Lewski709
<font color=green>I like my asparagus with butter
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2003
- Messages
- 5,449
You asked for it:
The Bread
What makes a po-boy special is the bread. A po-boy isn't a po-boy unless it's made with good quality, fresh French bread. New Orleans French bread has a crunchy crust with a very light center. The loaves are about 3' in length, and are about 3-4" wide.
The Fillings
Roast beef and shrimp are the most popular fillings for a po-boy, but just about anything can be put inside a loaf of French bread and taste good. Freshness and quality are the two most important aspects of what goes inside a po-boy. Many places do an excellent hamburger or cheeseburger po-boy because they can cook the patties to order. Same goes for seafood fillings like oysters and shrimp. Roast beef and ham are a different story. The average lunch counter doesn't roast their own meat anymore, so the places that do really stand out. A good gravy can go a long way to compensate for not roasting your own meat, which is why some otherwise average places do good barbecue beef and ham po-boys.
There's really no limit to what can be made into a po-boy. Streetcar Sandwiches does a great smothered duck po-boy, for example [when they stil existed, that is]. Fried catfish is growing in popularity. The low-fat movement has prompted several places to add grilled chicken breasts to their po-boy menus, but the combination of ingredients that make a great po-boy don't lend themselves to restricted diets, so this addition to the menus hasn't been that earth-shaking.
The name "po-boy" is, of course, a shortened version of "poor boy." The name stems from the fact that a po-boy used to be a very inexpensive way to get a very solid meal. The least expensive po-boys on the menu will almost always be those with the cheapest fillings. Luncheon meat, sausage, and French fries. French fries? You betcha! A French fry po- boy with roast beef gravy is a wonderful treat. Watching guys in suits eating French fry po-boys down in the CBD may seem like a "what is wrong with this picture" scene, but you won't understand until you try one. Same for a luncheon meat po-boy with roast beef gravy. Italian and hot sausage po-boys are cheaper than roast beef or shrimp, but they're still good if the sausage is good.
Dressed, or Nuttin' on it ...
This is one of those questions than can hang up a tourist like a deer caught in the headlights. You think you've figured out whatever little place in which you're standing in line. You get to the front of the line, and you order your po-boy. The lady behind the counter asks a one word question: "Dressed?" You look at her like she's crazy. Of course you're dressed! No, silly, what about your sandwich? What do you want on it? Do you want it dressed with lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayo, or do you just want nuttin' on it? Eating a po-boy either way is proper. Some people just want roast beef, gravy, and maybe a little Creole mustard. Some want theirs dressed all the way, so that the mayo and gravy mix together and fall out of the bread in a sloppy mess. Seafood po-boys are ordered with just butter, maybe butter and ketchup, or with the full treatment. The amount of mayo usually is the key factor in just how messy your sandwich will be.
The Bread
What makes a po-boy special is the bread. A po-boy isn't a po-boy unless it's made with good quality, fresh French bread. New Orleans French bread has a crunchy crust with a very light center. The loaves are about 3' in length, and are about 3-4" wide.
The Fillings
Roast beef and shrimp are the most popular fillings for a po-boy, but just about anything can be put inside a loaf of French bread and taste good. Freshness and quality are the two most important aspects of what goes inside a po-boy. Many places do an excellent hamburger or cheeseburger po-boy because they can cook the patties to order. Same goes for seafood fillings like oysters and shrimp. Roast beef and ham are a different story. The average lunch counter doesn't roast their own meat anymore, so the places that do really stand out. A good gravy can go a long way to compensate for not roasting your own meat, which is why some otherwise average places do good barbecue beef and ham po-boys.
There's really no limit to what can be made into a po-boy. Streetcar Sandwiches does a great smothered duck po-boy, for example [when they stil existed, that is]. Fried catfish is growing in popularity. The low-fat movement has prompted several places to add grilled chicken breasts to their po-boy menus, but the combination of ingredients that make a great po-boy don't lend themselves to restricted diets, so this addition to the menus hasn't been that earth-shaking.
The name "po-boy" is, of course, a shortened version of "poor boy." The name stems from the fact that a po-boy used to be a very inexpensive way to get a very solid meal. The least expensive po-boys on the menu will almost always be those with the cheapest fillings. Luncheon meat, sausage, and French fries. French fries? You betcha! A French fry po- boy with roast beef gravy is a wonderful treat. Watching guys in suits eating French fry po-boys down in the CBD may seem like a "what is wrong with this picture" scene, but you won't understand until you try one. Same for a luncheon meat po-boy with roast beef gravy. Italian and hot sausage po-boys are cheaper than roast beef or shrimp, but they're still good if the sausage is good.
Dressed, or Nuttin' on it ...
This is one of those questions than can hang up a tourist like a deer caught in the headlights. You think you've figured out whatever little place in which you're standing in line. You get to the front of the line, and you order your po-boy. The lady behind the counter asks a one word question: "Dressed?" You look at her like she's crazy. Of course you're dressed! No, silly, what about your sandwich? What do you want on it? Do you want it dressed with lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayo, or do you just want nuttin' on it? Eating a po-boy either way is proper. Some people just want roast beef, gravy, and maybe a little Creole mustard. Some want theirs dressed all the way, so that the mayo and gravy mix together and fall out of the bread in a sloppy mess. Seafood po-boys are ordered with just butter, maybe butter and ketchup, or with the full treatment. The amount of mayo usually is the key factor in just how messy your sandwich will be.
