Chicago Style Italian Beef Sandwiches
Last week, I spent time in my home town of Itasca, Illinois with my partner, Darren, and 2 of my dear friends from High School, PJ and Greg. When I asked PJ what her agenda for our visit included, she seemed pretty open, but had two requests: Chicago Style Pizza (we went to Lou Malanati's) and a Chicago Beef. For me, that meant only one thing....Johnnies. Perhaps it was the taste of memories, but every bite of that sandwich was like gazing into heaven. Tender, and succulent, with the Turano roll perfectly permeated with an unctuous au juice, punctuated perfectly with Chicago style spicy giardinara.
Trying to replicate this recipe was a challenge. There are many recipes out there, but in my experience, few come even close. With years of practice, this is the recipe I have arrived at. It does come with a caveat.....you need good, Chicago style Italian rolls and patience. Now, if you have a Chicago style hot dog joint in your town, there is a chance they serve Italian Beef. And if they serve Italian Beef, there is a chance they get good Italian sandwich rolls, which have an amazingly chewy crust, which you need for this sandwich. Ask them to buy a half dozen. You also need a Giardinara (hot peppers and vegetables packed in oil). You may have more luck finding Giardinara packed in vinegar, but it is not the same. Now if you can get these two items, I think you absolutely need to try this recipe. I would not ask you to spend 2-3 days on a recipe if it was not worth your time. Trust me, as a graduate student, I don't have much time to waste.
I hope you enjoy this sandwich--this taste of Chicago--as much as I do.
Serves 6-10 (depending on size of the roast)
INGREDIENTS
3-5 pound rump roast or sirloin roast ( I prefer sirloin)
6 cloves of garlic chopped fine
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp of dried basil
1 tsp of dried thyme
½ tsp majoram
½ tsp salt
½ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ tsp black pepper
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 cups of beef broth
1/2 cup of red wine
1/2 cup of water
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup additional broth
1 cup additional broth
Serving:
3 red and green bell peppers, sliced in ¼ inch slices
1 white onion, sliced in ¼ inch slices
pepperoncini
Hot Italian Giardinara (packed in oil)
Italian Rolls, preferably Turano (must have a good crusty exterior
and fluffy interior to hold up to the juices)
DIRECTIONS
Mix garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Rub the mixture into the beef. Massage it thoroughly. Place the beef in a large plastic bag and let sit 4 hours to overnight. Remove the roast and place on top of onion slices in a roasting pan. Pour in broth and wine and the additional 1 cup water, 1/2 t. salt and additional black pepper.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roast with no lid for about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours (depending on size of the roast) turning once within that time (roast to 120 degrees. A 3 lb. roast should be made with same ingredients and will take less than 1 ½ hours).
Remove roast and let stand on a rack over a rimmed baking sheet until completely cooled. Freeze for ½-1 hour, until lightly firm hour once cool. Reserve juice and skim off any additional fat.
Add 6 pepperoncini and 1 T. juice from jar to reserved juices. Reserve.
Remove roast from freezer and slice beef thin on a meat slicer or
thinly with a sharp knife (as thin as possible but not shredded). Put meat into juices and
let sit for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight (flavors will develop with time--I like to do overnight).
If using peppers, saute onions and peppers in oil until al dente.
When ready to eat, remove meat from the broth. Heat broth on low until hot. Dip in whatever meat you are using in the broth and let it gently warm for 30 seconds or so, but not much longer.
Slice your rolls and pile on that juicy beef. Add sweet peppers,
pepperoncini or giardinera and some additional juice. Enjoy. I know I do.
