And now it’s out of the oven and cooling. The roast I bought was half the size the recipe said to use, so I also halved the amount of stock and spices. This may have been a mistake. I roasted it uncovered, like the recipe said to do (in bold type, no less), and most of it boiled off during the cooking. There’s nowhere near enough left to simmer the slices in tomorrow. I’m going to need to add more stock tomorrow I guess (or maybe just water, since the stuff left behind is basically really concentrated stock). I am wondering if the eye of round was indeed to lean of a cut, and something fattier would have left more juices in the pan to compensate for the water that boiled off.
I used chuck and it was delicious. IMO leaner is almost never better when it comes to meat.
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I have never heard of anyone dry brining the beef for Italian beef. I mean, it couldn’t hurt, but I don’t believe that is standard.
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Yes, when I make mine, I roast and slice the next day to get nice clean slices. As mentioned, you’re looking for really thin slices, as thin as you can get it before it falls apart.
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I suppose that sounds reasonable. Don’t be afraid to use beef bouillon if you need to – I’ve heard many places use it to help boost the flavor of the jus.
How far you should roast it seems to be a matter of debate. I roast mine to about medium and finish cooking in the jus, as mentioned before. I know Al’s beef (one of the iconic joints in Chicago) has said in interviews they roast theirs well (and they use top sirloin, letting it cool for 24 hours after cooking.)
Here’s the end result of my attempt:
I chilled it for ~24 hours, sliced it as thin as I could by hand, and returned it to the jus (which as mentioned before, I had to add extra water and bouillon to). For bread I used a Trader Joe’s ciabatta baguette. I spooned a little of the jus over the meat after I piled it on to the sandwich, then added the peppers.
Verdict: Was it exactly like what you’d get at a beef joint in Chicago? No (as predicted, because I had to slice it by hand I couldn’t get it nearly as thin). Was it still a tasty sandwich? Yes.
I do have to say, that is a reasonable-looking Italian beef sandwich, and you did a good job slicing by hand.
That looks like it turned out great- congrats!
I had planned to try doing it all- a 3-hour roast in the oven, slice and finish cooking the slices in the Au jus all today, since we had a day wedding to go to yesterday. But since it sounds like the cooling in the fridge step is helpful for getting thin slices (thanks @pulykamell for your answers) I did the initial cook last night, searing the roast, carmelizing onions, and blooming spices, then I threw it all in the Instant Pot with beef stock and pressure cooked it for 1/2 hour. Got the roast to an internal temp of 165F, which is pretty good I think- medium to well but not so cooked it’s shreddable. Now roast and Au jus is in the fridge waiting to be sliced and simmered together tonight. I’ll share a pic of my own when it’s done.
Here’s my sandwich. I’ve never had an authentic Chicago Italian beef, so I have no frame of reference for how mine compares, but it turned out very tasty. My wife said it was ‘fabulous’. I think I really nailed the spices with the au jus.
Couple things I can do better next time-- as thin as I thought I had sliced the beef with an electric carving knife, it could have been a little thinner. I think I need to get me a deli slicer!
Also, I got the ‘Italian mix’ Giardiniera since it was all I could find in the store, along with an extra jar of sliced pepperocinis. I think I need to get the Hot Chicago Style Giardiniera Sandwich Mix next time. The sourness of the vinegar in the Giardiniera and little bit of heat from the pepperocinis is a nice counterpoint to the savoriness of the beef and au jus. Hey, I had a thought-- I have some kimchee in the fridge and a lot of Italian beef left-- I bet an Italian / Asian fusion sandwich for lunch might be good… 
The Italian beef that I’ve had was strips in the bread and not a glob. Maybe I should try the glob style and compare. I do know I like sweet green pepper strips in it also.
Looks great! The Italian style mix you bought was probably just pickled vegetables. In Chicago style, they are pickled and then drained and packed in oil, sometimes with additional seasonings. Roasted green peppers are a common topping, so a beef can be enjoyed: hot, sweet, or hot & sweet with both giardiniera and roasted green peppers. And then dry, wet, or dipped (sometimes terminology may vary.) Dry is without additional jus. Wet has some jus splashed on the beef. Dipped, the entire sandwich is quickly dipped in a pot of jus. I’d say wet and dipped are the most popular ways to enjoy it. I do dipped, hot and sweet usually. Dry, to me, misses half the point of the experience.
