Italian Beef Recipe

➤ Introduction for Italian Beef Recipe

I grew up eating Italian beef sandwiches in Chicago, and let me tell you, you can’t find anything like this anywhere else. My family, like so many Italian families that came here to Chicago back in the 1930s, developed this tradition, which is basically a religion here.

The way we make Italian beef recipe is very simple, but will take to your that forever! You take this big roast and let it cook low and slow in the most amazing broth with an unhealthy amount of garlic, oregano, and the yummy Italian stuff my nonna used to put in there. Then you let it sit, and sit, and sit until it is so tender, you can look at it wrong, and it falls apart!

What makes it special, is the cooking liquid – we call it jus, and it is like liquid gold. When you order your sandwich, you have to decide how wet you want it. I always go full wet, because there is no other way to eat it, but you’re going to need about ten napkins, and you will most likely dribble all over yourself.

The bread has to be this crusty Italian roll that can actually hold up to all that juice without falling apart in your hands. Then you pile on either the hot giardiniera – which will light your mouth on fire in the best way – or sweet peppers if you’re not into the heat.

➤ Why I Love This Italian Beef Recipe

• You know what is exciting about making Italian beef at home? You can really get that Chicago flavor and not have to fly to Chicago. I’ve made this same recipe, which is plenty simple, many, many times, and every time people ask me how it tastes exactly like what they got from their favorite beef stand.
• The beef comes out so unbelievably tender that it needs little assistance to shred. After slow cooking for hours, it is fork-tender – hell, you could probably cut it with a butter knife. It is one of those foods that melts in your mouth.

• What I really appreciate about this recipe is its versatility. Sure, you can stick to the Italian beef sandwiches, but I made this on a Sunday over pasta, and my family could not get enough. Sometimes if I feel adventurous, I’ll put it over rice. It works with whatever you have going on.

➤ Italian Beef Recipe Ingredients

For the Beef Stuff:

•Grab like 3-4 lbs of beef chuck roast or bottom round—whatever’s cheap or in the fridge, honestly.
•Splash in 2 big spoons of olive oil.
•Slice up 2 honkin’ onions (thin, unless you like ‘em chunky, I don’t judge).
•Smash up 6 garlic cloves. Mince them if you’re feeling fancy.
•2 cups beef broth (the boxed stuff works, I swear).
•1 cup water.
•Glug in 1/4 cup red wine vinegar.

Seasoning Magic:

•2 big spoons Italian seasoning.
•1 spoon garlic powder.
•1 spoon onion powder.
•2 teaspoons salt (or whatever tastes right—taste as you go, no one’s stopping you).
•1 teaspoon black pepper.
•1 teaspoon paprika.
•1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
•1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, ‘cause why not.

To Pile It On:

•6 to 8 Italian rolls or just some French bread—toast ‘em if you wanna be extra.
•Giardiniera (go mild or get wild, your call).
•Sweet peppers (optional, but come on, they’re tasty).
•Provolone cheese (also optional, unless you hate joy).

➤ How to Make Italian Beef Recipe

1 • Season the beef:

• Take all your seasoning ingredients and mix them up in a small bowl – I usually just use whatever small bowl I have sitting around. Then you’re gonna rub that seasoning mixture all over your roast. I mean really get in there and cover every single surface. Don’t be shy about it – you want that flavor on every bit of the meat. I usually just use my hands and really massage it in there so it sticks good.

2 • Brown the beef:

•Pour the olive oil into a large Dutch oven or similar heavy pot, heat to medium-high and take the seasoned roast and sear on all sides until a beautiful brown crust develops. Brown each side for 3-4 minutes, and don’t hurry this step. You want to see all the lovely caramelization where flavor lives with this roast. Just flip it and continue until every side is brown and smells amazing.

3 • Add aromatics:

•Take that beef out and set it aside for now. In that same pot with all those beautiful browned bits, throw in your sliced onions and let them cook for about 5 minutes until they start getting soft and smell amazing. Then toss in that minced garlic and cook it for just one more minute – you’ll know it’s ready when you can really smell that garlic hitting the oil.

4 • Make the sauce:

•Go ahead and nestle that beef back into the pot. Pour in your beef broth, water, and apple cider vinegar – or lemon juice if that’s what you’ve got on hand instead of red wine vinegar. The liquid should come about halfway up the sides of your roast, maybe a little more.

5 • Cook slowly:

•Let everything come up to a gentle boil, then turn that heat way down to low. Cover it up and let it do its thing for 3 to 4 hours. Every once in a while, hit the roast and turn it so that it is cooking evenly. You’ll know that it is done when you can stick a fork in it, and it just breaks apart.

