Do you have any recipes from your childhood that you still crave? Chipped beef on toast is on of those recipes for me. I know it’s not fancy nor is it good for me but I still absolutely love it.  My mom and dad made it for us often while we were growing up and it has always been one of my very favorite breakfasts. Since it’s not good for any of us, I only make this recipe once a year, usually for my birthday. This year, I made it today, to celebrate my dad’s 80th birthday. I wish he could have been here to eat it with us, but he was happy I made it in his honor. It tasted amazing like usual and we all gobbled it up . The only thing that would have made this breakfast better, is if I was eating it with my dad.
Rinse the slices of dried beef really well – they are VERY salty! Once you have rinsed well, pat dry with a paper towel. Chop the beef into small bite sized pieces. Set aside.
Heat the butter in the a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and pinch of cayenne pepper to the melted butter and whisk until well combined and cooked through, about 45 seconds.
Very slowly add the milk while whisking continually. Once the milk has all been added, add the cut dried beef. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until thickened. Taste and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, if needed. Serve on top of dry toast immediately. Enjoy.
Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast (S.O.S.)
Ingredients
- 1 jar of dried beef slices rinsed well & chopped
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 tbsp flour
- Pinch of cayenne
- 2 cups milk
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
- Bread toasted
Instructions
- Rinse the slices of dried beef really well - they are VERY salty! Once you have rinsed well, pat dry with a paper towel.
- Chop the beef into small bite sized pieces. Set aside.
- Heat the butter in the a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the flour and pinch of cayenne pepper to the melted butter and whisk until well combined and cooked through, about 45 seconds.
- Very slowly add the milk while whisking continually.
- Once the milk has all been added, add the cut dried beef.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until thickened.
- Taste and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, if needed.
- Serve on top of dry toast immediately. Enjoy.
It looks like a quick and delicious lunch!
We frizzled the beef, cooking it in butter then adding the flour. We also added sliced hard boiled eggs.
Looks delicious Pam. We get a craving and make it every once in a while – probably less than your once/year. My mom made it when we were kids but Dad wasn’t a fan as he said he ate it almost every day while serving in WWII.
My father referred to this by the name you infer via the initials. I like it, too, but have never made it; I didn’t know about the jars of dried beef. Now you have me wanting chipped beef!
i haven’t had this since college, and it was always a favorite then. when it came up on the weekly menu, we were always among the first people in the cafeteria! i suppose i should try to make it from scratch, maybe relive those days a little! 🙂
Ah army food elevated to gourmet level. Your version looks delicious.
My mom always served it on soda crackers (probably out of bread til shopping day)Love this stuff. Another cracker topper was an American cheese sauce with tons of sliced green olives. Yum.
I have always loved this stuff, I didn’t know the derogatory name (SOS) until I got older.
I saw this a while back and brought back memories growing up, we had it a lot when I was a child. Made me hungary for it and made it and served it with homemade biscuits. It tasted so good and my husband loved it. It is a very inexpensive meal and delicious.
I make mine with Carl Buddig sliced cored beef. It’s less salty and already dry. And I add sliced hard boiled eggs. I out regular salt and use celery salt or Mrs Dash for seasoning.
I always use the Carl Buddig in the packages too. I never heard of the meat in a jar but that’s the way I grew up eating it. Sometimes mom would add chopped hard boiled eggs to stretch it even further. I had also neve r heard of using hamburger as this would have been greasy and more expensive. I still make this all the time and don’t understand why people say it’s not healthy.
SOS is this method but using ground beeef. This dried beef dish originated in S E Pennsylvania, and it it is never called SOS here.
Not certain where you live in SE PA?…..but would love to hear your knowledge on the subject……
Grew up in PA Dutch area, and called it SOS in the ’80s. Love the suggestion to add sliced eggs or peas.
Just had this discussion with my husband and parents. I’m from Lancaster County but live in the Lehigh Valley area now. SOS is known by the two versions even within an hours drive. I grew up with the c.c.beef but learned about the WWII version just yesterday. Making SOS (c.chipped beef) today for my adult son, over toast and home fries.
Great base recipe. Can’t find jars of beef, so I just go to the lunch meat section and get a package of sliced beef. I also add frozen peas(sometimes) to the cream sauce as it’s cooking. Yummm
And yes it is good on biscuits
Grew up loving this simple dish have continued cooking and serving to my kids as they grew . Now the tradition continues with them. Me, I have this 3 sometimes 4 times a year.
It is also delicious over mashed potatoes !
Years ago ( 1930 and later) when my Mother and Dad butchered a beef they always knew which part of the beef would be cured into dry beef. We had Dried Beef sandwiches on home made rye bread.
I love this version. It came out perfect! Our favorite is over toast and home fries with onions then topped with dippy eggs. Not as healthy as some! But we love it!
Follow the recipe directions, but, add Worcestershire sauce to your taste (not much). My mom added it and us five boys loved it!
My Dad would always cook this meal on my birthday because it was my favorite! My dad’s version is very similar but he also always added diced up hard boiled eggs and peas . He would serve it over toast or potatoes (he would cut up potatoes and boil them but wouldn’t mash them, to add texture )
My dad used to make this on special Sundays, and as a child I never wanted to touch it. As an adult, I LOVED it. My dad’s recipe had a few extras, like a jar of capers and a “touch” of alcohol….bourbon maybe? I wish someone had his recipe, but alas, he never wrote it down because he made it differently each time.
Jan 24, 2019– My mom made this when I was growing up. Its a very simple dish, filling and easy to make. Its good over toast, or for something more healthy, serve over …