Cemitas
Kay Chun
118 ratings with an average rating of 3 out of 5 stars
118
35 minutes
Italian Beef Sandwiches
Updated Oct. 11, 2023
- Total Time
- About 8 hours
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 8 hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 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
- 1cup 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
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Cooking Notes
nick
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!!!!!!
Karolyn Schalk
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.
Sarah Britton
I'm from Chicago and I know that the best Italian beef has some kind of elusive seasoning in it, maybe allspice?
Ani
Yes, definitely needs more seasoning. The garlic is just a start. Oregano and ??? Also, the typical Chicago Italian beef joint always offers a choice between hot or sweet peppers, w some people ordering both. And cheese? It’s offered to those who like it, but not for the purists.
Robin Manley
When I lived in Chicago a neighbor made Italian beef by taking the roast and adding a large jar of pepperoncinis, juice and all to the beef stock. Tasted identical to Portillo’s in the old days.
Baba
You forgot step 5: the stance. Ask a Chicagoan
Margaux Laskey, Senior Staff Editor, NYT Cooking
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!)
Guitarguy_1963
Agree that dried herbs are an important miss here, often store-bought Italian dry seasoning, although I’ve seen people use bottle Italian dressing in the jus.
old italian
My mom taught me this recipe when I was 10. Turn the oven on to 300°. Put a 5# chuck roast in a doubled foil roast pan lined with heavy duty aluminum foil. Poke holes in it, slice down the middle. Push in a whole stick of salted butter. Dump a regular sized (?) jar of Italian seasoning on it and a packet of knorr French onion soup mix. Fold the foil tightly around the roast. Cook it for 6 hours. Check it. At this point you can shred it a bit and open the foil, let it crisp. Shred and serve .
Chicagolander
When you drop the meat into your broth in the slower cooker, you want to absolutely coat the top of the meat in dried spices (more or less equal parts oregano, thyme, crushed fennel, red pepper flakes, black pepper, marjoram) and crushed garlic. Add more of all that to the beef broth as well (make the broth strong from bouillon) along with the peppers. Put it all together right before bed, cook it on low overnight, you've got an early lunch.
Chikid
Beef should be sliced thin
chiaros69
And if you were eating this properly in Chicago, you would be adopting "The Stance" when eating it. ;-) Especially if you ordered it "wet".
italian beef
I like my Italian beef hot, sweet, and wet. The peppers should be sweet green peppers that are roasted. (the giardinara is the hot). Some say no cheese, but broil or nuke it on the bread before adding the beef. Finally, the beef should be thinly sliced as opposed the shredded. Pleased to see this recipe. I’ve never made one in a slow cooker.
Karen Dunne
Yeah, need more spices, Oregano, basil, smoke paprika, fennel seed, the garlic clove inserted into the roast add extra bouillon cubes for the jus. "Beeves" AKA Italian beef sandwiches are served 3 ways wet, dipped or baptized (totally emerged into the jus) Sweet pepper or Hot giardiniera, is a choice and cheese or red gravy are optional. I get my red gravy on the side, as a former Chicagoan, I had to express my opinion
nfshakespeare
I get shaved beef from the supermarket and marinate that all day while I simmer the broth in a crockpot on low. A half hour before I’m ready to serve, I turn the crockpot up to high and drop the shaved beef in like pho. Delicious!
Bert
I cooked according to the recipe, as well as the spice rub suggestion by the NYT editor and it turned out good, although the meat basically just fell apart when I tried to cut it and was a bit dry. I might try 6 or 7 hours on low and then check to see how it’s doing. Also I only left the spice rub overnight, I might try 2 days next time for maximum flavor, I felt it could use a little bit more flavor.
sujatha92
Update to my previous - have not made this in slow cooker so nothing to compare to, but I did 2x this summer in pressure cooker 20 min per pound and we loved it. The broth got too salty the first time and we did not need much, so I reduced to approx 2-3 cups this time and used unsalted (also reduced salt on meat by half). No one but me ate the giardinella but kids used hot banana peppers. Big hit. Will try slow cooker on a quiet day soon when both kids are home from college.
sujatha92
At the risk of offending traditionalists, does this work in the pressure cooker (after a good sear)? I’m planning this for tomorrow’s dinner (I have been marinating the meat in the dry spices for 3 days) but just learned I have to work unexpectedly early tomorrow and won’t have time to sear then set up slow-cooker before leaving for work. I’m thinking of sear and pressure cook when I get home from work.
Chicagolander
When you drop the meat into your broth in the slower cooker, you want to absolutely coat the top of the meat in dried spices (more or less equal parts oregano, thyme, crushed fennel, red pepper flakes, black pepper, marjoram) and crushed garlic. Add more of all that to the beef broth as well (make the broth strong from bouillon) along with the peppers. Put it all together right before bed, cook it on low overnight, you've got an early lunch.
Margaux Laskey, Senior Staff Editor, NYT Cooking
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!)
Abe (Maine)
Can anyone illuminate for me any similarity or differences with the sandwiches made in The Bear? (I haven't tried watching or researching this myself, but maybe there are some astute Chicagoans who KNOW.)
Baba
You forgot step 5: the stance. Ask a Chicagoan
old italian
My mom taught me this recipe when I was 10. Turn the oven on to 300°. Put a 5# chuck roast in a doubled foil roast pan lined with heavy duty aluminum foil. Poke holes in it, slice down the middle. Push in a whole stick of salted butter. Dump a regular sized (?) jar of Italian seasoning on it and a packet of knorr French onion soup mix. Fold the foil tightly around the roast. Cook it for 6 hours. Check it. At this point you can shred it a bit and open the foil, let it crisp. Shred and serve .
Karen Dunne
Yeah, need more spices, Oregano, basil, smoke paprika, fennel seed, the garlic clove inserted into the roast add extra bouillon cubes for the jus. "Beeves" AKA Italian beef sandwiches are served 3 ways wet, dipped or baptized (totally emerged into the jus) Sweet pepper or Hot giardiniera, is a choice and cheese or red gravy are optional. I get my red gravy on the side, as a former Chicagoan, I had to express my opinion
chiaros69
And if you were eating this properly in Chicago, you would be adopting "The Stance" when eating it. ;-) Especially if you ordered it "wet".
Shast
I added smoked paprika, organon, thyme and coriander seeds along with additional cracked pepper and STILL not enough flavor. I used the slow cooker method but got a good seat in a Dutch oven first. It was mediocre on flavor.
Chikid
Beef should be sliced thin
jaclyn
If you aren’t adding giardiniera you are missing out. Oil packed not vinegar.
italian beef
I like my Italian beef hot, sweet, and wet. The peppers should be sweet green peppers that are roasted. (the giardinara is the hot). Some say no cheese, but broil or nuke it on the bread before adding the beef. Finally, the beef should be thinly sliced as opposed the shredded. Pleased to see this recipe. I’ve never made one in a slow cooker.
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