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Chicago Italian Beef Sangwitch _ BIG post

bobbyb
bobbyb Posts: 1,349
edited November -0001 in EggHead Forum
All you Delmarva pit beef fans. I really like pit beef, but this recipe blew it away. Give it a try.[p]The vultures were circling so didn't get any before eating pics, bit you will get the idea.[p]Cooked beef prior to dunking in drippings:
IMG_3783_edited-1.jpg[p]A slicer is almost imperative:
IMG_3785_edited-1.jpg[p]Condiments: peppers and Giardiniera:
IMG_3786_edited-1.jpg[p]Sliced beef dunked in the broth/drippings:
IMG_3787_edited-1.jpg[p]
Bob
********************************************[p]Date: Mon, 21 May 2007 18:03:40 -0400
From: Terry Pogue <tpogue@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: more on the Chicago Italian Beef Sangwitch[p]Chicago Italian Beef Sangwitch
Recipe By: Craig "Meathead" Goldwyn[p][p]Chicago Italian Beef Sangwich[p][p]
The exact origin is unknown, but it was probably created by Italian
immigrants in the early 1900s as they rose from poverty and from
ground beef and meat balls into the middle class where they were able
to afford beef for roasting. Today, beef "Sangwitches" as the locals
pronounce it, are a staple at Italian weddings, funerals, parties,
and "business" lunches.[p]It is made by slow roasting lean beef on a rack above a pan filled
with seasoned "au jus" or "juice" as many call it. (Most folks do not
call it gravy. In Chicago households, "gravy" means tomato sauce.)
Then it is sliced paper thin, tissue paper thin, soaked in the juice
for a few minutes, and layered generously, dripping wet, into oblong
Italian bread rolls sliced lengthwise. These rolls are typically tan,
slightly crusty on the outside, fluffy and white in the center, high
in gluten, and relatively flavorless. The meat is topped with sauteed
green bell pepper slices and giardiniera, which is a spicy hot blend
of chopped serrano peppers, carrots, cauliflower florets, celery,
olives, and herbs packed in oil. Finally pan drippings are spooned
over the toppings making the bread wet and chewy. You can ask for
extra juice for dipping, but then everyone will know you ain't from
around here.[p]Shockingly, especially for indiginious Chicago fare, it is very low
fat. With all those greens and the bun, it is a pretty well-rounded
meal.[p]Allen and Carla Kelson, once restaurant critics for Chicago Magazine
famously wrote "To us, it's the archetypal bad sandwich: overdone
roast beef of a dubious quality, factory bread with lots of gluten
and wet strength, and jus made with plenty of dried, cheap spices.
Plus lots of filler in the giardiniera. But we love it."[p]Devotees, such as my Italian wife, say it should only be topped with
Melrose peppers, a long slender, thin walled green pepper that was
brought over from Italy and was named for the heavily Italian suburb
of Melrose Park. They are sauteed and served whole, with seeds.
Virtually no restaurants make it this way, but many home cooks/
gardeners, including my wife's family, cultivate this variety of
pepper just for sandwiches and pepperes and eggs (a popular Italian
American breakfast in Chicago restaurants). Some restaurants get
fancy and use colorful sauteed red peppers or yellow peppers.[p]I have tried to make a simple recipe that is easy to make and will
taste as good as Al's. My recipe is triangulated from several
sources. Everyone has their own secret. For example, my brother-in-
law, who once owned an Italian deli and makes the best Italian beef I
know, takes the time to cut slits in the meat and stud it with
slivers of fresh garlic and onion slices. He also uses a mysterious
ingredient about which I can find little information: Fogedaboudit.
Whenever I ask him for the secret to his Italian Beefs, he says
"fogedaboudit."[p][p]Yield: Makes about 10 sandwiches with about 1/4 pounds of meat each.
Preparation time: 20 minutes.
Cooking time: Allow about 2 hours to cook and another 3 hours to firm
the meat for slicing in the refrigerator if you don't have a meat
slicer. You need 90 minutes to cook a 3 pound roast, or about 30
minutes per pound. You can cook this well in advance and refrigerate
the meet and juice and heat it up as needed. You can even freeze it.
This is a great Sunday dish because the smell of the roasting meat
and herbs fills the house. After you cook it, you need another 30
minutes to chill it before slicing.[p]Ingredients[p]The beef
1 boneless beef roast, about 3 pounds with most of the fat trimmed
off. A top sirloin butt, a top round roast, or a bottom round roast
are preferred in that order. Do not use a fatty roast like the chuck
or an expensive cut like the loin. Scala's is the purveyor of choice
in Chicago.[p]The rub
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper[p]The juice
4 cups of hot water
4 cubes of bouillon[p]The sandwich
10 soft, fluffy, high gluten rolls, sliced lengthwise but hinged on
one side (Gonnella or Turano are the bakers of choice in Chicago)
3 medium sized green bell peppers
1 tablespoon olive oil, approximately
1 bottle hot giardiniera[p]Serve with
A green salad with Italian dressing and French fries or tater tots.[p]Drinks
The traditional drink is diet cola because most beef stands don't
have liquor licenses. Too bad, because this sandwich goes great with
beer or red wine.[p]Do this
1) If you wish, you can cut small slits in the surface of the meat
every inch or so and stick slivers of fresh garlic or onion into the
meat. If you do this, leave the onion andf garlic out of the rub.
