Chicago Italian "Inspired" Beef sammies...

[Al Czervik]

First off, before the chit storm starts , let me say that this is my take on this iconic sammie. I know this is not a classic Chicago Italian Beef sandwich, but I used the classic as inspiration for mine. The cut of beef is different (pulled boneless chuck ribs versus thin sliced top round)and the bread I used (French hoagie versus Italian hoagie) is not authentic. I also made a homemade version of hot Giardiniera relish. I'm sure it's not quite authentic either, but I live in Northeastern Washington. Not quite a huge hotbed of Italian cooking influence round these parts.

The first (and only time) I ever had this sammie was in Chicago about five years ago on a business trip. It was at the end of a long day of business, and an even longer night on the town. While the exact details are a little fuzzy , I do remember that I farkin loved it!

With all that said, and hopefully with everyone's feathers in place, I present Al's Chicago Italian "Inspired" beef sammie.

First off, the ingredients for the Giardiniera.



All diced up and about to get soaked in salted water. After 24 hours, I drained and rinsed the veggies. To the veggies, I added garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, black pepper, green olives, vinegar and olive oil.



Now for the beef. I used boneless country style beef ribs.



Seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, basil, oregano, basil and Italian seasonig.



On to the Traeger for about two hours of smoke as seen below.



Once they hit about 160, I put them in a foil pan and added some beef base and water and covered. Here they are after about another hour.



Now, back to the Giadiniera. It sat in the fridge for two days and I mixed it three of four times a day. It was tough not to snack on it, but I did my best not to . The flavors infused better each day.



Once the beef was butta tender, I pulled it from the foil, drained the liquid, and rested the meat for about an hour. By the time I pulled it, all the connective tissues had melted into gelatin.



Here's the finished product served up on a nice soft French hoagie. As you can see, topped with the Giardiniera and a few slices of pepperoncini. I also drizzled some reheated liquid over all the goodies, and threw on an extra side of Giadniniera.



All in all, I'd say it was darn tasty. The beef was tender, juicy and very flavorful. The Giardiniera had the right amount of heat, flavor and a wonderful crunch. By the time I chowed down, the juice had soaked enough into the bun to make it a little sloppy, but not so much that I had to do the Chicago lean.

Thanks for looking...

[Phubar]

Yummmm!
They look like blade steaks....good stuPh!

[bbqchicken]

looks delicious Al

[Phrasty]

Oh man that looks great bro!!! Very impressive!

Cheers

[Gore]

Now I know what I'm hungry for!

[duelin j]

Inspirational Al!! Nice work, even if you're not a coastie....

[R2Egg2Q]

That looks really tasty Mongo! Nice job!

[Big George's BBQ]

I would definately love some of that

[Al Czervik]

Originally Posted by Phubar

Yummmm!
They look like blade steaks....good stuPh!

Is that what those really are? Farkin grocery store. Sure sounds better than country style chuck ribs. I'll go with it...

[FiremanVinny]

Id rip through 2 of those!! Great looking sammy

[Corky]

Clever cooking! That really looks good!

[---k---]

I'm from Chicago and I'd hit that! No arguments from me on whether it is authentic or not. Who cares. It looks great.

[jestridge]

Looks good , no matter what you called it

[Eatin Smoke]

Great lookin' IT Beef!!..........Giardinara looks awesome too!

[Al Czervik]

Originally Posted by ---k---

I'm from Chicago and I'd hit that! No arguments from me on whether it is authentic or not. Who cares. It looks great.

Thanks ---k---. The Chicago stamp of approval goes a long way...