried this Beef on Weck recipe or any other recipes on this website, please leave me a comment below. I hope you enjoy our recipes and look forward to hearing from you!
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The Best Beef on Weck Recipe!
Ingredients
Kummelweck Rolls
- 2½ tsp. Dry active yeast
- 1 cup Water warm
- 2 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
- 1 tbsp. Sugar
- ½ tbsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Honey
- 2 Egg whites large
- 3 – 3¼ cups All purpose flour + 2 teaspoons
- 1 tbsp. water
- Salt Coarse
- Caraway Seeds
Roast Beef
- 3.5 lb. Top Round Beef or Eye of Round
- 1 tsp. Salt kosher
- ¼ tsp. Black pepper
- 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp. Onion Powder
- 1 cup Beef broth or stock
- ⅓ cup Horseradish Prepared
Instructions
- Kummelweck Rolls
- Combine ¼ cup of warm water and the yeast in a small bowl. Let the yeast bloom for about 5 minutes until it is foamy.
- Mix the remaining 3/4 cups of warm water, vegetable oil, honey, sugar, ½ tsp. salt and one egg white in a large bowl, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
- Add 1 ½ cups + 1 teaspoon of flour to the bowl and mix well.
- Mix in the yeast.
- Then add in another 1 ½ cups + 1 teaspoon of flour and mix just until the flour is completely absorbed.
- Turn the dough out on to a floured surface. The dough will be very sticky.
- Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, incorporating the remaining ¼ cup of flour.
- The dough should be tacky but not sticky.
- Place the dough in a large greased bowl and cover loosely with a towel. Place in a warm spot. Allow to rise for 1 hour.
- Punch the dough down and allow to rise for 30 more minutes.
- Divide the dough into 8 even pieces.
- Form the dough into rolls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Cover the bread with a towel and allow to rise again for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425°.
- Beat the remaining egg white and 1 tbsp. of water.
- Brush the rolls with the egg white mixture.
- Using a very sharp knife, start in the center of the roll and cut 4 crescent shaped slits on the top of the rolls.
- Sprinkle with the coarse salt and caraway seeds
- Place the rolls in the oven and bake for 5 minutes.
- Remove the rolls from the oven and sprinkle or spray with water.
- Return the rolls to the oven and bake for another 15 – 20 minutes or until the rolls are nice and brown.
- Remove the rolls and allow to cool on a rack.
Roast Beef
- Preheat the oven to 450°.
- Combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder together and sprinkle on all sides of the beef.
- Place the beef on a rack in a roasting pan and roast for 15 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325° and continue to roast until the internal temperature of the beef registers 125°-130° for medium rare.
- Remove the beef from the oven and tent. Allow the beef to rest for 15 minutes.
- Place the beef on a cutting board and using a sharp carving knife cut into thin slices.
- Add the beef stock and any pan juices to a small sauce pan and heat through. Salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble the Beef on Weck
- Slice the roll in half. Using tongs to grab the roll, dip the inside of both pieces of the roll in the au jus. You can also spoon the au jus on both portions of the roll.
- Pile the sliced roast beef on the bottom of the roll.
- Spread horseradish on the beef or on the inside of the top portion of the roll. Place the top of the roll on the beef and dig in!
