Baltimore BBQ at Chap’s Pit Beef
Maryland is a state I always associated with crabs. I never knew Maryland had its own style of barbecue. Pit beef is a fairly new form of smoked roast beef that originated in the Baltimore area. Fun Diego Family had its first experience with pit beef at the legendary Chap’s Pit Beef.
WEBSITE: https://chapspitbeef.com/
Pit beef is a smoked meat, but it reminds me more of the roast beef I used to get from places like Roy Rogers or Arby’s. Traditionally it is bottom round cooked over an open pit of charcoal. According to this article from the Washington Post, at Chaps they like to refer to it as pit beef, not barbecue (the Chap’s website still calls it Baltimore style BBQ).
I grew up fairly near Baltimore (Philadelphia and Washington, DC). However, I had never heard of pit beef. This is because it is similar to Nashville hot chicken. Nashville hot chicken only became popular in recent years, long after I lived in Nashville. Similarly, Chap’s Pit Beef did not even launch until 1987.
Pit beef seems to be catching on. Chap’s Pit Beef seems to have been featured in every major publication and food TV show of note. The company is in the process of franchising locations. Competing pit beef restaurants are opening throughout the metro Baltimore area.
Our original attention was to try the original Chap’s Pit Beef. This location is a small shack off the Pulaski Highway in a rougher neighborhood of Baltimore. It is in the parking lot of a strip club (or so I hear, we have not been there).
ORIGINAL LOCATION OUTSIDE BALTIMORE
Our plans changed because it was a cold November Sunday and pouring rain. The Baltimore Ravens were in town for a huge game and we heard about the limited outdoor seating and long lines at the original location.
Instead we decided to head about an hour west of Baltimore to the historic town of Fredrick, Maryland. In 2018, Chap’s opened this location as part of its effort to expand. There are now 4 Chap’s locations, 3 in Maryland and I in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. A fifth location is scheduled to open in Philadelphia suburb Media, PA in 2020.
The new Chap’s Pit Beef is clean and modern. The menu is actually huge and features multiple meats. In addition to pit beef, options include turkey, corned beef, ham and sausage. There are also hamburgers, chicken sandwiches and hot dogs.
Traditionally it seems pit beef is served on a sandwich. There are options to combine multiple meats into a single sandwich. We tried a regular pit beef sandwich and one that included beef, turkey and ham. I definitely would spend a few more dollars and get a specialty sub or sandwich as they are significantly larger.
Chap’s Pit Beef seems more like a fast food restaurant where you order at the counter and pick up your food. There is a full sauce and condiment bar and a Coke Freestyle machine.
There were multiple sauces, but the traditional pit beef condiment is horseradish or tiger sauce. Tiger sauce is a combination of mayo and horseradish. Raw onions are also a popular topping. I used the very spicy horseradish and raw onions.
Chap’s Pit Beef was actually way better than expected. Growing up I never found good BBQ or smoked meats north of the Carolina’s. Chap’s was really good, and I am glad I don’t live in the area as I would be here all the time.
It will be interesting to see if pit beef hits the national scene. I have watched the explosion of fish tacos from San Diego, Chicago deep dish and hot chicken from Nashville. The past few years I have gotten into Detroit pizza.
Pit beef is on my list of food trends to watch. I first read about Chap’s Pit Beef in Steven Raichlen’s 2003 BBQ USA cookbook (one of my longtime favorites and on our list of recommended cookbooks ). It took me 15 years to actually try pit beef, even as I have visited Baltimore multiple times in that period. I am converted and the next step is developing a recipe to try at home.
