Chicago Style Italian Beef
Beef Stand Goodness At Home
My Chicago Style Italian Beef Sandwiches combine perfectly seasoned round roast with a deeply flavorful au jus made from green peppers, sweet onions, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, and oregano. The thin sliced beef gets piled high onto crusty rolls then it is drenched in the rich gravy mixture for the ultimate homemade Chicago-inspired sandwich.
I came up with this recipe because I was absolutely craving an Italian beef and I get so many requests for an Italian beef recipe. I love the classic slow cooker versions made with chuck roast, you know the one with seasoning packets or even the Mississippi style versions.
Still, I wanted to create something that felt a little more Chicago style. I am not claiming this is an authentic Italian beef by any means, but the flavors are definitely reminiscent of the kind of beef you would get from an old school Chicago beef stand.
What Is Worcestershire Powder”
One of the questions I know I will get asked is ‘what is Worcestershire powder?’ Worcestershire powder is simply a condensed dry version of Worcestershire sauce that I use in a lot of my recipes here on The Tipsy Housewife.
If you search “Worcestershire powder” on my site you’ll find lots of other recipes where I use it.
You can absolutely substitute regular Worcestershire sauce in this recipe if that is what you have on hand. I usually order mine from Amazon and a quick search will bring up several different varieties.
Honestly, I have not noticed a huge difference between brands.
Sugar On The Beef
The other question I know I am going to get asked is ‘why the sugar?’ The sugar helps the outside of the beef caramelize a little more while roasting.
It will also help balance the flavor of the peppers in the gravy mixture.
Green peppers can sometimes have a sharper bite to them so the small amount of sugar softens that flavor just enough without making anything taste sweet. That is also why I suggest peeling the peppers if you have a sharp enough vegetable peeler.
It helps mellow the texture and flavor a bit while still keeping that classic Italian beef style pepper flavor.
Beef Broth Or Consommé
Now you can absolutely use regular beef broth for this recipe, but if you want an even richer and slightly more old school flavor, you can substitute two cans of Campbell’s beef consommé along with three cans of water. The consommé gives the au jus a deeper beef flavor and a silky texture that works really well with the thin sliced roast beef and roasted peppers.
I used 1 1/2 cups of beef broth along with one can of Campbell’s beef consommé because I personally like the gravy a little richer and slightly thicker. Keep in mind that the peppers and onions release quite a bit of liquid while they cook.
You are also adding in the reserved meat drippings, so the au jus will naturally build plenty of flavor and volume as everything roasts together.
Slicing The Beef
Refrigerating the meat overnight will make it much easier to slice thinly. I highly recommend planning ahead if you can.
Make sure your knife is very sharp as well!
Another helpful trick for this recipe is investing in a good meat thermometer. Roasts like this will continue cooking at least another 10 degrees after you pull them from the oven.
In this recipe, the beef should look a little rare, even if you normally do not like rare meat. Once the hot au jus gets poured over the sliced beef it will continue cooking slightly.
If you overcook the roast in the oven, the final sandwich can end up a little too tough instead of tender and juicy.
Making The Pepper and Onion Au Jus
If you would rather make the peppers, onions, and gravy mixture in a slow cooker, you absolutely can. Add the chopped green peppers, onion, garlic, sun dried tomatoes with the oil, olive oil, seasonings, beef drippings, beef broth or consommé mixture, and soy sauce right into the crockpot.
Cook everything on low for about 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours until the peppers and onions are very soft and flavorful. The slow cooker version is a little less caramelized than the oven roasted version, but it still creates a delicious rich au jus with plenty of flavor for piling onto the sandwiches.
If You Don’t Like It Chunky
If you prefer more of a classic smooth au jus, instead of having all the peppers and onions on the sandwich, you can easily strain the gravy mixture before serving. I actually think this makes an incredible rich beef gravy while still letting all those roasted vegetables flavor the broth.
Do not throw the vegetables away either. You can freeze the strained peppers, onions, garlic, and tomatoes in a freezer bag and use them later as a flavorful base for soups, stews, pasta sauce, or even beef vegetable soup.
