chaps pit beef

big disappointment. for years i have driven past chaps. i was never a fan of roadside fare but after seeingchapsgrow into much more than roadside and being featured on diners, drive-ins and dives my wife and i decided to give it a try on friday evening, may 09/2014.

i expected the best pit beef sandwich ever. unfortunately all i can say is big disappointment. the beef is served on a potato roll- gotta be on a kaiser- and the beef was more random pieces and none was sliced. it has very little flavor and the potato roll was too moist (again needs to be on a kaiser roll). this was truly a below average sandwich. the large order of fries was equally disappointing. they lacked flavor, were overcooked and oily. the best i have had so far is boog's on the boardwalk in ocean city maryland and a side of thrasher's fries.chapsdidn't even come close.
my wife had a pulled pork sandwich. she too was less than impressed, in the middle of the sandwich was a fairly good sized chunk of fat. the meat was not tender and again shame on using potato rolls.

we live about 23 miles north of chaps. this evening brought us into hamilton to baby sit for our daughter so we went the extra few miles to givechapsa try. i don't think we'll be making the trip again.

i am from out of town andchapshas been on my feed bucket list for a while. the time has come. everything i had heard was true. no frills. no special seasoning. beef. charcoal pit. super thin slices. super tender. tiger sauce and onions are the way to go. i had fries and a drink. good eats in baltimore. good eats.

chaps is a straight forward sandwich and burger shack set up in the parking lot of a strip bar.chapsoffers a fantastic sandwich, highlighted by the tender beef, corned beef and turkey.

how does this place have such high reviews?? i'm from utah and in seeing the high approval rating and seeing it was featured on drive ins, diners, and dives i thought i'd try it out. i'm sad to say i was sorely disappointed. i would not recommendchapsand if i was ever in baltimore again would not give it another shot.

maryland pit beef is a top roast that is lightly seasoned, and grilled over charcoal. usually it is grilled rare, althoughchapswill ask you how you like your meat so i assume they are grilling some of the beef medium and well done. then the beef is sliced very thin, and piled onto the sandwich so that when you bite into it, the meat is very tender and easy to bite into. and how does it taste? delicious! and as an indicator, as soon aschapsopened at 10:30am there were several people waiting in line (myself included). the bun is not cut completely in half -- there's a part that is connected which helps keep it wrapped around the meat. the bun is very soft and holds the beef in place. walking up tochapsyou can smell the smoke from the charcoal grill, and if you weren't already hungry, you will be starving by the time you order your sandwich. don't visit baltimore without making a visit tochapspit beef.

a true taste of barbecue. hopefully by now you have all tried or at least thought of going to one of my recommended goodeats. if you haven’t, i have the perfect restaurant for you all to give a try:chapscharcoal restaurant. this shack of a restaurant is a dream come true for those who adore barbecue food. located right off of pulaski highway in baltimore, you have to keep your eyes open or you’ll miss this food paradise.

once your car is in park, you are overwhelmed with this beautiful symphony of smells. you open the door to small shack which comprises this award winning restaurant and are immediately met by a line of people all waiting for that same glorious smoked food. as you wait in line, you are overwhelmed by the countless pictures of celebrities enjoying chap placed throughout the restaurant.

the menu is long and extensive, full of flavorful combinations. everything on the menu is sure to take you to flavor town. my recommendation is to go with any of the combination sandwiches, more meat for you to enjoy! the subs with the original names are sure to leave you wanting more. don’t hesitate to order any of the classic barbecue sides, which are all made in house.

finally, you get up to line and are greeted by someone from the one of the friendliest staffs i’ve come across. you place your order, but all thats going through your mind is the heavenly sights and smells.

your number is called and you’re one step closer to this masterpiece. but be sure not to forget to get a healthy amount of homemade barbecue sauce and tiger sauce (a creamy horseradish sauce), both incredible. the only thing left to do is find an empty table and start feasting. the tastes and flavors are an explosion in your mouth.

if this isn’t enough to get you out of your homes and driving right to chaps, than the countless awards and food celebrity reviews should put you over the edge. the city paper has been raving aboutchapssince 1991. guy fieri of the food networks diners, drive-ins, and dives and adam richman of travel channel have both includedchapsin their hit television shows.

until next time. i wish you goodeats!

simply great!. found this gem from a review in "southern living" and since i travel to baltimore frequently on business, i knew i had to checkchapsout.

wow! i loved this place. beef sandwich was out of this world- served perfectly rare as ordered. it was so good, i had a second one-something i almost never do.

nice perple run this place with good service and prices. can't wait for my next trip to bwi.

ok, but not "woo hoo!" good.. date - 12/9/12 - the saints/nyg game was on. it was a rainy night. my boss and i were on a business trip and on our way back from dc to aberdeen. i found out aboutchapspit beef from "triple d" on the food network, and it got rave reviews. so, we thought we'd give it a try.

