Open Letter to Beef on Weck Enthusiasts in Western New York

There’s absolutely zero debate, Buffalo, NY has tremendous food.

Not only is the city and region known for chicken wings, we also have tons of awesome local restaurants for Buffalo-style pizza, which is basically midway between New York City’s thin-crust and Chicago’s deep dish. Extra cheese, cup-and-char pepperoni and a sweeter tomato sauce make the Buffalo pizza experience.

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The other hugely popular food we’re known for is the beef on weck sandwich.

Thinly sliced roast beef (has to be tender), with the beef soaked in au jus and on a kimmelweck roll, featuring salt and caraway seeds — it’s a true Buffalo tradition.

I’ve eaten many in my lifetime but I’m going to be honest here, there are some aspects of it I never partake in and choose not to eat.

One of horseradish.

I don’t like horseradish. I know it always comes with beef on weck but I don’t like the overly powerful kick to it. For me, it takes something away from the sandwich and many friends and family have said to me over the years, “why do you eat it without horseradish?” I think it’s gross…

Another problem I have is the addition of the pickle, which to be fair is a personal preference, but I can’t stand pickles either. That feels more optional than the horseradish, however. I’m not sure why the tradition of a pickle with it started.

Lastly, and this may be the most shocking…but I really don’t need to have the entire sandwich soaked in au jus.

I’ve seen beef on wecks absolutely drowned in the au jus, to the point the bread is mushy, which is a huge no-go for me. I was just a tiny bit on the sandwich — better yet, give me a side of it to appropriately distribute the au jus.

I feel like most of this is hot take and I fully understand that, but I know there has to be Buffalonians out there who share these sentiments, right?