Italian Beef Au Jus Food

PORTILLO'S ITALIAN BEEF HACK

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Render the beef fat by chopping it into small bits (about the size of peas) with a food processor. Be sure the fat is very cold--it will chop better. If you don't have a food processor, you can chop the fat by hand. Use a sharp knife and cut it as small as you can. Heat up the fat in a sauté pan over medium heat until the bits are browned. Strain the solids from the fat and measure 1/4 cup of fat for the gravy.
• Make the beef gravy by combining all of the ingredients, including the beef fat, in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the mixture begins to boil reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, then turn the heat to low.
• Make the sandwiches by heating up the rolls in the hot oven for 3 minutes.
• For each sandwich, drop 1/4 pound of sliced beef (separate the slices) into the gravy for 2 minutes. Make sure the gravy isn't boiling. It should be around 180 degrees F. After the beef has soaked in the gravy, use tongs to arrange the beef on a warmed sandwich roll and top with your choice of hot giardiniera or sweet peppers. Or both. Spoon on some extra gravy just before serving.

HOMEMADE ROAST BEEF SANDWICH AU JUS

Steps:

• For the au jus: Heat the oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add the peppercorns, salt, thyme, garlic, rosemary and shallots. Cook the shallots, stirring occasionally, until they become translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the sherry and simmer, a few minutes. Add the stock and simmer, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and strain the liquid. Keep warm.
• For the pickled radishes: Simmer 1/2 cup water, the vinegar, sugar, coriander seeds, salt, star anise, bay leaf and garlic. After 10 minutes of simmering, pour the mixture over the radishes in a heat-proof container and cool.
• For the sandwich build: Place the bottom halves of the rolls on a work surface. Place the sliced Homemade Roast Beef on the bottom. Top with 1 slice gruyere each, some pickled radishes and watercress. Cover with the tops of the rolls. Cut each sandwich in half, dunk into the au jus and realize sometimes leftovers are just better.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Mix the rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic in a small bowl. Rub the mixture all over the roast, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, about 20 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat. Wipe off the excess garlic and herbs and add the roast to the pan. Sear the roast on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the roast to a roasting pan with a rack. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 125 degrees F, about 50 minutes. Transfer the roast to a cutting board and let rest, about 10 minutes. Thinly slice the roast and serve.

SLOW COOKER BEEF AU JUS

Steps:

• Cut roast in half. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, brown meat on all sides over medium-high heat. , Place onion in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Top with meat. Combine the broth, gravy mix, garlic and pepper; pour over meat. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until meat is tender. , Remove meat to a cutting board. Let stand for 10 minutes. Thinly slice meat and return to the slow cooker; serve with cooking juices and onion.

SUPER BEEFY AU JUS

Steps:

• Add oil to a 6 or 8-quart heavy duty stock pot (thick bottomed) and brown the meat scraps and bones over medium high heat. This is optional but it creates a bit of fond that adds to the flavor.
• Add the remaining ingredients minus the black pepper and salt (and the beef drippings if the roast is not ready). Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a high simmer for 30 minutes.
• Uncover the pot and add the black pepper if desired. Bring to boil and allow the liquid to reduce to about 1/3 of the original quantity.
• Remove from heat and scoop out the bones, beef scraps, and vegetables with a slotted spoon. Add the beef drippings prior to serving.

ITALIAN BEEF AU JUS RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

AUTHENTIC CHICAGO ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICH RECIPE

Steps:

