Creamed chipped beef was savored as ‘stew on a shingle’

Following up on the breakfast preferences of former U.S. presidents, “creamed chip beef” was a menu favorite of First Lady Florence Harding. She loved to rise early and cook for husband President Warren G. Harding during their time together in the White House from 1921-23.

 

A column by Fran DeWine (wife of Ohio’s governor Mike DeWine) that appeared in the Xenia (Ohio) Gazette, indicated that the Hardings loved to eat waffles smothered with “creamed dried beef gravy.”

 

“This is something I remember my mother making when I was a young girl,” Fran DeWine wrote. “She said it was a favorite recipe during World War II. The dried beef was all rolled up in a little glass jar. You can still buy it that way, or Buddig dried beef can be found in the refrigerated meat section.”

 

Chipped beef and dried beef are basically the same product – beef that is pressed, salted, dried and sliced into thin strips. Some makers smoke their dried beef for more flavor. Butchers use a specific portion of the round, the name for the cow’s hindquarters. Other terms for this section are sirloin tip, round tip and tip center. This part of the cow’s body gets a lot of exercise; the meat is extra lean and packed with flavor.

Chipped beef with a creamy milk gravy served over toast was a favorite dish of the Pennsylvania Dutch families who settled in Lancaster, County, Pa., near the Susquehanna River. The dish became standard fare on menus of many of the diners located throughout the region.

 

Settlers who traveled west along the Overland Trail through the Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming territories, beginning in the 1820s, were known to pack dried beef in their covered wagons, for it provided an incredible source of protein and was an easy meal to prepare over a campfire.

The dish first appeared in the “1910 Manual for Army Cooks.” Stewed chipped beef with a creamy sauce on toast was commonly served to U.S. service members from World War I through Vietnam, because it was economical, flavorful and fortifying. GIs fondly referred to the meal as “SOS or stew on a shingle.”

 

Southern Living magazine editors also recommend the flavor and texture of Buddig beef, manufactured by Carl Buddig and Company since 1943. The family business, located in Homewood, Ill., south of Chicago, has recently welcomed members of its fourth generation into key leadership positions.

Other well-respected dried beef brands include ESSKAY of Baltimore, Md., and Knauss Foods of Quakertown, Pa.

German immigrant William Schluderberg founded his meat packing company in 1858, and he joined forces with T. J. Kurdle Co. in 1919. From the first letters of their surnames (S and K), ESSKAY evolved. 

The Knauss dried beef story began in 1902 when Edward W. Knauss started a small meat market operation specializing in slowly cured and smoked meats in Quakertown.

Among the specialty brands, sample the beef products of S. Clyde Weaver Inc. of East Petersburg, Pa., near Lancaster. Founded in 1920 by S. Clyde and Emma Weaver, the business is now in the capable hands of the fourth generation of Weavers.

 

The creamy, gravy-like white sauce is quite simple to prepare, with just three ingredients – butter, flour and whole milk. Spare the trouble, though, by purchasing cans of Patterson’s Daybreak Chipped Beef Gravy.

It’s a product that originated in Sanford, N.C., at Patterson’s Packing Co., which was established after World War II. Since 2010, the company has been a part of Boone Brands, which continues to be based in Sanford.

Here are selected comments offered by readers of Southern Living magazine: 

“Chipped beef is also often served on bagels, English muffins, biscuits, home fries, rice, mashed potato and in casserole.” (See the two photos below.)

 

“My Grandmother added 3 boiled eggs into the sauce with the dried beef. The eggs counteracted the salt from the beef. With the eggs it was a complete meal. And it was and still is a favorite dish for breakfast or supper.”

 

“There are plenty of variations on the classic recipe. A common addition is diced, sautéed onion, but you can also add other vegetables like peas or corn.”

 

“From the frozen food section, we always go with Stouffer’s.”

 

“To reduce the level of saltiness in a dish containing dried beef, rinse or soak first. After rinsing, be sure to dry the beef off before you add it to recipes, so it won’t be soggy and make for a watery dip or gravy.”

“Sauté the chopped beef in the butter, it’s much better that way – it adds so much flavor.”

“For the sauce, freshly ground black pepper is the only seasoning needed. However, if you want to add a bit more spice, a pinch of cayenne pepper and garlic powder works wonders. For more zing, add some Worcestershire sauce.”