Big Portions
I would think you could easily get about 8 to 10 hearty beef sandwiches out of this recipe, maybe even 12 depending on how much meat you pile onto each sandwich. The best part is that all of this freezes very well for later meals.
The sliced beef, gravy, and pepper mixture can all be frozen separately or together. I think I paid around $30 total for all the ingredients, which works out to roughly about $2.50 per sandwich.
Honestly that is pretty hard to beat for something that tastes this rich and homemade.
The Famous Turano Rolls
I like to use Turano French rolls for these sandwiches because they are sturdy enough to hold up to all the juicy gravy without completely falling apart. They also have that classic Chicago-style sandwich shop feel to them.
Really though, you can use any bread or roll you like, especially if you have a favorite local bakery roll that gets nice and crusty on the outside while staying soft inside.
Too Rare? No Problem!
If your beef ends up a little too rare for your liking, you can simply place the sliced beef directly into the hot gravy mixture and let it sit for a few minutes longer. The heat from the au jus will gently cook the beef more without drying it out, which is another reason why slightly undercooking the roast at first works so well for this recipe.
Chicago Style Italian Beef Recipe
These Chicago Style Italian Beef Sandwiches are made with tender thin sliced roast beef piled onto rolls and topped with a rich roasted pepper and onion au jus. Slow roasted green peppers, garlic, oregano, sun dried tomatoes, and savory beef drippings give these sandwiches incredible flavor.
Ingredients
- FOR THE BEEF:
- 2 round roasts, about 3 pounds each
- Avocado oil, or oil of choice
- Coarse salt
- Cracked black pepper
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Dried oregano
- Paprika
- 4 teaspoons white sugar, divided
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire powder
- OR
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- FOR THE ROASTED PEPPER AND ONION AU JUS:
- 5 to 6 medium or large green peppers, rough chopped
- 1 large sweet onion, chopped
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 small jar sun dried tomatoes in oil, about 1/4 cup with some oil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano, plus more to taste at the end
- 1/2 tablespoon white sugar
- Reserved beef drippings
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth
- 1 can beef consommé
- 1 to 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- FOR SERVING:
- Italian or French rolls
- Giardiniera, optional
Instructions
- Bring the roasts to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Rub lightly with avocado oil on all sides.
- Season the roasts very generously with coarse salt, cracked black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, paprika, and Worcestershire powder. You really cannot over season these.
- Place the roasts onto a foil lined baking sheet. Sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of white sugar over each roast.
- Heat oven to 425 degrees.
- Roast the beef for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees and continue cooking for about 30 more minutes or until the internal temperature reaches around 115 degrees for rare to medium rare.
- Remove the beef from the oven and let rest. Refrigerate overnight wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for easier slicing.
- To make the au jus, add the chopped green peppers, onion, garlic, sun dried tomatoes with some oil, olive oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, oregano, and sugar to a covered roasting pan or baking dish covered tightly with foil.
- Bake covered at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.
- Remove the cover, toss everything around, and bake uncovered another 20 minutes until slightly browned.
- Pour the reserved beef drippings over the vegetables. Add the beef broth, beef consommé, and soy sauce. Toss together well.
- Cover and bake another hour until the vegetables are soft and flavorful.
- Taste the gravy mixture and add a little more oregano if desired.
- Slice the cold beef as thinly as possible against the grain.
- Pile the sliced beef onto rolls and top with the roasted peppers and onions. Spoon plenty of the au jus over the sandwiches.
- If your beef is too rare for your liking, place the sliced beef directly into the hot gravy mixture for a few minutes to cook a little more before serving.
Notes
- Refrigerating the beef overnight makes slicing much easier.
- Use a sharp knife for the thinnest slices possible.
- The beef will continue cooking after being removed from the oven, so do not overcook it initially.
- You can substitute all beef broth or use two cans of beef consommé with water if preferred.
- If you prefer a smoother au jus, strain the vegetables from the gravy and freeze the vegetables later for soups or stews.
- The peppers, onions, and gravy mixture can also be made in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours.
- This recipe makes approximately 8 to 10 hearty sandwiches, possibly up to 12 depending on portion size.
- Everything freezes very well for later meals.