It's such a great time for sports right now: football, baseball, and hockey, all at the same time. And one of my favorite things to eat on any game day is Italian Beef.
It’s hot, spicy, peppery, garlicky beef roast cooked with pepperoncini rings, on a (sorta) crusty but also chewy sub roll, and here are your choices: HOT - topped with Giardinera (Italian pickled vegetables with a bite) and pepperoncini rings …..SWEET – topped with Italian sweet peppers…WET (the roll dipped in the juice that the meat is cooked in)…or DRY (not dipped). No surprise, I like mine SWEET, HOT, AND WET.
The best Italian Beef I ever had happened by accident. I found myself at Streeter Tavern on Rush, in Chicago. They don't serve food but Downtown Dogs is next door and they let you order from there. Awesome! And they had Italian Beef. Double yay! It was the spiciest, pepperiest version I ever had and my lips were ON FIRE even while we were walking back to the hotel in the stinging cold. Delicious. This recipe is just like that.
Chicago is a friendly city, and it loves its food and sports. So it's fitting that all the dishes it’s known for, especially this one, are meant to be shared. So get your crockpot out and call your funnest friends. The times I’ve spent in the city sharing friendship, food, love, and laughter are some of the best of my life—I wish the same for you :)
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WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
a crockpot
1 3.5--4.5 pound rump roast
1 12 ounce jar sliced pepperoncini rings (plus a little juice)
1 packet dry Italian Dressing packet (I use Good Seasons)
1 can beef consommé
1/2 - 1 teaspoon each: salt, cracked black pepper, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
Sandwich rolls
Toppings: sweet pepper rings, Giardiniera
Serve with chips or fries, and ice cold beer
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| The Goods: sweet and hot |
Trim roast of fat and place in crockpot. Sprinkle seasonings and dressing packet over roast. Pour consommé over and around the roast. Add a splash of pepperoncini juice, then drain the reminder of the jar and pour pepperoncini over and around roast. Add quartered onion. Cover, and cook on low for 7.5 -- 8 hours. Longer if your roast is bigger. It's done when it can be shredded.
Remove meat to pan and shred with 2 forks.
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| shredded, with the pepperoncini and onion that it cooked in |
Place back into juice briefly for flavor, and then ladle meat back into pan. Save juices for dipping.
Sandwich rolls should be split, but not all the way through. Place in microwave for a few seconds to warm. Add meat and toppings. Dip in juice if desired and eat immediately.
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| sweet, hot, and wet |
