This Classic Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich is a labor of love for a juicy and flavorful masterpiece. If you're not within 1 hour of Chicago, you need to learn how to make this!
Looking for more delicious sandwiches? Try our Eggplant Caprese Grilled Cheese or Eggplant Parm Sandwich!
A Quick Look at The Recipe
- ✅Recipe Name: Italian Beef Sandwich
- ⏲️Ready in: 3 hours (+ 1 day for marinating)
- 👪Makes: 10 sandwiches (at least)
- 📋Main ingredients: Top round, Beef stock, Giardiniera.
- ⭐Why You'll Love This Recipe: If you love classic Italian American regional classics, then this is one you need to try at home. No one is saying it's simple, but it is definitely delicious.
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Why This Recipe
Roast beef is not a recipe I like messing up. A top round can cost around $50, depending on the size, and no one likes to waste $50 on so-so food. And I've wasted upwards of $400 perfecting this recipe. I ate all the waste, but you get it, haha.
I've tested this Italian beef so many times with different cooking methods and apparatuses to make sure you can achieve the same results at home. This is not necessarily a difficult recipe, but without specific tips and advice, it can easily go sideways.
I've made sure this Italian beef recipe, although not easy in itself, is an easy recipe to follow so you get the same results as I, or some guy getting lunch in a Chicago sandwich spot.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Top Round Roast Beef- Chicago Italian beef is traditionally made with top round or bottom round roast beef. A lot of home cooking recipes will substitute chuck roast because it is a more marbled meat and is easier to cook. Chuck roast will fall apart and be shreddable, whereas top round and bottom round can be sliced when cooked just perfectly, making it more authentic to traditional Italian beef recipes.
- Beef Stock- It's best to use a Homemade Beef Stock when making Italian beef because it will make a flavorful au jus with natural gelatin from beef bones. Always use beef stock, not beef broth.
- Giardiniera- I buy a jar of giardiniera, chop it up, and place it in a mason jar with olive oil. If I want it to be extra spicy, I'll add Calabrian chili peppers in oil.
- Provolone- A picante provolone is used in this classic sandwich, but I've seen mozzarella and fontina before.
- Rolls- While most Italian classics will call for Italian bread or semolina bread. Soft rolls are best for Italian beef sandwiches because you want them sturdy enough to hold the meat, but you want them to easily soak up the au jus.
- Italian Seasoning- You can assort your own homemade Italian seasoning or use your favorite brand.
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on the ingredients.
How to Make an Italian Beef Sandwich
Being an Italian-American displaced in the south means that I need all my favorite Northeast and Midwest classics at my disposal. I've tested this recipe over and over again to make sure you can get the same flavor you'll find in the windy city.
Step 1: Season the top round of beef with salt on all sides. You can place it on a plate or rack in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight. Remove from the fridge 1 hour before cooking.
Step 2: Preheat the oven to 300℉. Add olive oil to a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the roast beef on all sides until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Step 3: Lower the heat to medium. Add butter, crushed garlic, and Italian seasoning. Sauté the garlic for 4-5 minutes. Then add the beef stock and bring to a simmer.
Step 4: Place the roast beef in the Dutch oven and coat it with the butter and stock on all sides. Place the roast beef in the oven and cook for 2-3 hours or until the temperature reaches 185℉. Remove the roast beef from the Dutch oven and rest for 1 hour.
Pro-tip: If you're not using the same size Dutch oven as me, you may need more or less stock. You don't want the roast beef to be completely submerged, but the stock should be halfway up the roast beef.
Step 5: If you don't have giardiniera in oil, or yours is in a jar with large pieces, take it out and chop it. Then place it in a jar or bowl with olive oil while the roast beef is cooking.
Step 6: Strain the au jus through a mesh strainer and set it aside. Slice the roast beef with a sharp knife. The thinner you can slice it, the better.
Step 7: In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the au jus and bring it to a low simmer. Add the sliced beef to the au jus to warm it up.
Step 8: Slice open the bread and top with provolone. Toast in the oven until the cheese is melted. Top with roast beef and giardiniera. Serve hot and dip in the extra au jus.
Italian roasts make the best sandwiches, like Authentic Italian Porchetta or an Italian Pork Sandwich. This Chicago Italian beef sandwich rivals all of the best regional sandwiches, especially when soaked in au jus!
