Italian Beef Sandwich - The Recipe

The Chicago-style Italian beef sandwich is an American classic. It’s as simple as this: fresh bread rolls filled with lots of thinly sliced beef and some pickled vegetables, then optionally dunked into a flavoursome broth - if you haven’t tried it before, many of you will have come across it in the show “The Bear”. It’s actually a very straightforward dish, so with good-quality ingredients and a bit of time, you can make a lovely sandwich, no matter the level of home cook you are. For the authentic experience, we're keeping to the staple fillings; however, I see no harm in making this your own way, adding any other toppings you like. The star of the show is the sliced beef and its jus, so as long as you have that as a solid base, you’re good to go anywhere from there.

Here are the three most important things to consider when making this:

1. High quality beef - the cut of beef you typically use for this recipe is a leaner and tougher cut, such as topside (what I have used below); however, if you have the budget and want an even richer flavour (which in my opinion is a win-win), then go for a cut with more marbling such as a prime rib. Regardless, the higher the meat quality, the better the flavour, so always prioritise it.

2. Great tasting stock - if you can make this yourself, by all means do so. If not, we're looking for a deep, dark, and rich beef stock that will provide most of the flavour we need for our dipping jus. Many local butchers sell homemade stock from slow-cooking leftover beef bones they have from breaking down whole carcasses throughout the week.

3. Fresh sandwich rolls - you can have a decent sandwich with bad bread. Make sure to either try making them yourself, or pick a soft, light and fluffy bread roll. We’re looking for softer rolls here so they can soak up all the juices - harder and crisper rolls, like sourdough baguettes, won't absorb as much liquid, which is a quintessential part of the sandwich.

Let’s show you how ot make it…