Copycat Arby’s Roast Beef Sandwich

A few years back I made a copycat of Arby’s Beef-n-Cheddar sandwich, one of my all-time favorites by a country mile. A commercial came on the tv a few days ago for Arby’s roast beef sandwiches, and I instantly started jonesin’ for one. As much as I loved my copycat Arby’s Beef-n-Cheddar, I wanted to take a copycat of the roast beef sandwich to a new level. The level of true copycat-ness. And here it is. Tender, tasty thin-sliced beef. Tangy Arby’s sauce. Onion buns. And of course, seasoned curly fries. It’s impossible to make enough of it because no matter what, I’m going to make it disappear.

Copycat Arby's Roast Beef Sandwich

I actually used Sriracha ketchup for making the Arby’s sauce, and left out adding any additional hot sauce. It had some kick, and wasn’t 100% a copycat of the original, but it was fantastic. In fact, I’d recommend that Arby’s make a Sriracha version of the sauce for their restaurants. It’d be a big hit, trust me.

If you’re like me and you’re kind of addicted to Arby’s sauce, I’d double the amount below. If it’s not running down your forearm when you take a big bite of this copycat Arby’s roast beef sandwich, you’re not doing it right!

Also try my copycat of Arby’s beef-n-cheddar sandwich with curly fries.

Copycat Arby's Roast Beef Sandwich
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5 from 1 vote

Copycat Arby’s Roast Beef Sandwich

Tender, tasty thin-sliced beef. Tangy Arby’s sauce. Onion buns. And of course, seasoned curly fries. It’s impossible to make enough of it because no matter what, I’m going to make it disappear.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword copycat, roast beef, sandwich
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Servings 8 sandwiches
Calories 325kcal
Author Mike

Equipment

Ingredients

For the roast beef

For the copycat Arby’s sauce

For the sandwich build

  • 8 onion buns
  • Roast beef
  • Arby’s sauce

For the curly fries

Instructions

For the roast beef

  • Place the roast beef in the bottom of a slow cooker.
  • Whisk together the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the roast beef.
  • Cover and cook on low for up to 8 hours, Stirring to get the meat in all of the liquid as it goes.

For the copycat Arby’s sauce

  • Whisk together all ingredients.
  • Pour into a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
  • Cook for 20 minutes, stirring often.
  • Store any leftover sauce (which is unlikely) in the fridge for up to a week.

For the sandwich build

  • Warm or toast the buns if desired.
  • Pile the roast beef high on the buns and serve topped with the Arby’s sauce with fries on the side.

For the curly fries

  • Bake fries per package instructions.
  • Transfer cooked fries to a large bowl.
  • Combine the remaining ingredients and sprinkle over the fries.
  • Toss gently to coat. Serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 325kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 2548mg | Potassium: 429mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 130IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 341mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Maryland-Style Pit Beef

Wow, this Maryland-style pit beef is incredible. So very flavorful. Incredibly flavorful. Easily the best tasting (smoked) roast beef I’ve ever had. A good amount of the meat disappeared while I was slicing it, that’s for sure.

This beef is so incredibly tender. I used a top round, which isn’t a cheap cut, but you could substitute a bottom round if you have to. If you want even more tender meat and great flavor, a top sirloin can also be substituted but you’re going to pay for it. I found the top round was just perfect.

Maryland-Style Pit Beef

If you ‘fear’ rare beef, do not. If you overcook this pit beef you will not have a happy day. Keep it rare and enjoy the wonderful juices and flavors.

Although I have a meat slicer, I ended up slicing this Maryland-style pit beef roast with my chef’s knife. It’s a Wusthof, and it has a lot of use on it. A lot.

Although I sharpen my knives by hand, I recently purchased a Chef’s Choice 1520 sharpener that is absolutely amazing. My knives are incredibly sharp now. The sharpener is one of the best purchases I’ve made in a long time. It only takes minutes to use, and it supports both 20 degree (European) and 15 degree (Asian) knives, which is a really nice feature to have.

Also try my grilled rib roast with gravy.

Maryland-Style Pit Beef
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Maryland-Style Pit Beef

Wow, this Maryland-style pit beef is incredible. So very flavorful. Incredibly flavorful. Easily the best tasting (smoked) roast beef I’ve ever had. A good amount of the meat disappeared while I was slicing it, that’s for sure.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword beef, sandwich
Prep Time 12 hours
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 15 hours
Servings 10
Calories 364kcal

Ingredients

For the pit beef

For the sandwiches

Instructions

For the pit beef

  • Place the beef on a large sheet of aluminum foil.
  • Combine the remaining ingredients and rub on all sides of the meat. Depending on the size of the roast you might need all of the seasoning.
  • Wrap up in foil and seal tightly.
  • Refrigerate overnight.

On the smoker

  • Fire up a smoker for cooking 225 – 250 F. Use hickory chunks or fruit wood.
  • Place beef on smoker and cook until the internal temperature reaches 135 F. For my 3 pound round, this took about 4 hours, but you should start checking yours after 3 hours depending on the size, shape, temperature conditions.
  • Remove meat from smoker and wrap in foil for at least 30 minutes before slicing against the grain.

On the grill

  • Fire up a grill for direct and indirect cooking.
  • Place beef on grill over direct heat and sear on all sides.
  • Move to indirect heat and cook until the internal temperature reaches 135 F.
  • Remove meat from grill and wrap in foil for at least 30 minutes before slicing against the grain.

For the sandwiches

  • Toast buns, if desired
  • Slather buns with the sauce.
  • Add plenty of onion then mound up the thinly-sliced beef.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 1084mg | Potassium: 569mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 63IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 14mg

Nutritional values are approximate.