WATCH: How to make Italian Beef Sandwiches
Italian Beef Sandwich Recipe
These Italian Beef Sandwiches are epic! They boast a dreamy symphony of flavors and textures but they are as easy as dump and simmer! These Italian Beef Sandwiches are a sandwich/meat lover’s heaven, but they are also your heaven because you can prep everything ahead of time and the only fixings you have to chop are the tomatoes and lettuce. They also make a fantastic sandwich bar so everyone can make their perfect sandwich. Finally, this Italian Beef makes great leftovers, should you be so lucky.
WHY IS IT CALLED ITALIAN BEEF?
Italian Beef sandwiches originated in Chicago as far back as the 1830s! Immigrants would bring home the unsold, undesirable cuts of beef from the stock yards. They would slow-roast it to tenderize it (making it much easier to eat!) and to allow the Italian seasoning to seep into the meat. It is said that this sandwich was served at weddings and other big events where guest lists were long. So, they always cut very thin slices in order to ensure that every guest got to eat meat. Today, we get to enjoy the same fabulous flavor and tender cuts of beef in our Italian Beef Sandwiches.
Italian Beef Sandwich Ingredients
Chuck roast: The chuck roast is cooked low and slow in a bath of low sodium beef broth, Coke to tenderize, Worcestershire sauce for a complex savory, tangy flavor, and soy sauce for umami. Pepperoncini juice is the secret ingredient for zippy tanginess. Lastly, the braising juices are seasoned with beef bouillon for a concentrated beefy flavor and a homemade Italian seasoning mix. Roasted red peppers: I use jarred roasted bell peppers, which can be found next to the pickles at the grocery store, but you can certainly roast your own! Make sure you pat the jarred bell peppers dry so they don’t get your other ingredients wet. You can slice or chop the bell peppers. Genoa salami: This salami is seasoned with garlic, salt, black and white pepper, and red or white wine. You can purchase the salami at the deli counter, or it is often pre-packaged with specialty deli meats. If you can’t find Genoa Salami, you can use your favorite salami. Capicola: This is also known as coppa, capocollo, or gabagool. It is a lightly spiced and smoked pork shoulder and one of the most delicious meats you can put on a sandwich. Some describe it as a cross between prosciutto and sausage in taste. It can be found in your grocery store’s deli or specialty meat section or at gourmet food shops. If you can’t find it, or don’t want to spend the $$ for it, then you may substitute smoked ham. Red onion: Slice the onions thinly so the flavor isn’t overwhelming. Tomatoes: Use ripe tomatoes so they are sweet but firm enough so they aren’t mushy. Iceberg lettuce: Finely chopped lettuce is served in the Italian beef sandwich way. It adds a fabulous fresh crunch. Red wine vinegar: A drizzle of red wine vinegar awakens the rest of the flavors.
Best meat for Italian Beef Sandwiches
There are many different cuts of beef that can be used for Italian Beef Sandwiches from bottom round, to top round, to shoulder roast to chuck roast. The boneless chuck roast, however, is the Mercedes of the roasts and should be used in this recipe for the BEST Italian Beef Sandwiches. Boneless Chuck roast has a melt-in-your mouth texture and succulent, beefy flavor due to its rich marbling. The marbling creates a self-basting effect as it breaks down and drips over the meat, resulting in tender beef every time! A few notes about the beef in this Italian Beef recipe:
This recipe call for 3 pounds of chuck roast, but the beef can be more or less than 3 pounds because the seasonings and juice are very forgiving. Use boneless beef chuck roast that is thick cut and not rolled and tied with a string. If you use a larger chuck roast, you may need to cut it into two portions to fit into your slow cooker. If so, take care you sear all sides of each portion.
How do you make Italian Beef Tender?
While many Italian Beef Sandwiches have good meat, this Italian beef is AMAZING! The secret to this practically fall-apart-tender meat and exploding flavor? We remove the roast while its still firm enough to hold together and cut it into thin slices, then add back to the slow cooker along with pepperoncini juice to tenderizes for another 1-2 hours as it soak up even more flavor. So so much flavor.
WHAT ARE PEPPERONCINI?
