Italian Beef

When I lived in Chicago, one of my favorite things to get was an Italian Beef sandwich. I've lived a lot of places and no one outside of Chicago seems to understand the sandwich. I decided to do a little research to come up with a version I could make at home.

Italian Beef

2.5 pounds bottom round roast
1 quart beef broth
leaf oregano
leaf basil
4 cloves garlic
pepper
sliced onion

Rub the outside of the roast with oregano and basil and pepper. Brown on all 4 sides in a Dutch oven. When browned, remove pan from heat. Make a layer of sliced onion in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Place the roast on top. Add in garlic and beef broth. Roast uncovered in the oven at 300 until the beef reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees. Remove from the oven, wrap in foil, and cool to room temperature. Strain the juice from the Dutch oven and set it aside.

When cooled to room temperature, slice the meat thin using a meat slicer. A knife just isn't going to get the job done for you. Reheat the meat in the reserved broth. To serve, place in a crusty Italian roll. Either serve the broth on the side or ladle some broth over the whole mess, or do it like I like, dip the whole mess into the broth. I like mine with a link of Italian sausage and hot giardiniera on the top. MMM.