What a good "Hormel Dried Beef" subtitute?

[chef koo]

I'm going to start serving breakfast at my restaurant and want to add creamed chipped beef on toast to the menu. None of my suppliers carry the Hormel brand of dried beef. I'm not even sure exactly what it is, which adds to the difficulty. At first I was thinking some kind of salami, since it's dried. I was also thinking of bresaola. But what is it? Is it a Hormel brand of a certain category of cured meat?  

[gfweb]

I don't think its cured in any way.  Just shaved thin and dried.  A pretty unremarkable thing.  Army food.

[Felix Marvin]

2 hours ago, chef koo said:

I'm going to start serving breakfast at my restaurant and want to add creamed chipped beef on toast to the menu. None of my suppliers carry the Hormel brand of dried beef. I'm not even sure exactly what it is, which adds to the difficulty. At first I was thinking some kind of salami, since it's dried. I was also thinking of bresaola. But what is it? Is it a Hormel brand of a certain category of cured meat?  

Yep, creamed chipped beef is usually made with dried, salted beef the kind that comes in jars or packets. Hormel does make one, but it’s not the only brand out there. It’s a general product category, not something exclusive to them. It’s different from salami or bresaola because it’s pressed, super thinly sliced, and has that signature salty, slightly smoky taste. If your supplier doesn’t carry Hormel, you can look for ‘dried beef’ or ‘chipped beef’ from brands like Armour or Carl Buddig. Or, if you have a good deli or butcher nearby, they might be able to make a custom-cut version for you!