Italian Beef Sandwiches West Sider Style Recipes

FAVORITE ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Drain the pepperoncini, reserving liquid. Remove and discard stems of peppers; set peppers aside. Cut roast into large chunks; place a third of the meat in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Add water., In a small bowl, combine the seasonings; sprinkle half over beef. Layer with half the remaining meat, then the onion and pepperoncini. Pour pepperoncini liquid over the top. Add remaining meat to slow cooker; sprinkle with remaining seasonings., Cover and cook on low until meat is tender, 8-9 hours. Shred beef with 2 forks. Using a slotted spoon, serve beef and peppers on rolls.,

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

Steps:

• Cut beef into 1/4-inch slices; cut slices crosswise in half.
• Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, onion, basil and oregano; stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned and tender.
• Reduce heat to medium-low. Add beef, broth and Worcestershire sauce to skillet. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove beef mixture with slotted spoon; divide beef mixture among rolls. Serve sandwiches with broth for dipping.

FAMILY-FAVORITE ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICHES

Steps:

• In a bowl, mix the first 7 ingredients. Place roast in a 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker. Pour pepperoncini mixture over top. Cook, covered, on low 8-10 hours or until meat is tender., Remove roast; cool slightly. Skim fat from cooking juices. Shred beef with 2 forks. Return beef and cooking juices to slow cooker; heat through. Serve on rolls. To make ahead: In a large resealable plastic freezer bag, combine the first seven ingredients. Add roast; seal bag and freeze. To use, place filled freezer bag in refrigerator 48 hours or until roast is completely thawed. Cook and serve as directed. Freeze option: Freeze cooled, cooked beef mixture in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally; add water if necessary.

ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Make slits in roast with a sharp knife, and insert garlic slivers. Place roast in a pan not much larger than the roast. Pour water into pan, and season roast with salt, black pepper, red pepper, and oregano.
• Cover, and bake in preheated oven for 2 hours, basting occasionally. Remove from oven, and let cool in roasting pan. Meat should be very rare. Wrap tightly and refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, Remove roast from pan, and slice as thinly as possible. Add a little water to roasting pan, and heat on stovetop, but do not boil. Stir to blend seasonings. When au jus is hot, add sliced beef just long enough to heat through. Serve on crusty Italian bread with au jus available for dipping.

CHICAGO-STYLE ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Place roast on a rack, in an open roasting pan, I use an 9" X 13" (230mm x 330mm) baking pan with the rack in it. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees (165 C), allowing 25 minutes per pound (55 min per kilo) , roast will be rare.
• Cool, and slice very thin, I use an electric slicer to do this. To the drippings in the pan, add the boiling water, bouillon cubes or granules, (1 bouillon cube for each cup of boiling water used). Add marjoram, thyme, oregano, hot pepper sauce, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, garlic cloves, and chopped green pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the thinly sliced beef and cover. Marinate in gravy in refrigerator overnight.
• Next day, heat thoroughly, and serve warm on the French bread, along with a crisp, green salad and plenty of napkins!
• Note: Our family loves the gravy so much that I usually double the gravy recipe so there is plenty to dip the beef sandwich into. We also like to put a lot of gravy on the bread before adding the meat. Sometimes we add barbecue sauce to the sandwich before eating it, for a different flavor, not a lot, just a touch, about 1 Tablespoon or less to taste.
• Courtesy of Joseph Strain.

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!