The Sandwich: Pitted Beef and Cheddar

Where: Epiphany Open Pit Beef and Subs, 4128 Georgia Ave. NW

Price: $7.95

Bread: Sub roll

Stuffings: Cheddar cheese and beef brisket, topped with horseradish mayo and spicy barbecue sauce

Thickness: 3.5 inches

Sloppiness level (1–5): 4. Barbecue equals sloppy in general, but the sauce in this sandwich creates the most mess. It leaks out of the bun before you begin eating and leaves your hands coated in a sticky film and radiating eau-de-beef. 

Pros: The plentiful serving of tender and surprisingly lean beef brisket. The acidic tang of the horseradish sauce and the smoky kick from the barbecue pair for a perfectly balanced bite of meat.

Cons: The location of the cheese, between the bun and the beef. Placing hot, wet beef on top of cheddar makes it melt into a wizz-like goo that gloms onto the bread. Instead of complementing the barbecue, the sticky bread and cheese mixture gets lodged in your teeth.

How It Holds Up the Next Day: Not so well. The beef remained moist, but the sauce, which complemented the meat the day before, soaked the bread. It felt like chewing on a ball of smoke-flavored dough.

Overall Score (1 to 5): 3. The beef and sauces taste sweet and spicy, just as barbecue should. However, the richness of the beef, cheese, and bread may induce a food coma after just a few bites. Just go for the brisket alone.

Photo by Caroline Jones