first impressions: some of the best food often comes in the most unassuming packages.chapscan be likened to the favorite neighborhood "greasy spoon". in this case, the "neighborhood" is a strip club next door and a pornographic video store across the street. so, in this case, it's a "seedy" neighborhood.

we parked in the back and went in, ordered, and went around the side to wait for our food. i ordered the raven, small fries, and a small lemonade.

the raven - big sandwich packed with "pit beef", turkey, and corned beef.chapscertainly doesn't hold back on the portions. if you want a sandwich packed with meat, these don't disappoint. it was a little odd that you have to pay extra for things like lettuce, tomato, and mustard when ordering (says so on the menu board above the order window), but there were free condiments on the counter for you to get after you pick up your food.

as far as the flavor of the meat, i have to provide a caveat to those reading this review. every region has their favorite method of cooking. here in maryland, "pit beef" (large chunks of meat cooked quickly on an open grill) seems to be well loved. i live in texas and my texas palate is used to large cuts of beef (specifically brisket), marinated, seasoned with dry rubs with a little kick to them, and smoked for hours on end at a low temperature in a smoker. what results is a very tender flavorful product.

to me, what marylanders call "pit beef" is cooked fast and sliced extremely thin. otherwise, it would be tough as shoe leather. you can't grill large cuts of beef like that fast and avoid it. also, it really has no added flavor other than the taste of the meat itself. if that's what you like and your palate is used to it, then awesome! great for you!

however, it kind of reminds me of the flavor of an arby's roast beef sandwich. i have tried these pit beef sandwiches at three different places in aberdeen, havre de grace, and now baltimore. it was a decent sandwich, but nothing to rave about or tell the world they have to go out of their way to try.

the fries - disappointing, soggy, and tasted like they had been fried in old grease. mcdonalds has better fries for goodness sake. not even worth mentioning past that, and that's really sad.

the lemonade - well, it was fountain lemonade. it is what it is.

so, i guess if you happen to be creeping around the seedy side of town and are fresh from a lap dance or drooling over the latest issue of your favorite smut, i guesschapsis a good place to satiate at least the hunger in your stomach. it was "ok" in my book and if it were in a better part of town or a more convenient part of town, i might go there now and again when i wanted a quick bite to fill a void. it's not so good, though, that i will visit again. that being said, i do have to say that the staff was friendly, which i find a rarity among people here in the northeastern part of the country.

this is just my opinion here folks. i know there are people who have reviewedchapsand love it. if you like pit beef, then this is probably the place for you.

we triedchapslate last night, thanks to our urbanspoon app. they were 5 minutes from closing yet they served us like they were not. they let us sample food. the manager took time to explain every sandwich we asked him about. the other staff was super friendly as well. i got the turkey rachel on wheat. it was absolutely delicious!!! my husband got the famous tricom and loved it. we can't wait to eat there again. great service & great food makes a great find.

if you're from anywhere near baltimore (and even if you're not) chances are you've heard of the famedchapspit beef. thanks to shows like man vs food and diners drive-ins and dives it's become a landmark destination for natives of baltimore and visitors alike. with backing like that, how could i, an amateur food blogger, pass up a place like that?

first let me say i love baltimore. i have made an attempt to try the all the local specialities. well not drugs, homicide, or poverty. ok i have tried drugs. anyway pit beef is one i don't get. i have given it many chances much like drugs but pit beef is just not for me. it's is relatively flavorless roast beef. if you do go make sure before you walk out the door you bath the sandwich in as many sauces and/or topping as you can handle. trust me. of the pit beef i have hadchapswas quality.

yeah, this place is worth the trip. despite the locale. yeah adam richman never mentioned that it's in the parking lot of a strip club or an adult entertainment shop across the street but so be careful,chapsis the only place in charm city where you actually want to eat the beef between two buns. that said, i only got the pit beef sandwich on a kaiser roll. ordered the beef medium rare. i topped it with horseradish and mayonnaise. salt and pepper. it was awesome. flavorful. meat was tender, not fatty. my only regret was not having a more substantial bun. should have had the bun toasted or had the beef on a sub roll. i'm in quantico now. thinking of driving back for another sandwich tomorrow, but alas it's easter sunday and they're closed. that's how good it was.

a-1 roast beef. was traveling back from fla . first heard aboutchapson the food network.
roast beef and fresh cut french fries with brown gravy were best i ever had.
i'm from new york (food capital of the world)
you do the "math"

when eating achapsyou begin your eating experience immediately with all of your senses. when you walk in the first thing that hits you is the smell of the sweet smokey meat slowly simmering on a massive grill. second you cant help but look at the scene

ifchapspit beef was good enough for anthony bourdain and guy fieri, it's definitely good enough for us.