As part of our Louisiana Whatcha Want Wednesday request, this particular recipe tickled Naomi’s fancy because of the name – through a LOT of trial and error, we’ve determined that the closest thing you’ll find this side of heaven to the original, real, shattering crust Leidenheimer bread is our sourdough bread, made with our very specific instructions.

You can use fried shrimp or other shellfish if you want (we highly suggest using our seasoned flour for that!) and make your own Po Boys, but here at Better Batter we think Naomi’s version of roast beef with ‘debris’ is best! Make it dressed (with mayo and maybe some lettuce) or not, as per your preference – and bring a lot of napkins! Plan to make this well in advance of your meal, unless you really like being stressed by baking both bread AND roast beef at the same time.

1 beef chuck roast or shoulder roast, about 6-7 pounds, room temperature
1/4 pound salt pork or slab bacon, sliced into 1/4-inch round/rectangular batons (you can use rendered beef fat if you prefer)
6 to 8 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespooon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne (use less if you wish)
1/4 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp sweet paprika

1/4 c Better Batter Gluten Free Seasoned Flour

1/4 cup lard, bacon drippings or solid shortening (e.g., Crisco)

3 cups minced onion
6 carrots, very finely diced
6 ribs celery, very finely chopped
2 red bell peppers, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1 bottle dry red wine
1-2 lb thick beef marrow bones
2 quarts extra rich gf beef stock or water(made with bouillion, double strength), hot but not boiling

Slice 1/4 inch thick slits all along the flesh of your chuck roast, cutting all the way down the the cutting board. Mix up the salt, pepper, spices and garlic and shove this into the slits. Force the salt pork, slab bacon batons, or suet into the slits. Dust the surface with the seasoned flour and allow to sit for at least 5 minutes.

Meanwhile in a very large, very heavy dutch oven heat your lard, bacon drippings, or fat until almost smoking hot. Brown the meat until crisp and very well done (with a crust) on JUST the surfaces, about 3 minutes per side. Set aside and lower the heat to medium.

Sautee the onion, carrots, celery and bell peppers until soft. Add the parsley. Set the meat on top of the vegetables.

Pour wine onto the meat, and add enough stock to cover completely. Bring to a boil, then immediately cover and lower the heat to simmer.

Simmer for 5 hours or up to overnight.

Remove meat from broth and set to side, allowing to cool for at least 5 minutes. Bring broth/sauce to a boil. Allow to reduce by boiling for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile shred/slice beef thinly and set aside covered to keep warm, using extra broth as necessary to keep moist – any tiny shreds of meat and other ‘debris’ should be slid back into the broth while it’s boiling. Once the broth is reduced, add the meat.

To serve: slice open a baguette (we recommend our Leidenheimer clone), slather on some mayo and tomato/lettuce/etc if you wish, and pile on about 1/2 pound or more of the meat mixture. Enjoy immediately.