"S.O.S." — Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast
Dried, salted beef crumbled into a creamy white sauce, poured hot over slices of toast. Hearty, cheap, designed to fill men at sea: the comfort food of the U.S. Navy.
Dried, salted beef crumbled into a creamy white sauce, poured hot over slices of toast. Hearty, cheap, designed to fill men at sea: the comfort food of the U.S. Navy.
On the PT-109, we didn't dine at the Ritz, I can assure you. In the morning, the cook served us what the guys called "S.O.S." — I'll spare you the exact words from the petty officers' mess: dried beef crumbled in a white sauce, slung over toast. It wasn't refined, but when you were standing the pre-dawn watch, it stuck to your ribs better than a long speech. A good sailor never turns down a hot meal — he's learned what an empty stomach looks like.
- •Chipped/dried beef (salted) — one can (preserved protein, salt)
- •Flour — enough (roux)
- •Milk — as needed (white sauce)
- •Butter or fat — a knob (roux)
- •Pepper — to taste (seasoning)
- •White bread — slices (toasted base)
"S.O.S." — Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast
Dried, salted beef crumbled into a creamy white sauce, poured hot over slices of toast. Hearty, cheap, designed to fill men at sea: the comfort food of the U.S. Navy.
Why this dish? As a Navy lieutenant, JFK commanded the PT-109 torpedo boat in the Pacific during World War II. This iconic mess dish — nicknamed "S.O.S." by sailors — was part of the daily fare he shared with his crew, on board and at the base.
On the PT-109, we didn't dine at the Ritz, I can assure you. In the morning, the cook served us what the guys called "S.O.S." — I'll spare you the exact words from the petty officers' mess: dried beef crumbled in a white sauce, slung over toast. It wasn't refined, but when you were standing the pre-dawn watch, it stuck to your ribs better than a long speech. A good sailor never turns down a hot meal — he's learned what an empty stomach looks like.
Ingredients (period version)
- Chipped/dried beef (salted) — one can (preserved protein, salt)
- Flour — enough (roux)
- Milk — as needed (white sauce)
- Butter or fat — a knob (roux)
- Pepper — to taste (seasoning)
- White bread — slices (toasted base)
Ingredients
- Dried beef in thin strips (bresaola or Bündnerfleisch as substitute) — 150 g (salty protein, umami)
- Butter — 40 g (roux)
- Flour — 40 g (roux)
- Whole milk — 500 ml (béchamel sauce)
- Freshly ground black pepper — generously (seasoning)
- Nutmeg (pinch) — 1 pinch (sauce flavor)
- Rustic bread — 4 large slices (toasted base)
Method
- Melt butter in a skillet, add flour and cook the roux for 1 minute without browning.
- Gradually add milk while whisking to make a smooth béchamel; season generously with pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.
- Cut the dried beef into strips and stir into the sauce; heat for 2-3 minutes (salt sparingly, as the meat is already salty).
- Toast the bread slices.
- Pour the hot mixture over the toast and serve immediately, with extra pepper from the mill.
How it was made : Creamed chipped beef on toast has been a U.S. military classic since World War I: the dried-salted meat kept without refrigeration, and the white sauce made with powdered milk fed troops at low cost. It appeared in Army cookbooks well before the PT-109 era.
The contemporary twist : Serve it for brunch on a nice slice of toasted sourdough, topped with a poached egg and chives — the "S.O.S." that moves from the sailors' mess to the Sunday table.
John F. Kennedy · Charactorium