Cooking The Episode The Bears Italian Beef Sandwich Is The Most Iconic Sandwich In Chicago Recipes

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!

CHICAGO ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICH

Steps:

• Rub meat with dry ingredients, cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
• Add meat to a roasting pan with bacon fat, add onions and garlic, saute for 15 minutes, deglaze with wine, and add Worcestershire sauce, beef stock and bay leaves.
• Place roasting pan in the oven and cook for 3 hours, uncovered, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 135 degrees F in center. Remove, let cool, then slice very thin.
• Cool broth in roasting pan and remove the fat that rises to the top. Strain.
• Reheat the broth, and add the sliced meat. Place some meat on each toasted roll, ladle with some broth and top with giardiniera vegetables and red peppers.

'THE BEAR' ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICH RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Pat the beef dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of the salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. Sprinkle the mixture all over the roast and use your hands to rub the seasoning into the meat on all sides.
• In a large, heavy-bottom, oven-proof pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the roast and brown well on all sides, using tongs to turn it as needed, 7 to 10 minutes total. Remove the meat from the pan and rest it on a plate. Leave any rendered fat in the pan.
• Add the garlic and onion to the pan and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until very fragrant and just barely beginning to brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute, being careful not to let it burn. Immediately pour in the beef stock, and with a wooden spoon scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any stuck-on bits of beef. Stir in the bouillon, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, crushed chili flakes, optional celery seeds, paprika and the remaining 1 tablespoon of salt and 1½ teaspoons of pepper.
• Return the beef to the pan and turn it a few times in the broth to moisten it all over. Slide the pan into the oven and cook, covered with aluminum foil, until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 125 to 150 degrees, about 1 hour. Remove from oven, let cool and then chill the beef in the braising liquid - pan and all - in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
• Remove from refrigerator and, if desired, skim the layer of fat from the top and discard. While still cold, transfer the roast to a cutting board and use a large, sharp knife to slice the entire roast as thinly as possible - ⅛ inch thick or less (the thinner, the better). Meanwhile, return the pan with the jus to the stovetop over medium-low heat and bring to a simmer. Place the sliced meat in the pan with the jus and cook gently until the beef is warmed through and no longer pink, 10 to 12 minutes.
• In the meantime, heat the oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. Slice the rolls lengthwise, partway but not all of the way through the equator, leaving the top and bottom attached to each other with a 1- to 2-inch "hinge." Lay the rolls on the parchment, open side down. Toast them in the oven until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• To assemble the sandwiches, hold a roll in the palm of one hand with the opening facing up and the hinge resting in your palm. Holding the roll over the pan of meat, use tongs to lift a few slices of beef out of the jus and nestle them into the roll. Allow for plenty of jus to moisten the bread, spooning more of the liquid over the meat if the bread is too dry. Fill each roll with as much of the beef as you can fit - and then add a little more. Garnish with giardiniera to taste.

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.