Chicago Italian Beef Recipes

" DA BEST" CHICAGO-STYLE ITALIAN BEEF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Sprinkle the roast with garlic powder, oregano and pepper, then cook roast, uncovered, in a shallow roasting pan, about 30 minutes per pound.
• Roast will be very rare-- don't overcook it!
• Let cool slightly, then thinly slice.
• Add to the roast's pan drippings: the boiling water, bouillon cubes, oregano, thyme, pepper, Tabasco sauce, garlic and Worcestershire sauce.
• Simmer for 20 minutes, scraping up the browned bits.
• Taste for salt and add some if you wish.
• Add the sliced beef; cover and marinate in da gravy overnight.
• Reheat the next day and serve in crusty Italian sandwich rolls.

CHICAGO ITALIAN BEEF

Steps:

• mix the rub in a bowl. 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. Let the meat sit at room temp for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the grill or oven to 400°F. If you are cooking indoors, put a rack just below the center of the oven. Pour the water into a 9 x 13" baking pan and heat it to a boil on the stove top. 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. Place the roast on top of the rack above the juice. Roast at 400°F until interior temperature is 130 to 135°F for medium rare, about 30 minutes per pound (exact time will depend on the cut of meat, its thickness, and how well calibrated your oven is). This may seem long, but you are cooking over water and that slows things down. The temp will rise about 5°F more as it rests. Remove the roast and the juice pan. Let the meat sit for about 30 minutes for the juices to be reabsorbed into the meat fibers, and then place it in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Let it cool for about a few hours, long enough for the meat to firm up. This will make slicing easier. Slice the meat against the grain as thin as humanly possible, preferably with a meat slicer. 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.

CHICAGO ITALIAN BEEF (POT ROAST STYLE)

Steps:

• For the pot roast: Position a rack in the middle position and preheat the oven 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; reduce the heat if the fat begins to smoke. Transfer the roast to a plate and reduce the heat to medium. Add in the onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper and saute until fragrant, another minute. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Deglaze with the red wine and cook until reduced by half. Add in the stock and thyme and bring to a simmer. Adjust the seasoning of the jus. Place the roast back into the pot with any accumulated juices and place in the oven. Cook the roast, turning every 30 minutes, until very tender, 3 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Increase the oven heat to 350 degrees F.
• Transfer the roast to a cutting board and tent with foil. Strain the jus through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl and return back to the pot. Bring to a simmer and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Once cooled a bit, pull the meat into smaller chunks, return to the reduced jus and reserve until ready to build the sandwiches.
• 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 soft, about 20 minutes.
• For the sandwich build: Place some beef on a roll, then some sweet peppers and then some Homemade Hot Giardiniera. Pour a small dish of reduced jus. Take the whole sandwich and quickly dunk in hot jus. Using two hands, go the hell to town.
• Day One: Combine 2 cups water and the salt in a glass or non- reactive bowl. Mix until the salt is dissolved. Add the carrots, cauliflower, serranos, garlic, celery and bell peppers to the salt water and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Day Two: Drain and rinse the vegetables. In a clean bowl, mix together the canola oil with the oregano and pepper. Add the vegetables and mix to combine. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Giardiniera will only get better with time. After 2 days at the most in the bowl, you can place in air-tight Mason jars and keep in the fridge for at least 2 to 3 weeks. Makes 3 to 4 cups.
• From Food Network Kitchens; after further testing and to ensure the best results this recipe has been altered from what was in the actual episode.

REAL CHICAGO-STYLE ITALIAN BEEF I

Steps:

• Make a spice rub by combining 1 teaspoon each of dried basil,dried oregano,garlic powder,ground pepper,salt,red pepper flakes.
• Rub HALF of the spice rub over and around the roast, Press the mixture into the meat as much as possible. Place the meat in a roasting pan. Add about 1 cup water to the pan.
• Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
• Roast the beef for 35 minutes, Now reduce the temperature to 400 degrees F., and roast for 40 minutes.
• DO NOT TURN OFF THE OVEN, Remove the pan from the oven and pour 1 1/2 cups cold water into the pan, Let Stand for 15-20 minutes.
• Add remaining seasoning mixture to the pan juices and water. Return meat to the oven and roast until meat thermometer reaches (160 degrees very important to reach this temp) about 50 minutes but use the thermometer to make sure.
• When temp is reached remove pan and allow the roast to cool slightly befroe slicing. Slice almost paper thin (the right thiness is critical to ensure a good chew, But without being tough).
• Transfer the juices to a sauce pan and keep it warm over low heat.
• Immerse the sliced beef into the warm gravy.
• To serve, scoop some of the beef out of the gravy using a fork, Load it onto a Gonnella french bread roll. Garnish with hot or sweet peppers and serve.
• TIP: One of the secrets of Chicago Italian Beef restaurants is that they add garlic juice to the pan juices during the final roasting.
• TIP 2: The beef served at these restaurants are not undercooked, infact most roast the beef until it is medium well which shows very little redness.

CHICAGO JOHNNY'S ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICH RECIPE (CHICAGO STYLE BEEF)

Steps:

• Puree the following together in a food processor: garlic, olive oil, Italian seasoning, oregano, black pepper, sweet paprika, crushed red pepper, onion powder, granulated garlic, sea salt. Sear your roast in a hot pan, stovetop. Use a spatula to rub your pureed spices onto your roast. Put your rubbed roast & any juices from searing into a deep glass or metal dish & add 16 oz. of beef stock; place into a preheated 225 degree oven for 90-120 minutes, depending on the size of your roast. Put your roast & gravy into two separate dishes & refrigerate them overnight. Slice your roast as thin as you can without shaving it. Put your gravy into a pot & bring to a simmer; put your thinly sliced beef into the simmering gravy until cooked through; this process will only take moments. Compile your sandwich with any/or all of the following: provolone, mozzarella, Italian beef, Chicago Johnny's Giardiniera, sweet peppers*. Using tongs, grab your whole sandwich & "dip" it into your simmering gravy for a flavorful Italian beef. *To make sweet peppers, slice 2-3 green bell peppers & sauté in olive oil, 7-10 cloves garlic, 1 tea black pepper, 2 tea sea salt; cook until peppers just start to soften.

CHICAGO-INSPIRED ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICH

Steps:

• Season beef with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Heat vegetable oil in a heavy pot over high heat. Cook and stir beef in hot oil until browned, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Stir garlic, vinegar, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, thyme, rosemary, 1 teaspoon black pepper, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes into beef. Pour enough chicken broth into beef mixture to cover the meat by 1 inch and bring to a simmer.
• Cover pot with a lid, reduce heat to low, and simmer until meat is fork-tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Transfer meat with a strainer or slotted spoon to a separate pot; pour about 1/4 cup of meat broth into pot. Use a wooden spoon to gently break meat into smaller chunks. Cover pot with a lid or aluminum foil and keep warm.
• Skim excess grease from top of broth remaining in the first pot; season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover pot with a lid or aluminum foil and keep broth warm.
• Lay halves of a roll out on a work surface and spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons meat broth over each half. Top bottom half of roll with a generous portion of meat and a spoonful of pickled vegetables. Place tops on sandwich. Repeat with remaining buns, broth, meat, and pickled vegetables to make 3 more sandwiches.
• Spoon hot meat broth into ramekins and top each ramekin with 1/2 teaspoon parsley. Serve sandwiches with hot broth for dipping.