You might be familiar with pepperoncini if you have made my Mississippi Pot Roast in which they are a main ingredient. In this Italian Beef Sandwich Recipe, we aren’t going to use the pepperoncini itself while we cook the beef, but rather the juices from the pepperoncini jar. You can (and should) use the pepperoncini peppers on your sandwich as a topping. Pepperoncini are type of mild, yellow-green chili pepper that belong to the same family as bell peppers. When pickled, they deliver more of a tangy zing and their juices boast the same tangy zing. You don’t need to worry about the Italian Beef being too spicy, however, it will just be wonderfully flavorful.
Where Can I Buy pepperoncini?
Pepperoncini typically come in a glass jar. They are easy to find at your grocery store next to the sandwich condiments such as pickles, banana peppers and pickled red bell peppers.
What Bread for Italian Beef Sandwiches?
I find the best bread for Italian Beef Sandwiches are either sturdy French Bread or Italian bread. You can also usually find good rolls at the bakery section of grocery. You want something sturdy enough to be piled with toppings and not crispy like a baguette or too soft like some rolls. You can leave you bread as is, or sometimes I hollow out the bottom a little bit to cradle in meat and toppings.
How to make Italian Beef Sandwiches
Italian Beef Sandwiches are very easy to make because the slow cooker does most of the work! Simply sear the meat, add it to the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients, cook, slice, then simmer some more. Here is a step by step breakdown:
Italian Beef Toppings
I topped my Italian Beef Sandwiches with the following which I highly recommend for a satisfying, well rounded, flavor, texture bomb:
How to Assemble Italian Beef Sandwiches
What to serve with hot roast beef sandwiches
These Italian Beef Sandwiches are a meal in themselves piled high with toppings! You can also serve them up with your favorite side salad, or you can load your beef on top of a bed of rice or mashed potatoes and layer with your veggies of choice. Here are a few more side ideas:
Italian Pasta Salad with Tortellini Cucumber Tomato Salad with Italian Dressing Baked Parmesan fries Potato Salad Million Dollar Macaroni and Cheese Baked Beans with Brown Sugar and Bacon Kicked Up Classy Creamy Potato Salad Strawberry Avocado Broccoli Salad Creamy Grape Salad Slow Cooker Creamed Corn Cowboy Pasta Salad Creamy Bacon Pea Pasta Salad Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Ranch Perfect Fruit Salad
WHAT IS ITALIAN BEEF DIPPED IN?
Some people like to dip their Italian Beef Sandwich in the jus it cooked in, like you would a French Dip sandwich, but this is optional. I find the Italian Beef Itself is plenty flavorful without dipping. If you choose to use the jus, you may want to separate the fat. The easiest way to do this is by pouring the juices into a fat separator with a spout. If you don’t have one, a freezer bag works great! To separate fat with a freezer bag:
Allow juices to cool a little so they don’t melt through the bag. Add the slow cooker juices to the freezer bag. Allow the fat to separate to the top. Seal the bag and hold over a bowl so that one bottom corner tip is facing down into the measuring cup like a spout. Make a small cut in this corner with scissors. The bottom liquid will flow through the cut into the bag without the fat and into the large measuring cup.
CAN I STORE ITALIAN BEEF IN THE REFRIGERATOR?
You should store your cooked Italian Beef in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I like to refrigerate mine with some of the slow cooker juices for extra moisture and flavor. When stored correctly, cooked beef will keep fresh for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. You can even eat it straight from the fridge!
HOW DO I REHEAT MY ITALIAN BEEF?
While you can eat your Italian Beef cold from the fridge, if you want a little warmth, you can reheat it in the microwave at 30-60 second increments. Don’t forget to reheat it in a little bit of your jus to prevent it from drying out.
Can I make Italian Beef Sandwiches Ahead of Time?
The Italian Beef is delicious served cold, so feel free to make it completely ahead of time! You can also make it ahead of time and gently warm. I will often cook my Italian Beef then remove the slow cooker ceramic insert and refrigerate the beef in the juices. The next day, I skim off all the hardened fat then cook on LOW in the slow cooker for 1-2 hours until warmed through.
CAN You Freeze ITALIAN BEEF?
Yes, you certainly can! To freeze Italian Beef:
Looking for more Beef Recipes?
Slow Cooker Beef Brisket Sandwiches Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches Mississippi Pot Roast Mom’s Pot Roast Beef Stroganoff Slow Cooker Beef Tips and Gravy Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa Slow Cooker Beef Stew
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