I listened to tales of “unbelievably good” Italian Beef (Portillo’s, Al’s) from my Chicago-born husband, Chef Dan, for Years… but, as a New Yorker, (a polite one), I smiled sweetly, but internally rolled my eyes, thinking: “roast beef with a spicy sauce- what’s the big deal?”, and chalked it up to misty, good-old-days nostalgia for a Chi-town childhood. But after much research, trial-and-error, and a little advice from his Chicago-born-&-bred sister Pat, Dan made it- and it IS a big deal! Yes, it takes time (2 days) – most good things do- but this stuff makes sandwiches “what to die for” as we say in NYC, and the longer Da Beef sits in Da Gravy, the better it gets… I finally got to eat Italian Beef with Dan in Chicago, and yes, it was wonderful… and if you are jonesing for Portillo’s or Al’s Italian Beef, this WILL hit the spot!
Da Beef:
1 5lb. rump roast
Olive oil spray
3 tblsp. Italian seasoning (oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary, basil); you may need more.
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp black pepper, coarsely ground
Garlic cloves, sliced
Sliced fresh “sport peppers” (Tuscan peppers, banana peppers or other hot peppers)
Da Gravy: NOTE: you may want to “up” the seasonings- you want Da Gravy “Zingy”!
2 cups boiling water
2 beef bullion cubes or “beef stock” paste
1 tblsp. Mixed Italian Herbs (oregano, thyme, basil, etc.)
½ tsp. black pepper, coarsely ground
1 tsp. hot sauce (Tabasco, etc.) or more (to taste)
8 cloves garlic, minced or 4 tsp. of bottled minced garlic
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tblsp. paprika
1 ½ tsp. hot pepper flakes
1 tsp. coriander
2 tblsp. Worcestershire Sauce
Slices of crusty Italian bread or rolls
Sliced Tuscan Peppers or Banana Peppers
Optional: Roasted/grilled peppers & onions (Make these by slicing green, red, and/or yellow peppers & an onion into strips, toss them with olive oil, Italian seasoning, Kosher salt & cracked, black pepper, put them on a sheet of foil or a baking sheet, and slow-bake at 225F for about an hour- or sauté or grill them).
Directions:
Make incisions all over the roast and insert slices of “sport peppers” and garlic.
Spray the roast with olive oil. Mix the Italian seasonings, garlic powder, and pepper, and rub the roast all over, coating it.
Cover roast with plastic wrap, and let it sit for at least 30 minutes in the fridge, longer if possible- overnight is great.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Cook the roast, uncovered, in a roasting pan, for approx. 30 minutes/lb. (5 lbs. = 2½ hrs.) It will be Rare- do NOT keep cooking it and thus overcook it! The meat will cook more later!
Let the roast cool and slice REALLY THINLY– we use an electric meat slicer.
Put the roast’s pan drippings in a pan and add the boiling water, beef bouillon cubes, herbs, pepper, hot sauce, garlic, spices, and Worcestershire sauce. You will probably not need to add salt as the beef bouillon cubes are salty.
Simmer Da Gravy for 20 minutes, stirring and mixing in the browned bits from the pan drippings. Taste, and adjust the seasonings if needed- you want it really tasty & Zingy!
Add the thinly sliced beef to Da Gravy and mix it in, being sure all the meat is totally covered by gravy. Cover, and let it marinate overnight in the refrigerator- this is KEY!
The next day, gently reheat Da Beef in Da Gravy. (Yes, you can microwave it).
Lightly toast Italian bread slices or rolls for a few minutes on both sides under the broiler- this is KEY!
Serve Da Beef on Da Bread, covered with Da Gravy, and topped with sliced banana peppers, and the roasted peppers and onions, if you like.
Sigh deeply, and wish you were from Chicago! #ItalianBeef #ItalianBeefSandwich #ChicagoItalianBeef
Have you made Italian Beef?
Is your recipe different?
Please let me know in the comments what you think of our recipe!
