June's Poor Boys

That is a catchy title, right? I always thought it was spelled, Po Boys. Whatever the case may be, I am going to share a recipe with you that my mother-in-law used to make for her family.

Sadly, my mother-in-law isn't with us anymore. She was diagnosed with Brain Cancer in July of 2004 - by the end of October the same year, she was gone. She is missed dearly by all who knew and loved her. 

Patricia June Crowder, 1943-2004

When I married my husband in February of 2000, he raved about "Poor Boys" a great deal. Having no clue what he was referring to, I took the bait and waited for the day he cooked his mom's Poor Boy Sandwiches from her recipe. 

In case you do not know what a Poor Boy Sandwich is, let me give you the definition of a one. It is a large oval sandwich filled with a range of simple but substantial ingredients. In other words, whatever you want to put on the sandwich. 

One weekend, my husband decided it was time to make these infamous Poor Boy Sandwiches. He grabbed a pen and a piece of paper to write down all the ingredients he needed to buy when he went to the store. Well, I take that back.... when I went to the store! 

With the list in my hand, I went grocery shopping for the following items: 

5 - 10 lb. Roast (beef)

Minced Onions

Garlic Powder

Italian Seasoning (the spice)

Brown Gravy Mix (3 packages)

Hoagie Buns

Upon my return from the grocery store, I saw the crockpot out on the cabinet. My husband was going to cook the Poor Boys in that! Now, remember, I have no idea what a Poor Boy was at this point. At that moment, I knew we were NOT going to be eating these Poor Boys anytime soon. It takes time to cook a roast, especially in a crockpot. tick-tock, tick-tock. Is it time to eat yet? tick-tock, tick-tock...

Something that comes to mind when I think about cooking in a crockpot is my mom's pot roasts. She would cook one in the crockpot every Saturday night. Mom used to cook her roasts for at least 10 hours in the crockpot. Before we left for church on Sunday morning, she would add the potatoes and the carrots. Talk about the aroma filling the house. It smelled delicious all night long! I could not wait to take my first bite of mom's pot roast after church on Sunday afternoons. Now I am hungry! 

Anyway, I will save that recipe for another time. I just had to reminisce for a moment when I started writing this post. 

Back to the recipe for today, "June's Poor Boys". 

Removing all the items from the grocery bags, my husband began gathering up the rest of the items he needed. (i.e. measuring cups, measuring spoons, a glass of cold water, and a spoon for stirring). I watched with great excitement as he began preparing the meal for the next day. 

He plugged the crockpot in and tested it to make sure it was working. (Have you ever put things in a crockpot before work - knowing it is going to cook, only to come home and learn that the crockpot did not work?) I have so regardless if it is a new crockpot or not, I always check to make sure it is going to get hot before I do anything else. 

DIRECTIONS: 

Fill the crockpot 1/2 way with water. Stir 3 packages of gravy mix in a glass of cold water until it completely dissolves. Place all the ingredients in the crockpot; cook all day until meat falls apart. 

BUILDING YOUR POOR BOY SANDWICH: 

Using a Hoagie Bun, slightly open it. Be careful NOT to break it completely apart though.  Fill the Hoagie Bun with as much roast mixture you want. 

(Let me interject right here though unless you drain the roast - there will be a great deal of juice when you spoon this onto your bread. I do not like soggy bread - so I drain as much juice as possible, so the bread does not get soaked. On the other side of this though, my husband loves the bread when it has soaked up all the juices from the meat mixture. So, whether you like your bread dry or soggy - that is going to be a personal preference). 

CONDIMENTS AND EXTRAS: 

These are not necessary, but you might want to have them on hand just in case. You can add other things to your liking as well. 

*Cheese (any variety and sliced)

*Banana Peppers or Pepperoncini (whole or in rings)

*Tomatoes (sliced or diced)

*Lettuce (chopped)

*Sweet or Red onions (thinly sliced)

*Olives (sliced)

*Pickles 

*Avocado (sliced)

*Red or Green Cabbage (chopped) 

*Bean Sprouts

*Mustard

*Mayonnaise

*Ketchup

*Ranch Dressing

Are your taste buds watering now? Ready to make Poor Boy Sandwiches? If so, grab all your ingredients needed, get the crockpot out, and start cooking this delicious and easy meal all in one pot. 

RECIPE: 

5 - 10 lbs. of beef roast

1 bottle of minced onions (found on the Spice aisle)

1 tsp. garlic powder (found on the Spice aisle)

1/2 bottle of Italian seasoning (found on the Spice aisle)

3 pkgs. brown gravy mix

DIRECTIONS: 

Fill the crockpot 1/2 way with water. Stir 3 packages of gravy mix in a glass of cold water until it completely dissolves. Place all the ingredients in the crockpot; cook all day until meat falls apart. 

I will close with this. Poor Boys are particularly good on a cold, chilly day - but honestly, they are good any day! 

If you try this recipe, drop me a comment and let me know what you think of it. 

Enjoy! 

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