I come from a family of transplanted Midwesterners who moved from the greater Chicago area to New England some 35 years ago. Other than growing up as lonely supporters of da Bears, da Bulls and da Cubbies in a sea of Patriots/Celtics/Red Sox fanatics, we didn’t miss the flatlands very much. Except for this: Italian beef sandwiches.
Utterly unheard of in New England, this is a local sandwich closely associated with Chicago, possibly originating there as a means of making tough cuts of meat from the stockyards edible. Although the specific recipes vary from purveyor to purveyor – and are likely very closely guarded - the basic sandwich consists of thinly-sliced beef, which has been simmered until tender in a broth with garlic and other herbs and spices, served on crusty bread, and then dipped or soaked in the broth. Crusty bread is necessary because of the dipping; a lesser loaf will get far too soggy to support the filling. Hot peppers can be added, and I hear cheese is an option, although I’ve never ventured so far afield. This sandwich is, without a doubt, ambrosia for meat-eaters.
For a while my family would impose upon friends to bring us frozen Italian beef whenever they visited from Chicago. They usually brought Novi’s beef; a recent online search I did came up with well over 150 possibilities in greater Chicago, so it’s easy to find a favorite – if you live in Illinois. If you live elsewhere, however, you have to get creative and make it at home.
I make it at home a lot; during the long winter months my husband requests it weekly. I may get in trouble for giving away a secret family recipe, but surely only good can come out of sharing Italian beef with the rest of the world:
Pat a pot roast (+/- 2.5 lbs., chuck roast or bottom round roast) with dry Italian salad dressing mix. Place seasoned roast in a crock-pot. Add two cups of water, two beef bouillon cubes, and one jar of pepperoncini peppers with their juice (I like to de-stem the peppers first). Cook on High for an hour, and then Low for 6+ hours until the meat falls apart.
To serve, remove the meat to a platter and pull into shreds. Serve on crusty bread or crusty rolls, with the pepperoncinis, dipped or not according to taste.
Article comments
1 - elsa
This sounds fantastic. Great recipe - keep it simple. Thank you!
2 - Nancy
From Italian Chicago to Maine-!? That is a culture shock. They do sort of have a version of 'dip' in Maine, but it involves a lobster roll & melted butter.... I miss Maine. Great place, good people, no nonsense, enormous mosquitos.
3 - friend mouse
Ah, yes - when the mosquitos get bigger than the lobsters, even the locals get nervous. The ridiculous thing is that we eat Italian beef more often than we do lobster: since the seasons in Maine are "winter and July," it's much more cozy to snuggle up to the crock-pot for the bulk of the year.
4 - Nancy
LOL-! What I remember most (& least fondly) about Maine is that the mosquitos had their own runways, also used by the horseflies on occasion. Other than that, I still dream of Maine & places with good lobster/clam shacks like the one that used to be in Biddeford Pool. Or going out in our dinghy & diving for lobsters ourselves after school.