Italian Beef Sandwiches
Updated Oct. 11, 2023
- Total Time
- About 8 hours
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 8 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2½- to 3-pound boneless chuck roast, trimmed
- 1tablespoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- Black pepper
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1yellow onion, halved
- 1head garlic, halved crosswise
- 2carrots, peeled
- 2celery stalks
- ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- 6cups beef broth
- 2tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 6 to 8soft hoagie rolls, soft French rolls or ciabatta rolls
- ¼pound provolone, thinly sliced
- About 2 cups giardiniera, preferably Chicago-style
- 1 cup pickled green hot peppers
- Fresh parsley (optional), leaves torn
Preparation
- Step 1
Season the meat generously all over with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high. Add the meat and sear on one side, undisturbed, until deeply browned, about 5 minutes. Flip and brown lightly on all remaining sides, about 2 minutes per side, lowering the heat as necessary to avoid scorching the oil. Using tongs, remove and place it in a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, red-pepper flakes and beef broth.
- Step 2
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, until the beef is very tender. (You can also cook, covered, in an ovenproof Dutch oven or pot in a 300-degree oven until very tender, 3½ to 4 hours.) When the beef is ready, it should be juicy and flavorful, and will pull apart easily with a fork. (The amount of time can depend upon the leanness or fattiness of your cut, or how hot your slow cooker runs.) Using tongs and a slotted spoon, remove the beef to a cutting board (and set the vegetables aside as a chef’s treat). Slice the beef thinly across the grain then return it to the broth. Stir in the soy sauce and cover to keep warm.
- Step 3
Heat a broiler to low. Split the rolls in half. Top each sandwich with some beef and jus, and a layer of provolone over the top. Broil just to melt the cheese (don’t overdo it, or it can make your meat tough and the roll too dry; the roll should stay soft but be slightly warm). Stuff the sandwich with giardiniera, pickled peppers and fresh parsley leaves, if using.
- Step 4
Serve warm, with broth for dipping, if desired, or drizzle some jus over the sandwich while warm.
Private Notes
Comments
serious lack of spices in the jus. oregano, garlic, coriander, paprika, fennel seed at the very least, and a healthy dose of cracked black pepper. add a dollop of Better than Bouillon beef flavor to the jus, the beef shops here do it and it works. don’t skimp on the flavor!!!!!!
Rump or round are the preferred cuts. The spice mix should include oregano, cracked fennel seed, and some thyme, as well as plenty of freshly ground black pepper, and garlic, or garlic powder. Also, the finished beef, and jus can be frozen - another reason to make a big roast.
This recipe was meant to be a very streamlined version of the classic for busy home cooks, but we hear you! If you'd like a more traditional Chicago-style version, rub the meat with a mixture of 2 teaspoons coriander, and 1 tablespoon each dried oregano, dried garlic powder, smoked paprika, and fennel seed along with the salt and pepper in Step 1. Rub into the meat and keep covered for up to two days before cooking. (And go Cubs!)
I have not cook it, but I trust it will be my new favourite
Spices in the intro were great and much needed. In the oven in a Dutch oven at 300 and perfectly tender in 4-5h. Major hit with friends and family.
I reviewed the comments and so added the extra spices commended. I would never have thought of seasoning beef with fennel. It gives a wonderful, subtle, depth of flavor the takes the dish to a new level. I skimmed the fat from the “jus” and made a gravy with it. Then served the meat and gravy with Olin a gravy with the “