Smoked Chicago Beef Sandwich

  • Recipe Type

    Red Meat

  • Skill Level

    Medium

  • Grill Time

    2-3 hrs

  • Method

    Smoking

  • Servings

    Serves 4-6

Have you ever had an Italian Beef sandwich in Chicago?  If not, you are really missing out on a local favorite that is sure to please the taste buds like they’ve never been pleased before.  These sandwiches were recently featured on HULU on the show “The Bear”.  Now, they didn’t smoke the meat on the show but hey, we are FOGO Charcoal Company, we do everything on the grill!

I don’t know why but they just don’t seem to be able to duplicate the famous Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich anywhere except for in Chicago.  Maybe it’s like NY Pizza, there’s something on the water.  Whatever the reason is, it’s worth making our version.  This beef sandwich came out fantastic.  The smoke really added another layer of flavor that everyone that tasted it really enjoyed, heck, the camera man ate 2 sandwiches!

If you are not familiar with HULU’s The Bear, it is a show about a chef who inherits a small Chicago Beef stand and tries to run the kitchen like a fine dining establishment.  The show is almost as good as the sandwich.  Actually, the show is great, and you should definitely check it out.  There have been numerous attempts to reproduce these sandwiches, some being better than others.  I really think that we nailed it.  Matty Matheson is an actor on the show but is also the shows culinary director and plays a great part in it as well.  We loosely based our recipe off of a few recipes that we had and off of Matty’s version.  All in all, I think that this may have been the best Chicago Italian Beef sandwich that I have ever had.  Of course, I may be a bit one sided as I made the sandwich!  Try out this recipe for a smoked Chicago Beef sandwich for yourself and let us know what you think!  Happy Grilling!


Directions:

  1. Fill your grill with FOGO Premium Charcoal and prepare for indirect cooking at 325°.  Add 3 Bourbon Barrel smoking chinks just prior to putting the food on the grill.
  2. Season the meat liberally with Kosher salt and pepper and 1 TBSP of Tina Cannon Rub.  Place all of the chopped vegetables in the casserole dish and coat lightly with oil.  Place a rack over the top of the dish and place the meat centered over the veggies on the rack.  Place it on the grill and smoke for ½ hour-45 minutes.  Just enough time to get a light smoke and good color.
  3. Remove the rack and place the beef, beef stock and the rest of Tina Cannons Seasoning into the pan.  Stick the Meater+ into the center of the meat and set it for 140°.  Continue cooking until the beef is done and remove the entire pan from the grill.
  4. Remove the beef and place it in the refrigerator for at least ½ hour.  While the beef is cooling, strain all of the liquids from the vegetables.  Return the peppers to the pot with the liquids and place it back on the grill.
  5. Once the beef has cooled a bit, use a meat slicer or very sharp knife to slice it as thin as possible without shaving it.  Add the sliced beef back into the pot to warm it back up.
  6. Once heated, remove from the grill, fill a bun with a tong full of the beef and a couple of pepper slices.  I like to add sharp provolone to my sandwich but that is up to you.  Top it with the giardiniera salad.  You may eat it as is, or ladle some of the jus onto the sandwich. My favorite is to dip the entire sandwich into the jus.  It’s messy, but it’s fantastic!

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