Sure, this is meant as a site dedicated to BBQ, but this recipe is very meaningful to me, so I wanted to get it online right away. This whole website is new to me, so I wanted to give this recipe editor a shot. Why Italian Beef? Well, my dad brought his beef to every family party, he cooked it for every gathering - it is my ultimate comfort food. I've had several people ask me for the recipe, so why not put it here. I don't want to tamper with perfection, but I think I'm going to make it on my big green egg one of these days, because why not. I can cook anything on my egg. That recipe will come later. This is the OG, published here for your enjoyment.
For the uninitiated, a Chicago Style Italian Beef sandwich is iconic in the Chicagoland area. This is the blue collar cousin to the French Dip. Thinly sliced beef piled high on a roll, soaked in beefy juice, and topped with peppers/giardinaria,etc. The Trib did a good overview of the top restaurants for beef in Chicago, but this recipe is for those that want to make these at home.
I should say that my dad called this Marly Bielunski's Italian Style Beef...but I didn't know Marly Bielunski...I never had his beef...and my dad changed it up enough that I think I can credit him.
This is a recipe for the heart and soul of the sandwich - the meat and juice, but I haven't actually included instructions for putting the sandwich together. I'll probably get to that later.
Here is a link to the recipe in my dad's handwriting. It means a lot to me. My Dad's Italian beef recipe
Jim Seguin's Italian Style Beef
Equipment
- Oven
- Deli Slicer
Ingredients
- 4 lb Brisket or any inexpensive roast I prefer Eye of Round
- 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 tsp crushed fennel seed
- 1 tbsp Worcester Sauce
- 4 Cubes Beef bouillion cubes
- 2 tsp Italian Seasoning (or Oregano)
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp Tabasco
- 1 Green Pepper cut in thin strips
- 3 cup water
Instructions
- Place meat fat side up in a 10"x13" roasting pan
- Sprinkle garlic and fennel on top, and then cover with the onions (they will really pile high)
- Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour at 325F
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 2 more hours (or til desired internal temperature)
- While beef is cooking, add all remaining ingredients to a 2 qt saucepan (water, Worcester sauce, beef bouillon cubes, Italian seasoning, salt, Tabasco, and green pepper) and bring to a boil
- Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes
- When meat is done, pour juices/drippings and onions into the liquid
- cool everything overnight
- slice meat very thin across the grain (deli slicer is ideal)
- reheat the juice and add meat as needed for sandwiches.
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