Creamed Chipped Dried Beef

This recipe is straight from my childhood.  Our dad was a military cook for a while as a young man, and we had this dish with some regularity at home.  The earliest reference I can find for it is from a 1910 Manual for Army Cooks. 
This simple recipe from "Southern Living Our Best Recipes volume 1" made me want to try it again.  In the military, my husband says it was usually served for breakfast; we ate it for light suppers.  He, like many other servicemen, actually liked it, as did I as a kid.
In our area, dried beef is a specialty at locker plants and meat markets like In’t Veld Meat Market and Ulrich’s Meat Market in Pella.  It is wonderful and very expensive.  I once tried the good stuff in cream sauce – it disintegrated.  For this recipe, you really need the dried beef in the jar.  You don’t need to add salt, and this isn’t a dish for low-sodium diets.
I didn’t use the traditional toast as I had some leftover cornbread.  We split and toasted the cornbread and served the Chipped Beef over it – delicious and a good way to make use of cornbread.  It can also be served on toasted English muffins, mashed potatoes or baking powder biscuits.
Creamed Chipped Dried Beef
  1         small jar  dried beef -- 2 1/2 ounce jar
  1         tablespoon  flour, all-purpose
  1         tablespoon  butter
  1 ½     cups  whole milk
  4         slices  bread
Put shredded beef in pan, sprinkle with flour, add butter, and slightly brown.  Add milk and stir until thick.
Meanwhile, toast bread and butter well.  Serve beef mixture on toast.
4 servings
2011 Cost:  $3.16 or 79¢ per serving for sauce only.
Per Serving: 249 Calories; 9g Fat (33.3% calories from fat); 22g Protein; 19g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 45mg Cholesterol; 2177mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 Grain (Starch); 2 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 1 1/2 Fat.

*Thanks to Seabeecook.com for the link.

5 comments:

  1. Oh boy. I use Jeff Smith's recipe for this from his "The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American." If you don't have that book, here it is:
    Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast
    3 tablespoons each, butter, chopped onion and flour
    2 cups hot milk (I heat in the microwave in a Fire King measuring cup)
    1/2 pound dried chipped beef - (I actually use just half a jar and parboil it to remove some salt)
    1/4 teaspoon paprika
    1 tablespoon dry sherry
    Tabasco (optional) but I add a couple shakes
    and of course black pepper at the table

    melt the butter and saute the onion until clear. Whisk in the flour, then the hot milk Stir until thickened, add the chipped beef and other ingredients and heat for a moment. I use this same white sauce for creamed eggs too.

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    1. Sounds like a good recipe to try. Thanks.

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  2. I usually soak the chopped up beef in water to draw out some salt, that way I can control the salt in the gravy. I also saute the onion and the chopped beef, so that it gets a few little crispy bits and caramelized before creating the cream gravy. I find it to have much better flavor throughout the gravy, since the beef flavor is then in the pan drippings for the roux.

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    Replies
    1. Sounds good, this recipe also browns the beef. It doesn't use onions, but I often do. However, this is a good recipe for those new to chipped beef.

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  3. Next time I'll try putting the chipped beef in the pan while I cook the onion.

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