Navy Traditional Recipes: Sh#t on a Shingle

If you or a family member has ever been on board a naval ship, you know that the meals lack variety. According to several naval cookbooks, “the Navy ration should be so prepared as to give the enlisted men three nourishing and palatable meals each day, and it should be the duty of the commissary department to see that this is done.”

The one naval recipe I have heard the most about is Sh#t on a Shingle. Also known by the initials S.O.S. My husband grew up in a Navy family. Often in his household, this was a dish served by his father, who fought in two wars. After we met, I searched for the recipe. Only to find several versions. Not only did I find many recipes. I found entire Navy and Army cookbooks that have not changed much since the late 1800s. Recipes below.

Servicemen eating S.O.S. (AI)Photo byDa Vinci AI App / Colorado Martini

If you ask Navy veterans about food while serving, they most likely will talk about S.O.S. My husband, brought up on Naval bases, even talks about his dad serving the family S.O.S.

No one seems to know the origins of the dish. But some say it can be traced to a pre-World War I Army “Chipped Beef” recipe that appeared in the 1910 Manual for Army Cooks. I combed some of these pre-war cookbooks and this is what I found.

Naval Cooking School, 59th Street, NY.Photo byPublic Domain / Library of Congress

Each service kept their favorite (recipes) until the Armed Forces Recipe Service was published in February 1969. After 1969, service cooks were exposed to the favorite recipes of the other services. Creamed beef, which was originally an Army favorite, has become the most popular version of SOS. ~ Seabee Cook

In many recipes, the key ingredient of S.O.S. is chipped (or dried) beef. This style of meat can be stored easily and kept for longer periods. Something important when on a Navy vessel. Fresher food was more available when refrigeration on ships was introduced in the early 1900s. Hence the recipe went through some changes and variations.

S.O.S. on a plate (AI)Photo byDa Vinci AI app / Colorado Martini

I was not brought up in a naval family like my husband. But my dad used to love Stouffer's Creamed Chipped Beef. A frozen version of S.O.S. This frozen version can still be found in many supermarkets. But reading recent reviews on the product, they changed the recipe and consumers are not giving it a great reception. They describe their S.O.S. as:

• Tender strips of dried beef topped with a seasoned creamy sauce
• Made with ingredients you can feel good about for a homemade taste you'll love
• A classic dish you can always count on to satisfy

What is the “sh#t” and what is the “shingle?” The sh#t is the meat and the shingle is toast/bread.

Excerpt from 1910 Army Cookbook for creamed beefPhoto byPublic Domain

Varies S.O.S Recipes

Creamed Beef On Toast (S.O.S.)
1 (3 or 4 oz.) package sliced dried or smoked beef, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons. all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 1/3 cup milk
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
English muffin or toast

In large skillet, melt butter. Stir in flour and pepper. While stirring, add milk and Worcestershire sauce and heat until thick and bubbly. Add beef and continue to cook while stirring for a couple of minutes. Spoon over toast or English muffins.

Chipped Beef on Toast
4 1/2 oz. dried beef
2 cups milk
2 tbs. butter
1/4 cup flour
Salt and pepper
6 slices bread Cooking Instructions:

1. Melt butter in pan, add dried beef.
2. Cook 2-3 minutes to brown.
3. Add milk (reserve 1/4 cup for later), salt & pepper.
4. Bring to boil.
5. Mix flour and remaining milk together.
6. Slowly add to boiling mixture until it begins to thicken.
7. Serve over toast.

U.S. Navy Style - S.O.S. (Minced Beef)
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup celery, minced
2 tablespoons flour
1 (20 oz.) can tomato, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup water
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoons nutmeg

Brown beef, onion, celery; add flour. Mix thoroughly. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and water, sauce and nutmeg. Simmer 1/2 hour. Serve over crisp toast. Serves 6.

Tinned Roast Beef with Macaroni

1. Place 2 pounds of onions, chopped fine, in a pot with 1/2 pound of dripping and brown them on the galley.
2. Stir in 1 pound of flour and then 2 quarts of boiling water.
3. Add 6 pounds of tomatoes and 60 pounds of tinned beef.
4. Add to this 6 pounds of macaroni which has been dropped into boiling water, well salted, and cooked until tender.
5. Season with pepper and salt and simmer for twenty minutes.

Beef a la Mode

1. Place 60 pounds of beef in pans on the galley. Add 20 pounds of canned tomatoes and season with salt, pepper, and vinegar.
2. Cut 5 pounds of onions in thin slices and fry with gravy of beef in frying pan, adding flour to thicken.
3. Pour over meat, adding water if too thick and allow the whole to simmer for about fifteen minutes.
4. Serve very hot with boiled potatoes.

Navy 1944 Creamed Sliced Beef

• 7 lbs of dried sliced beef
• 5 gallons of milk
• 1 quart of melted fat (butter or lard)
• 2.5 pounds of flour
• .5 ounces of pepper
• 100 slices of toast

1. Cut beef into small pieces.
2. Heat milk to boiling temperature.
3. Blend together fat and flour to a smooth paste and stir into milk.
4. Add pepper. Stir in beef.
5. Let simmer about 10 minutes then serve over toast.
6. Soak meat in warm water for 15-20 minutes if too salty.

Note: this recipe is desinged for a ship’s crew (in this case 100 servings) it may not be convenient for at-home cooking. Below are the measures for your family.

• 1 can of chipped beef/beef slices (or 1lb of ground beef if preferred)
• 2 cups of mil
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 4TBS of butter
• Dash of pepper
• 4 slices of toast

1. Cut beef into small pieces (or cook ground beef)
2. Melt butter on medium heat
3. Once butter is melted, add flour and combine until a thick paste forms
4. Slowly pour in milk and whsik until smooth (sauce will thicken)
5. Add pepper to taste
6. Add in chipped beef and stir to combine
7. Once thick, serve over toast
8. Rinse canned beef if too salty. The higher the fat percentage in the ground beef, the more flavor. If a leaner beef is used, add some beef bouillon to increase flavor.

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Do you have any suggestions for ingredients? How do you make this recipe? Kindly let us know in the comments.

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References

• NIH World War 2, 1939-1949: War Department technical manual – The Army Cook
• Navy Recipes
• Seebee Cookery
• Seebee Cookery S.O.S
• 1910 Manual for Army Cooks
• United States War Dept, United States Army. Quartermaster Corps, United States (1910). Manual for Army Cooks. Washington Government Printing Office.
• General Mess Manual and Cook Book. Naval History and Heritage Command. (2014, September 12). Retrieved February 4, 2023, from https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/g/general-mess-manual-and-cook-book.html
• Fisher, J. C., & Fisher, C. (2014). Food in the American military: A history. McFarland & Co.