Yeah, I definitely have to get the Hot Chicago Style Giardiniera Sandwich Mix next time, or maybe try making my own.
No doubt-- the jus makes the sandwich. What’s the point of going dry? I went wet, with more jus on the side for dippin’.
I’m thinking they want 1-2 days of dry aging and the salt is to prevent unwanted contamination. But I agree the salt is probably unnecessary.
A tablespoon of beef Better then Bullion would hit the spot.
I did end up doing that, and I think that’s another argument not to dry-brine the beef first. By not dry-brining, and starting with a low-sodium beef stock, I had plenty of room to add BtB and otherwise adjust the flavor of the jus when I reheated it before adding the sliced beef back in, without fear of it becoming too salty.
Since I could not quite slice the beef deli-thin, it was just a little bit tough last night…so for lunch I’m going to pressure-cook the leftover beef slices and au jus in the Instant Pot for 15 minutes, to try to get it falling-apart tender.
I believe Aldi distributes genuine Chicago-style giardineria nationally under their Tuscan Garden brand. It’s also available at Potbelly sandwich shops.
The sweet peppers should not be pickled like most of the jarred/canned ones. Green bell peppers (who can afford fresh red peppers right now?!?), cored & halved, maybe quartered if large. I roast mine over fire, ideally charcoal or wood, but usually the kitchen range burners (else broiler). Let the skins blacken & pop. When they sort of slump, close into an airtight-ish insulated-ish container to steam. I usually use a produce bag & towel. Do them in batches, adding cooked peppers to the others and keep up the heat. Let cool till you can comfortably peel them by hand, lightly rubbing with a paper napkin should do it.
Ugh, wet and soggy bread is just about the worst texture nightmare ever foisted on food. I’ll enjoy mine dry, thankya.
By my reading, it’s supposed to be hard, crusty bread, not soft bread, so even wet it doesn’t have a soggy texture.
It normally is pretty crusty bread. That doesn’t keep it from being soggy once fluid is applied, though. I’ve had it both wet and dry (at both Portillo’s and Al’s), I definitely prefer mine dry
I suspect it’s down to a strong personal preference. For me, I want the meat moist, but not causing structural failure in the sammich, so no splash BUT I’ll personally dip bite by bite in a cup of jus.
If that’s not an option, a lightly toasted crusty roll, WITH a decent coating on the cut portions with fat (melted butter, ghee, olive oil) allows a wetter filling without excessive soggination.
I tried one dipped the last time I was in Chicago (from Luke’s, near the Sears Tower), and I think that was a little too soggy for my taste. I do like the meat moist, though, so I guess I like mine wet, but not dipped.
Here’s something I’ve been contemplating – what if I just got some roast beef from the deli, simmered some stock with the spices, and warmed up the beef in the stock? I wonder if that would produce a reasonable approximation of Italian beef, on days when I don’t have time for all the roasting, chilling, and slicing (and it would solve the problem of slicing the meat thin enough by hand).
I think that if you wanted to go for an easy/quick option, rather than paying a premium for deli roast beef (even the cheapest stuff I see there is $14.99 on sale) I’d buy a package of “shaved steak” or the like, which is $7.99 for 14 ounces. Cheaper and you’d probably end up at least as close as the original.
I used to buy those on rare occasion, but they’ve been hit hard by the shrinkflation and general inflation of food, especially beef, and so I don’t think I’ve done so since early Covid. Of course, my purchases of any beef at the store are darn minimal due to those prices! Using chuck or round is a lot more work (and time), but I can still occasionally see those on sale for $4.99/lb or a few cents less.
Is there a big difference between Italian beef and French dip? Other than peppers (not typically in French dip) and the fact that customers typically do their own dipping in French dip. The au jus my be different. definitely similar concepts.
Brian
Who’s favorite sandwich is a French Dip – if I see it on the menu 95% chance of ordering it.