Otherwise, mix the rub in a bowl. Sprinkle it generously on the meat
and massage it in. There will be some left over. Do not discard it,
we will use it in the juice. Let the meat sit at room temp for about
30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400F and put a rack just
below the center of the oven.[p]2) Pour the water into a small roasting pan and heat it to a boil on
the stove top. Dissolve the bouillon in the water. It may look thin,
but it will cook down and concentrate during the roasting. Pour the
remaining rub into the pan. Place a rack on top of the pan. Place the
roast on top of the rack above the juice. Roast at 400F until
interior termperature is 140F for medium rare, about 30 minutes per
pound. This may seem long, but you are cooking over water and that
slows things down. The temp will rise about 5F when it rests. Don't
worry if there are people who won't eat medium-rare meat. The meat
will cook further in step 5, and you can just leave their's in the
juice until it turns to leather if that's what they want.[p]3) While the meat is roasting (mmmmm, smells sooooo good), cut the
bell peppers in half and remove the stems and seeds. Rinse, and cut
into 1/4" strips. Cook the peppers in a frying pan over a medium high
heat with enough olive oil to coat the bottom, about 1 tablespoon.
When they are getting limp and the skins begin to brown, they are
done. Set aside at room temp.[p]4) Remove the roast and the juice pan. Place the roast in the coldest
part of the refrigerator. Let the roast cool for about a few hours,
long enough for the juices to be absorbed and for the meat to firm
up. Slice the meat against the grain as thin as humanly possible. Use
a thin blade and draw it along the red part of the meat. If you try
to cut down through the crust you will be cutting too thick. My wife
remembers that her family would cook the roast and take it to the
butcher to cut. That's a good strategy if you don't have a meat slicer.[p]5) Put the juice pan on the stove top over a low heat, just a simmer.
Soak the meat in the hot juice for about 10 minutes at a low simmer.
That's all. That cooks the meat through and makes it very wet. But
you can't leave the meat in the juice for more than 10 minutes or
else it starts to curl up, squeezes out its natural moisture, and
toughens. If you go to a beef stand and the meet is really curly,
they have committed a mortal sin. At Mr. Beef, for example, I watched
them take a handful of cooked beef and dump it into the juice every
time they took out enough for a sandwich. This also enriches the
juice with meat protein and seasoning from the crust.[p]6) To assemble the sandwich, start by spooning some juice directly
onto the bun. Get it wet. Then lay on the beef generously. Spoon on
more juice (don't burn your hand). Top it with bell pepper and, if
you wish, giardiniera. Personally, I skip the giardiniera. I think it
masks the meat and gravy flavor. If you want it "wet", dip the whole
shootin match in juice. Be sure to have plenty of napkins on hand.[p]Variations on the theme[p]The "Combo": Most Italian beef joints offer a "combo" which also has
a grilled Italian sausage nestled in with the beef (shown being made
at Al's in a photo at right). These are thick, uncured coarsely
ground pork sausages in natural casings, flavored with fennel,
paprika, black pepper, red or green bell peppers, onions, garlic,
parsley, and crushed red chili peppers for some heat. Italian
sausages are made in your choice of mild, medium, or hot.[p]The "Cheef": Cover it with shredded mozzarella and/or provalone,
broil for a few minutes, and you have a "cheesy beef" or "cheef". Not
many stands offer this mutant strain.[p]With "Gravy": An even rarer and more heretical variant, topped with
marinara.[p]The "Soaker": Just dip the bread in the juice and you have the
classic laborer's lunch, a soaker, aka "sugo pane", or gravy bread.
Sugo pane is also commonly made with marinara sauce.[p]Gourmet Italian Beef?[p]If you want the original, traditional Italian Beef Sangwitch, follow
the recipe above. If you want to stray and go full throttle:[p]1) Use a chuck roast. Suggested by my friend David Rosengarten, the
famous cookbook author and TV chef (get his free email newsletter),
chuck is a fattier cut, so the meat will be more tender and
flavorful. Problem is that you'll have to chill the pan drippings in
order to skim off the fat.[p]2) Stud it with fresh garlic and onions as my brother-in-law recommends.[p]3) Cook it low and slow at 225-275F. Another Rosengarten idea.[p]4) Cook it in a smoker with very little smoke.[p]5) Instead of using bouillon, use a beef or veal stock and simmer
real onions and garlic in it.[p] Hot Italian Giardiniera[p]This is Italian Giardineria. It is wonderful on Chicago style Italian beef sandwiches, sausage sandwiches, French dips, pastas or even as a pizza topping. You can even snack on it as is if you choose. Once you taste it you will figure out what you prefer to use it on."[p]Original recipe yield:
10 servings
PREP TIME 45 Min
COOK TIME 2 Days 2 Hrs
READY IN 2 Days 2 Hrs 45 Min
PHOTO BY: Chaz[p]US METRIC[p]SERVINGS About scaling and conversions
INGREDIENTS[p] * 2 green bell peppers, diced
* 2 red bell peppers, diced
* 8 fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced
* 1 celery stalk, diced
* 1 medium carrot, diced
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 1/2 cup fresh cauliflower florets
* 1/2 cup salt
* water to cover
*
* 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 1 tablespoon dried oregano
* 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 (5 ounce) jar pimento-stuffed green olives, chopped
* 1 cup white vinegar
* 1 cup olive oil[p]DIRECTIONS[p] 1. Place into a bowl the green and red peppers, jalapenos, celery, carrots, onion, and cauliflower. Stir in salt, and fill with enough cold water to cover. Place plastic wrap or aluminum foil over the bowl, and refrigerate overnight.
2. The next day, drain salty water, and rinse vegetables. In a bowl, mix together garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and olives. Pour in vinegar and olive oil, and mix well. Combine with vegetable mixture, cover, and refrigerate for 2 days before using.[p]***************************************************************[p]

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