Chicago Italian Beef Sandwiches

Name: Chicago Italian Beef Sandwiches
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 150 min
Total time: 240 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 boneless beef chuck-eye roast trimmed and tied at 1-inch intervals; 1 tbsp kosher salt; 2 tsp pepper; 3 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 onions quartered; 2 carrots halved crosswise; 1 celery rib halved crosswise; 12 garlic cloves smashed and peeled; 1 tbsp tomato paste; 4 cup water; 2 tbsp Better Than Bouillon beef bouillon; 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 2 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp fennel seeds; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp granulated garlic; 1/4 tsp ground allspice; 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes; 6 sprig fresh thyme; 2 sprig fresh rosemary; 8 ciabatta sandwich rolls hinged; 1 cup Chicago-style giardiniera

Cuisine:American

Course:Dinner

30m prep 2h cook 4h ready

A classic Chicago sandwich featuring slow-cooked, thinly sliced beef simmered in a savory broth, served on crusty rolls with giardiniera.

Collect

Gather these ingredients - no prep needed yet.

1 tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp pepper
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
4 cup water
2 tbsp Better Than Bouillon beef bouillon
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
6 sprig fresh thyme
2 sprig fresh rosemary
1 cup Chicago-style giardiniera

Prepare

1 boneless beef chuck-eye roast, trimmed and tied at 1-inch intervals
Quarter 2 onions
2 carrots, halved crosswise
1 celery rib, halved crosswise
12 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
8 ciabatta sandwich rolls, hinged

Let's Cook

Step 1.

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 300 degrees. Pat the chuck-eye roast dry and sprinkle it all over with the kosher salt and pepper.
Step 2.

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the roast and brown on all sides, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes total. Transfer the roast to a large plate.
Step 3.

Add the quartered onions, halved carrots, halved celery rib, and smashed garlic cloves to the fat left in the pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are just softened, about 5 minutes.
Step 4.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in the water and beef bouillon, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Step 5.

Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, oregano, fennel seeds, coriander, granulated garlic, allspice, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes until combined.
Step 6.

Nestle the browned roast, thyme sprigs, and rosemary sprigs into the pot. Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover the pot and transfer it to the oven. Cook until the center of the roast registers 195 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 2 to 2¼ hours.
Step 7.

Transfer the pot to a wire rack, remove the lid, and let the roast and broth cool completely, about 1 hour.
Step 8.

Once cool, transfer the roast to a clean plate and cover it with plastic wrap. Using a slotted spoon, remove and discard the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and herb sprigs from the broth. Refrigerate the roast and broth separately until the meat is well chilled, at least 8 hours or up to 48 hours.
Step 9.

Remove the twine from the chilled roast and slice the roast in half lengthwise. Place the roast halves on a cutting board with the flat sides down, and slice each half crosswise as thin as possible.
Step 10.

Heat the reserved broth in the Dutch oven over medium heat until it reaches a bare simmer. Add the sliced meat and simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes.
Step 11.

Using tongs, divide the meat evenly among the 8 ciabatta rolls. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of the hot broth over the meat in each sandwich to moisten it.
Step 12.

Top each sandwich with about 2 tablespoons of Chicago-style giardiniera, plus extra to taste. Serve immediately.