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Pro-Tips
- You have 3 options for giardiniera. Make your own homemade giardiniera. Buy a jar of sandwich-ready giardiniera in oil. Buy a jar of giardiniera, chop up the vegetables, and place them in a mason jar with olive oil while the beef cooks.
- Choosing your rolls is important. You don't want a hard bread like a baguette or Italian semolina bread. Choose a soft roll, like a hoagie, which will make for the best bread to dip the sandwich in au jus.
- The roast beef will appear overcooked. But cooking it to 185 degrees F will make it tender and perfectly slicable. Once it is reheated in the au jus, it will be really juicy and tender because it will be cut thin.
- Cut the roast beef as thin as possible to make it tender. If you cut it thick, it will be really chewy. It's best to use a slicer or a really sharp knife to cut.
- It's best to marinate the meat overnight because the salt will have more time to penetrate the meat and tenderize it.
Storing and Reheating Italian Beef
The best way to store Italian beef is to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator, unsliced. Slice the meat as you plan to use it, so it doesn't dry out. It will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days if wrapped tightly.
Reheat Italian beef in a saucepan in the au jus. This is not a dish that should be reheated in the microwave. It will immediately dry out.
FAQs about Italian Beef Sandwiches
Much more easily! Just buy a pound of sliced roast beef from the deli counter. Reheat the roast beef in au jus and put it on the sandwich. Less control over flavor, but also still delicious.
Two major reasons it dries out are not enough beef stock and not checking the temperature. You need to do exact temperature checks to achieve the same results as we do here. Also if you're using a different sized dutch oven, you may need more stock. The stock should be halfway up the roast beef when it's placed in the Dutch oven.
You want chopped and marinated giardiniera. But you can also buy regular giardiniera with whole vegetables and chop it up at home. Then you just place it in a jar with olive oil while your beef is cooking.
Regional Italian Classics
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Italian Beef Sandwich
Equipment
- 1 Large Dutch Oven
- 1 mesh strainer
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 instant-read thermometer
Ingredients
- 4-5 lbs top round beef
- 1.5 cups beef stock
- 2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoon salt
- 16 oz jar giardiniera
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 10 soft rolls
- ½ lbs sliced picante provolone
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
Instructions
- Season the top round of beef with salt on all sides. You can place it on a plate or rack in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight. Remove from the fridge 1 hour before cooking.
- Preheat the oven to 300℉. Add olive oil to a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the roast beef on all sides until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Lower the heat to medium. Add butter, crushed garlic, and Italian seasoning. Sauté the garlic for 4-5 minutes. Then add the beef stock and bring to a simmer.
- Place the roast beef in the Dutch oven and coat it with the butter and stock on all sides. Place the roast beef in the oven and cook for 2-3 hours or until the temperature reaches 185℉. Remove the roast beef from the Dutch oven and rest for 1 hour.
- Strain the au jus through a mesh strainer and set it aside. Slice the roast beef with a sharp knife. The thinner you can slice it, the better.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the au jus and bring it to a low simmer. Add the sliced beef to the au jus to warm it up.
- Slice open the bread and top with provolone. Toast in the oven until the cheese is melted. Top with roast beef and giardiniera. Serve hot and dip in the extra au jus.
Video
Notes
- You have 3 options for giardiniera. Make your own homemade giardiniera. Buy a jar of sandwich-ready giardiniera in oil. Buy a jar of giardiniera, chop up the vegetables, and place them in a mason jar with olive oil while the beef cooks.
- Choosing your rolls is important. You don't want a hard bread like a baguette or Italian semolina bread. Choose a soft roll, like a hoagie, which will make for the best bread to dip the sandwich in au jus.
- The roast beef will appear overcooked. But cooking it to 185 degrees F will make it tender and perfectly slicable. Once it is reheated in the au jus, it will be really juicy and tender because it will be cut thin.
- Cut the roast beef as thin as possible to make it tender. If you cut it thick, it will be really chewy. It's best to use a slicer or a really sharp knife to cut.
- It's best to marinate the meat overnight because the salt will have more time to penetrate the meat and tenderize it.
Vincent DelGiudice says
This is a labor of love absolutely worth making if you enjoy a top notch sandwich. My family really enjoyed the testing process for this sandwich! Let us know what you think!