6 • Shred the beef:

•Pull that beef out of the pot and let it cool down for a few minutes so you don’t burn your fingers. Then grab two forks and start shredding it into thin strips. Just pull it apart – it should come apart super easily. Toss any big chunks of fat you don’t want.

7 • Strain the au jus:

•Strain that cooking liquid through a fine-mesh strainer to catch the onion chunks, and garlic bits – you want that liquid gold to be smooth as silk, however if you see fat on top of your liquid you can skim it off. Typically, I will just leave some of the fat in because I think it adds so much flavor!

8 • Mix and serve:

•Return the freshly shredded beef to the rich, drained jus and gently fold it back in. Keep it on a low flame to stay warm and flavorful. At this point your kitchen is smelling so good that your neighbors might start knocking on your door.

8 • Assemble sandwiches:

•Now for the fun part; pile that saucy, tender beef as high as you can on the crusty Italian rolls. Don’t even think about being conservative here. If you want some heat, pile on the hot giardiniera, or sweet peppers if you want to play it safe, or hell, do both if you feel so inclined. Set out bowls of your extra jus because the proper Chicago way is to dip that sandwich until it’s so messy you’ll need a fork and about twenty napkins.

➤ Italian Beef Recipe Tips & Variations

• Once you have browned that beef, just throw everything in your slow cooker and leave it LOW for 6 – 8 hours. This is perfect for when you want to prepare a meal in the morning and just come home to an amazing dinner.
• If you do not want to hover over it on the stove, cover the pot and place it in a 325°F oven for 3 – 4 hours instead. You will get the same result with less work.
• You have complete control over how spicy this gets by using mild or hot giardiniera – or do what I do and have both out so everyone can choose their own adventure.

➤ Serving Suggestions for Italian Beef Recipe

• I will always eat Italian Beef Recipe on those crusty Italian rolls with giardiniera and sweet peppers – that’s how my family taught me and I’m not about to change it now.
• But I’ve started doing this thing where I spoon it over pasta. Then I use that au jus as the sauce. The kids absolutely love it, and it takes me back to Sunday dinners when I was a kid.
• I usually throw some Italian fries or roasted potatoes on the side, because those things soak up all that jus that spills everywhere. Actually makes everything better.

If you loved making this Italian Beef Recipe, you’re gonna go crazy for my ground beef recipes too. They’re so much quicker to throw together on busy weeknights, won’t break the bank, and still give you that same rich, hearty beef flavor that makes your whole house smell incredible. I use a lot of the same seasonings and techniques, just with ground beef instead of roast.

➤ Storage and Leftovers

• I keep the beef and au jus in separate containers in my fridge; they should be good for about 4 days. I learned this the hard way when I mixed everything together once, and it became mush.
• If storing longer, I freeze in containers for up to 3 months. I typically make a large batch and freeze half for those lazy nights.
• When I reheat it, I do it slowly on the stovetop and will sometimes add more broth because it tends to thicken when stored in the fridge. I want to emphasize; do NOT rush it! If you’re not slow, it will dry out the beef.

➤ Italian Beef Recipe FAQs

Q: What cut of beef should I use?

⤷ A: I always choose chuck or bottom round roast; the reason is because they fall apart like butter when stewed low and slow. Don’t waste money on expensive cuts, these cuts actually steer the success of this recipe.

Q: What is giardiniera?

⤷ A: It’s an incredible Chicago-style pickled vegetable mix that includes celery, sweet pepper, cauliflower, carrots, and hot peppers – all packed in oil. You can probably find it in most grocery store now, although the real deal from Chicago is so much better if you can get it.

Q: How do I make the sandwich “wet” or juicy?

⤷ A: The real Chicago-way to do this is by taking your entire sandwich (in your hand) and dipping it very quickly into that warm au jus before devouring it whole. Yes, it will be greatly messy! But that is literally the whole point of this sandwich. Alternatively, if you find yourself too intimidated to take the plunge, just serve the leftover sauce as a dipping sauce.

Q: Am I able to use this Italian beef recipe to prepare several Italian beef sandwiches, and can I utilize this Italian beef recipe for meal prep?

⤷ A: Yes, yes, and yes! This Italian beef recipe is ideal for preparing as many sandwiches as you’ll need – I get about 12-15 sandwiches out of a single batch. The Italian beef recipe is great for meal prep because the flavor is even better after sitting overnight. I usually make this Italian beef recipe on Sundays and consume it all week.