Original Homemade Italian Beef Recipes

ITALIAN BEEF

Steps:

• Put all ingredients in a roasting pan.
• Cover and bake all afternoon at 300 degrees, or until beef shreds easily.
• Can be shredded (using 2 forks) and left sitting in the juice for an hour to absorb the flavors.
• Then served on buns.

PORTILLO'S ITALIAN BEEF HACK

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Render the beef fat by chopping it into small bits (about the size of peas) with a food processor. Be sure the fat is very cold--it will chop better. If you don't have a food processor, you can chop the fat by hand. Use a sharp knife and cut it as small as you can. Heat up the fat in a sauté pan over medium heat until the bits are browned. Strain the solids from the fat and measure 1/4 cup of fat for the gravy.
• Make the beef gravy by combining all of the ingredients, including the beef fat, in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the mixture begins to boil reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, then turn the heat to low.
• Make the sandwiches by heating up the rolls in the hot oven for 3 minutes.
• For each sandwich, drop 1/4 pound of sliced beef (separate the slices) into the gravy for 2 minutes. Make sure the gravy isn't boiling. It should be around 180 degrees F. After the beef has soaked in the gravy, use tongs to arrange the beef on a warmed sandwich roll and top with your choice of hot giardiniera or sweet peppers. Or both. Spoon on some extra gravy just before serving.

ITALIAN BEEF

Steps:

• Cut roast in half; place in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Combine the water and seasonings; pour over roast. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours or until meat is very tender. Discard bay leaf. Remove meat and shred with a fork. Skim fat from cooking juices; return meat to slow cooker. Serve on rolls.

ITALIAN BEEF

Steps:

• First, set the oven to preheat to 375°F.
• Make a mixture combining the head of minced garlic, one tablespoon of salt, one tablespoon of pepper, dried oregano, fresh oregano, and red pepper flakes, and rub the mixture all over the meat.
• Place the meat in a large roasting pan or a Dutch oven, then pour in three quarts of water on the bottom of the tray but do not pour over the meat.
• Bake for 60-90 minutes, or until, when inserted in the center of the meat, the thermometer reads 150°F.
• When done, wait until the meat cools to room temperature, then take it out of the pan and wrap it in plastic wrap. Place the meat in the refrigerator overnight
• Strain the broth, throw away the solids, and refrigerate overnight.
• The following day, pour the broth into a wide pot and simmer over low heat, covered, for 30 minutes.
• While the broth is cooking, prepare the peppers. Set the oven to preheat to 350°F. Make a mixture of olive oil, two minced cloves of garlic, one teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of black pepper and use it to coat the peppers. Arrange the peppers in a baking sheet and roast for half an hour.
• Trim the roast beef, removing all the fat. Slice thinly, cutting against the grain.
• Place the slices of beef into the still simmering gravy, and cook for another 20 minutes.
• Cut the bread into 6-inch portions, and slice each open on one side.
• Stuff them with generously with beef, and add the sweet peppers and hot giardiniera.
• With the help of tongs dip each sandwich in the gravy for a second, allow the excess liquid to drip off and serve.

ORIGINAL HOMEMADE ITALIAN BEEF

Steps:

• Place the roast into a slow cooker, and season with Italian dressing mix. Pour in the water. Cover, and cook on High for 6 to 7 hours. During the last hour, shred the meat with two forks - if it does not shred easily, cook longer. Add the peppers, and as much of the juice as you like for additional flavor. Serve on buns.

CHICAGO ITALIAN BEEF (POT ROAST STYLE)

Steps:

• For the pot roast: Position a rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Liberally sprinkle the entire roast with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the roast on all sides until golden and caramelized; reduce the heat if the fat begins to smoke. Transfer the roast to a plate and reduce the heat to medium. Add in the onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper and saute until fragrant, another minute. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Deglaze with the red wine and cook until reduced by half. Add in the stock and thyme and bring to a simmer. Adjust the seasoning of the jus. Place the roast back into the pot with any accumulated juices and place in the oven. Cook the roast, turning every 30 minutes, until very tender, 3 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Increase the oven heat to 350 degrees F.
• Transfer the roast to a cutting board and tent with foil. Strain the jus through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl and return back to the pot. Bring to a simmer and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Once cooled a bit, pull the meat into smaller chunks, return to the reduced jus and reserve until ready to build the sandwiches.
• For the sweet peppers: Toss the pepper strips with the olive oil, granulated garlic and some salt and pepper on a baking sheet. Bake, stirring halfway through, until lighter in color and soft, about 20 minutes.
• For the sandwich build: Place some beef on a roll, then some sweet peppers and then some Homemade Hot Giardiniera. Pour a small dish of reduced jus. Take the whole sandwich and quickly dunk in hot jus. Using two hands, go the hell to town.
• Day One: Combine 2 cups water and the salt in a glass or non- reactive bowl. Mix until the salt is dissolved. Add the carrots, cauliflower, serranos, garlic, celery and bell peppers to the salt water and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Day Two: Drain and rinse the vegetables. In a clean bowl, mix together the canola oil with the oregano and pepper. Add the vegetables and mix to combine. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Giardiniera will only get better with time. After 2 days at the most in the bowl, you can place in air-tight Mason jars and keep in the fridge for at least 2 to 3 weeks. Makes 3 to 4 cups.
• From Food Network Kitchens; after further testing and to ensure the best results this recipe has been altered from what was in the actual episode.