When I was in high school, my very first job was at a Carl’s Jr fast food restaurant in Huntington Beach, California. The manager almost always had me work the drive-thru, and I was usually partnered-up with my friend Sheila. We had that station working like a fine-tuned machine. As a car pulled up, we’d greet them with “Welcome to Carl’s! May I take your order please.” And then while the cooks assembled the hamburgers and bagged the french fries, Sheila and I would make the drinks and collect the money. It was a fun place to work, and we frequently spent our off-hours sitting in the Carl’s Jr dining room talking with friends, and of course eating hamburgers.
Aside from their tasty hamburgers, Carls Jr also served a sandwich called California Roast Beef. It had cheese and a mild green chili pepper on it. We called them “Cals” for short, and I thought they were delicious. I’m not sure why, but at some point, Carls Jr stopped making the Cals, and that’s when I decided I needed to start making them myself. I always use roast beef and cheddar cheese from the deli section of my grocery store to ensure that the sandwiches are every bit as good as the ones served at Carl’s. And I have to say that I think they might be better! To make these sandwiches, you’ll need shaved roast beef, cheddar cheese, canned whole green chilies, Au Jus gravy mix, and soft sandwich rolls. I like to use sandwich rolls with cheese and onions (or even jalapeno peppers) baked into the top.
Wash the chilies and remove the seeds. The easiest way to do this is to run your finger along one side of the chile to open it up, and then just wash the seeds away with the running water. Dry them on paper towels.
Combine the Au Jus gravy mix with the 2 cups of water in a large saucepan. Heat until the gravy begins to simmer.
Add the roast beef and heat through.
Meanwhile, slice the rolls.
Then assemble the sandwiches by placing some of the roast beef, a slice of cheese, and a chili pepper on each roll.
Now THAT’s a good-looking sandwich!
California Roast Beef Sandwiches
Recipe by Winner Dinners/Inspired by Carl’s Jr Restaurants
Makes 8 sandwiches
2 7-ounce cans whole green chili peppers
1 envelope Au Jus gravy mix
2 cups water
1-1/2 pounds shaved (very thinly sliced) roast beef from the Deli counter (preferably rare as it will cook quickly in the gravy)
8 thick slices (1/2 pound) sharp cheddar cheese from the Deli counter
8 soft rolls (preferably with cheese and green onions)
Wash the chilies and remove the seeds. The easiest way to do this is to run your finger along one side of the chile to open it up, and then just wash the seeds away with the running water. Dry them on paper towels. Combine the Au Jus gravy mix with the 2 cups of water in a large saucepan. Heat until the gravy begins to simmer. Add the roast beef and heat through. Meanwhile, slice the rolls, and then assemble the sandwiches by placing some of the roast beef, a slice of cheese, and a chili pepper on each roll.
14 Responses to “California Roast Beef Sandwiches”
1) Makayla Jones said on February 25th, 2012
They are super yummy!!!
2) Jeff Jones said on February 25th, 2012
One of my favorites!!
3) Lisa Witham said on February 25th, 2012
These are on the list to definitely make! Thanks!
4) Lisa Witham said on February 26th, 2012
I made these today after church! The family LOVED them! (Craig ate 3 of them) Thank you.
5) Laura @ Winner Dinners said on February 26th, 2012
I’m so glad everybody liked them!
6) Karen said on June 14th, 2012
The original California Roast Beef sandwhiches were made with Swiss cheese.
7) Dave Wendy said on June 20th, 2012
The California Roast Beef sandwich did not use cheddar or American cheese. I believe it was Swiss or some other white cheese.
8) Laura @ Winner Dinners said on June 20th, 2012
A couple of people have mentioned that the original Cals were made with Swiss cheese, and I believe that is right. If you think Swiss sounds better, use that. I like them with cheddar cheese.
9) Bill said on August 9th, 2012
Thank you for this delicious recipe! It brings back a lot of happy memories for me. I worked at a Carl’s in OC. The Cals were my favorites! Yes, the originals used Swiss-but Cheddar is even better.