• Prep. If you wish, you can stab the surface of the meat every inch or so and stick slivers of fresh garlic into the meat as does my brother-in-law. If you do this, leave the garlic out of the rub. Otherwise, mix the rub in a bowl. Coat the meat lightly with water to help the rub stick, sprinkle it generously on the meat, and massage it in. There will be some left over. Do not discard it, we will use it in the juice.
• Fire up. If you are cooking indoors, put a rack just below the center of the oven and preheat to 225°F. If you are cooking outdoors use a 2-zone setup or a smoker and get it the oven or the indirect side up to about 225°F.
• Cook. Pour the water into a 9 x 13" baking pan and heat it to a boil. Dissolve the bouillon in the water. It may look thin, but it will cook down and concentrate during the roasting. Pour the remaining rub into the pan. Place a rack on top of the pan and place them both on the indirect side of the grill or in the oven indoors. Place the roast on top of the rack above the juice. Roast at 225°F until interior temperature is about 130-140°F for medium rare, about 3 hours (exact time will depend on the cut of meat, its thickness, and how well calibrated your cooker is). This may seem long, but you are cooking over water and that slows things down. Don't worry if there are people who won't eat medium-rare meat. The meat will cook further in step 5, and you can just leave theirs in the juice until it turns to leather if that's what they want.
• While the meat is roasting (mmmmm, smells sooooo good), cut the bell peppers in half and remove the stems and seeds. Rinse, and cut into 1/4" strips. Cook the peppers in a frying pan over a medium high heat with enough olive oil to coat the bottom, about 2 tablespoons. When they are getting limp and the skins begin to brown, about 15 minutes, they are done. Set aside at room temp.
• Prep again. Remove the roast and the juice pan. Take the meat off the rack and remove the rack. Pour off the juice, put the meat back in the pan, and place it in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Let it cool for a few hours, long enough for the meat to firm up. This will make slicing easier. Chill the juice, too, in a separate container. Slice the meat against the grain as thin as humanly possible, preferably with a meat slicer. My wife remembers that her family would cook the roast and take it to the butcher to slice on his machine. That's a good strategy if you don't have a meat slicer but it may be against your local health codes. If you don't have a slicer, use a thin blade and draw it along the meat. If you try to cut down or saw through the crust you will be cutting it too thick.
• Next, taste the juice. If you want you can thin it with more water, or make it richer by cooking it down on top of the stove. In Chicago beef stands it is rich, but not too concentrated. Then turn the heat to a gentle simmer. Soak the meat in the juice for about 1 minute at a low simmer. That's all. That warms the meat and makes it very wet. You can't leave the meat in the juice for more than 10 minutes or else it starts to curl up, squeezes out its natural moisture, and toughens. If you go to a beef stand and the meat is really curly, they have committed a mortal sin. At Mr. Beef, for example, I watched them take a handful of cooked beef and dump it into the juice every time they took out enough for a sandwich. This also enriches the juice with meat protein and seasoning from the crust.
• Serve. Slice the rolls lengthwise but leave them hinged on one side. Or slice a loaf of Italian bread the same way, then cut it widthwise into 10 portions. To assemble the sandwich, start by spooning some juice directly onto the bread. Get it wet. Then lay on the beef generously. Spoon on more juice (don't burn your hand). Top it with bell pepper and, if you wish, giardiniera. If you want it "wet", dip the whole shootin' match in juice. Be sure to have plenty of napkins on hand. You can also try one of the following variations of the classic:Da Combo. Most Italian beef joints offer a "combo," which also has a grilled Italian sausage nestled in with the beef (shown being made at Al's in a photo at right). These are thick, uncured, coarsely ground pork sausages in natural casings, flavored with fennel, paprika, black pepper, red or green bell peppers, onions, garlic, parsley, and crushed red chili peppers for some heat. Italian sausages are made in your choice of hot, medium, or mild (sometimes called sweet).Da Cheef. Cover it with shredded mozzarella and/or provolone, broil for a few minutes, and you have a "cheesy beef" or "cheef". Not many stands offer this mutant strain.Wit Gravy. An even rarer and more heretical variant, topped with marinara.Da Soaker. Just dip the bread in the juice and you have the classic laborer's lunch, a soaker, a.k.a. "sugo pane", or gravy bread. Sugo pane is also commonly made with marinara sauce.

ITALIAN BEEF AU JUS

Steps:

• Brown meat in 1 Tablespoon of oil.
• This step isn't necessary if you don't have time.
• Mix together all other ingredients and pour over roast.
• Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
• You can shred meat and thicken broth with flour and water or slice thin to serve on a roll.

BEEF AU JUS SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Place onion slices and broth in a 3 to 4 quart crock pot. Coat beef roast with vinegar. Put beef roast on top of onions in crock pot. Dust with dressing mix, salt, and pepper.
• Cover. Cook on low 8 to 10 hours. Can cook longer if not to your desired doneness.
• Before serving, take beef roast out of pot and cut into thin slices. Return the slices to the crock pot and mix well.
• Serve beef on buns with bell peppers, cheeses, and mayo or other condiments of your choice.
• I put a little cajun seasoning on the beef roast while cooking.

BEEF SANDWICHES AU JUS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the water, bouillon, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, pepper flakes and garlic salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes. , Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onion and green pepper in 2 tablespoons butter until tender; remove and keep warm. Sprinkle salt and remaining pepper over beef. , In the same skillet, cook beef in remaining butter over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Spoon onto roll bottoms; top with cheese and onion mixture. Replace roll tops. Serve with au jus.