Italian Beef Sandwiches West Sider Style Food

CHICAGO-STYLE ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICH

Steps:

• For the pot roast: Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F.
• Liberally sprinkle the entire roast with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the roast on all sides until golden and caramelized, 5 to 7 minutes per side; reduce the heat if the fat begins to smoke. Transfer the roast to a plate and reduce the heat to medium.
• Add the onions and a pinch of salt and saute, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper and garlic and saute until fragrant, another minute. Deglaze with the red wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Simmer until reduced by about half, another 2 to 5 minutes. Add the stock and thyme and bring to a simmer. Adjust the seasoning of the liquid.
• Put the roast back in the pot with any accumulated juices and place in the oven, covered. Cook the roast, turning every 30 minutes and uncovering the pot for the last 30 minutes of cooking, until very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Transfer the roast to a cutting board and tent with foil. Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F for the peppers and bread.
• For the sweet peppers: Toss the pepper strips with the olive oil, granulated garlic and some salt and pepper on a baking sheet. Bake, stirring halfway through, until lighter in color and softened, about 45 minutes.
• Strain the pot roast jus through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl and return to the pot. Bring to a simmer and simmer until reduced slightly, 5 to 10 minutes. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Keep warm.
• Once the meat has cooled a bit, remove the twine. Pull the meat into smaller chunks and return to the reduced jus until ready to build the sandwiches.
• For the sandwich build: Rub the rolls with some of the giardiniera oil and toast in the oven until golden brown and crispy, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Place some beef on a roll, then some sweet peppers (with some of the oil they were cooked in), followed by some hot giardiniera. Pour a small dish of reduced jus. Quickly dunk the whole sandwich in the hot jus, then wrap in deli paper or parchment paper and wait for 2 to 3 minutes while the magic happens. Repeat with the remaining rolls and toppings. When ready, open up and eat!

ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICHES

Steps:

• For the giardiniera: Combine the carrots, pepperoncini, jalapeños, roasted red peppers, olive oil, pepperoncini liquid, garlic powder and pepper in a bowl. Toss well, then set aside.
• For the beef: Remove the sirloin from the freezer and, using a mandoline or a sharp knife, cut into very thin strips against the grain. Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper.
• Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saute pan. Add the beef and sauté until starting to brown, but still pink, about 2 minutes. Add the Italian seasoning and garlic, then cook for 30 seconds. Add the broth and vinegar, then bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat.
• Place 3 slices of provolone on each roll. Top with the hot beef. Sprinkle with some of the giardiniera. Serve with extra broth on the side for dipping.

ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICHES, WEST-SIDER STYLE

Steps:

• Score the roast in a cross/diamond pattern about an inch apart, just barely into the surface of the roast. The eye of round roast is my choice for ease of prep and for thin slicing, but you may substitute another cut if you like, just be sure to score the most even surface.
• Rub prepared garlic (I like the already-chopped kind you find in a jar) into the scores you've cut in the roast.
• Combine all the other spices, not including bay and bouillon, and cover the roast, pressing into the scores as well.
• Place roast in a pan with at least 2-inch sides. Drizzle with olive oil at this point if desired. This is a nice addition if the roast is exceptionally lean. Add the 2 cups of water and the bay leaves, and cover completely with aluminum foil.
• Roast at 275°F for 45 minutes per pound, or 3 hours for a 4-pound cut of beef.
• Remove from oven, and turn beef several times over in the pan juices. Remove from pan, wrap in the foil, and chill overnight. Reserve all pan juices and spices in a separate container and chill as well.
• The next day, slice the beef very thin and set aside.
• In a large, heavy cooking pot or Dutch oven, put all the reserved juices and the bouillon cubes. Remove bay leaves. Heat just to boiling, then add the sliced beef. At this point, you may want to adjust spices to the gravy, as often the heat from the red pepper flakes cooks out a bit, as well as the saltiness. Add just enough water to cover beef slices, if necessary. Cover and simmer until heated through.
• While heating, clean and core the bell peppers, and slice thickly lengthwise.
• Gently rest on top of the heating beef until softened to your taste. Alternately, you may steam them in the microwave or gently simmer in an olive oil/water bath in a separate pan on the stovetop.
• Slice the bread into your preferred sandwich size. Many times when we're having a party, we cut sandwich rolls in half so people can sample a bit of everything. For family dinners, we leave the bun whole, or cut the bread loaves in a size similar.
• Gently dip (or go ahead and dunk the whole thing, if that's your deal) the bread in the gravy, and then stuff with as much beef as you care to. Top with a slice or two of sweet peppers, and enjoy!

ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Place roast in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Combine the broth, beer or additional broth, water, vinegar, soup mix, salad dressing mix, garlic, oregano and basil; pour over roast. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until meat is tender., Remove roast. When cool enough to handle, shred meat, using two forks. Return to slow cooker and heat through. Using a slotted spoon, spoon shredded meat onto each roll. Serve juices as a dipping sauce.