10) Laura @ Winner Dinners said on August 9th, 2012
Thanks for commenting, Bill! That’s cool that you also worked at a Carl’s Jr in Orange County. I still think Carl’s Jr makes the best hamburgers in the fast food business, and whenever I go, I always get their Famous Star with Cheese. It hasn’t changed a bit since I started working there in 1979.
11) Michael in Seattle said on December 2nd, 2012
The California Roast Beef sandwiches used Monterey Jack cheese – never American or Cheddar and definitely NOT Swiss… my dad’s firm were the Karcher’s accountants for decades. I still have my Tacos del Carlos VIP card signed by Carl Karcher himself.
12) Laura @ Winner Dinners said on December 2nd, 2012
Michael, you could be right about the cheese. I’m pretty sure it was a white cheese, but apparently there is some question about whether it was Swiss or not. Here is a link to a newspaper article that refers to the cheese on Carl’s California Roast Beef sandwiches as “swiss (?) cheese.”
Either way, I still prefer mine with cheddar. By the way, I remember Taco de Carlos. I went there several times when I was a kid and loved their giant tacos. I was disappointed when they closed.
13) Honey Maxey said on March 3rd, 2013
I also worked at Carl’s Jr. …but in Torrance. I was The California Girl. My sister and I did the opening of the store every Saturday. She would do the front and I would make 100 “California’s” for the day. I NOW have my own cafe and make California’s but with the white American Swiss cheese. I live in Mississippi and this is SOOOOOOOOOOO different for my customers, but they love it and so do I!!!!
Go Carl Karcher!!! RIP
14) Laura @ Winner Dinners said on March 3rd, 2013
Honey, your comment made me smile and laugh. Thanks for sharing your connection with Carl’s Jr. I love it!
They are super yummy!!!
One of my favorites!!
These are on the list to definitely make! Thanks!
I made these today after church! The family LOVED them! (Craig ate 3 of them) Thank you.
I’m so glad everybody liked them!
The original California Roast Beef sandwhiches were made with Swiss cheese.
The California Roast Beef sandwich did not use cheddar or American cheese. I believe it was Swiss or some other white cheese.
A couple of people have mentioned that the original Cals were made with Swiss cheese, and I believe that is right. If you think Swiss sounds better, use that. I like them with cheddar cheese.
Thank you for this delicious recipe! It brings back a lot of happy memories for me. I worked at a Carl’s in OC. The Cals were my favorites! Yes, the originals used Swiss-but Cheddar is even better.
Thanks for commenting, Bill! That’s cool that you also worked at a Carl’s Jr in Orange County. I still think Carl’s Jr makes the best hamburgers in the fast food business, and whenever I go, I always get their Famous Star with Cheese. It hasn’t changed a bit since I started working there in 1979.
The California Roast Beef sandwiches used Monterey Jack cheese – never American or Cheddar and definitely NOT Swiss… my dad’s firm were the Karcher’s accountants for decades. I still have my Tacos del Carlos VIP card signed by Carl Karcher himself.
Michael, you could be right about the cheese. I’m pretty sure it was a white cheese, but apparently there is some question about whether it was Swiss or not. Here is a link to a newspaper article that refers to the cheese on Carl’s California Roast Beef sandwiches as “swiss (?) cheese.”
http://fastfood.ocregister.com/2008/11/12/carls-jr-brings-back-roast-beef-sandwich/5954/
Either way, I still prefer mine with cheddar. By the way, I remember Taco de Carlos. I went there several times when I was a kid and loved their giant tacos. I was disappointed when they closed.
I also worked at Carl’s Jr. …but in Torrance. I was The California Girl. My sister and I did the opening of the store every Saturday. She would do the front and I would make 100 “California’s” for the day. I NOW have my own cafe and make California’s but with the white American Swiss cheese. I live in Mississippi and this is SOOOOOOOOOOO different for my customers, but they love it and so do I!!!!
Go Carl Karcher!!! RIP
Honey, your comment made me smile and laugh. Thanks for sharing your connection with Carl’s Jr. I love it!