This was the first time I made a Chicago-style Italian beef sandwich at home and it was a huge hit. We had it for dinner the night I made it and couldn’t wait to have it again for lunches the next day. The beef is absolutely and full of flavor. Dipping the sandwich into the jus took it over the top. Messy, but totally worth it! The only thing I wish I had done differently in the video was to toast the bread and melt the cheese just a bit before piling on the meat and giardiniera. I did it that way for my lunch sandwich the next day and it took it to the next level.
A note on brand names: There are very few brand names that I go out of my way to promote, especially when I don’t have any strong opinions one way or the other. I use a mix of generic and national brands depending on quality, price, and availability so I usually just show the ingredients and leave it to you to source where you get them. In this video, I showed the Mezzetta brand for the peperoncini and giardiniera. I’ve tried several other brands over the years, but I keep coming back to this one because it just tastes the best and has the best texture (crunchy) for my preference. Mezzetta olives are a favorite, too!
Bonus: Back in my Army days, when the drill sergeants were tearing us down, they often referred to us as being “ate up like a soup sandwich!” Now I’m thinking that may have been a compliment.
Today’s Ingredients:
3 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into chunks and extra fat trimmed
salt & pepper
3-4 TB extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, smashed
½ cup sliced peperoncini peppers
½ cup peperoncini juice from jar
1 TB Italian seasoning
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp red pepper flakes
3 cups beef broth
For serving:
hoagie rolls (anything crusty)
provolone cheese
gardiniera mix
Instructions:
1. Trim as much extra fat off of the beef as possible and cut into chunks that can fit into the instant pot. Season all over with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the Instant Pot on sauté mode and add a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
3. Work in batches to brown the beef on all sides. Don’t crowd the pot or the meat with steam instead of brown. Take your time with this step – the crusty bits (fond) add so much flavor! Remove the browned meats to a side tray while you continue to build the cooking juices.
4. Add onion and garlic and cook until just softened, about 3 minutes. Scrape up as much of the browned bits on the bottom as you can. The onion will give up enough juice to help this along.
5. Add the peperoncini peppers and juice and stir to deglaze anything left stuck to the bottom of the pot.
6. Add the seasonings and beef broth, stirring to combine. Nest the browned beef into the pot and pour in any collected juices in the tray.
7. Lock the lid and cook on manual/high for 60 minutes followed by a natural pressure release (20-30 minutes) before removing the lid.
8. Scoop out the cooked meat onto a tray and shred with two forks.
9. To serve, use any crusty hoagie-style bread and provolone cheese. An optional (highly recommended) step is to toast the bun and melt the cheese.
10. Pile on a couple forkfuls of shredded beef and a few pieces of giarndiniera. Serve with a cup of the cooking liquid to dip the sandwich as you eat.
11. Serve with a roll of paper towels.
Music:
Texas Techno by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (
Artist: