If you’ve never had a Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich, you’ve been missing out. Really, Italian Beef Sandwiches are a bucket list recipe; everyone should experience them at least once in their lifetime.
Fair warning: once you’ve had Italian Beef Sandwiches, you’ll want them all the time and that’s no problem when making Italian Beef Sandwiches Instant Pot! There’s nothing to the recipe and it cooks in no time at all.
About Chicago Italian Beef Sandwiches Instant Pot Version:
Chicago Italian Beef Sandwiches have one drawback: they’re messy! The sandwiches are piled high with succulent beef that’s been rubbed with Italian herbs and spices and cooked in a rich au jus. The Italian Beef Sandwiches are then passed with the rest of the au jus. Yep, dip those sandwiches right into the au jus for a delicious, drippy, messy sandwich! You’ll want to – no make that need to – hunch forward when you eat them!
Chicago Italian Beef Sandwiches are mild but traditionally topped with “fried” or sauteed peppers, optional, and spicy Giardiniera, not optional, imho. It all melds into deliciousness, the Giardiniera cutting through the richness of the beef. And yes, you can add a little Provolone if you want. I’ll leave that up to you!
Making Chicago Italian Beef Sandwiches Instant Pot Version:
True Italian Beef is slow roasted and sliced thinly, like these French Dip Sandwiches, but in this easy no-fuss Instant Pot recipe that herb rubbed beef is going to be cooked to absolute tenderness. You’ll have no worries about slicing; just shred it in the au jus and you’re ready to serve.
The Italian Rub came from Amazing Ribs’ post on Italian Beef. I love these guys. Down to earth, thorough, honest, sensible and reliable, every recipe of theirs I’ve ever made has been awesome! And since the rub is just six common little ingredients, there’s no need to buy any packets, but if you need to shortcut, just buy a packet of Italian dressing mix.
While I love scratch cooking but there’s no shame in adding what’s needed to get an intense flavor for the au jus. I like to add a combo of beef broth fortified with a little Johnny’s French Dip Au Jus. Just a touch, by taste. It’s optional if you don’t have it in your area, but if you do, any remainder can be divided into ice-cube trays and frozen for the next roast.
Saving Money on your Chicago Italian Beef Sandwiches Instant Pot Version
Shop well for your beef and you’ll be able to pick it up for about 1/2 price. Mine was $2.99 a pound. The rolls I used are just bakery rolls from the grocery store. Surprisingly, rolls from the bakery section are often less than the ones you’ll find down the aisle with all the packaged bread. It takes just a minute to take a peek at the pricing. These particular ones were day old so they were a bit “stiffer” than absolutely fresh bread, all the better to dip.
I don’t use so many coupons anymore; my store stopped doubling them. I do a little more coupon shopping around holidays because so many items are on sale with coupons easily available, online or delivered to my mailbox. That’s when I stock up on things like chicken and beef stock. While I make a lot of my chicken stock, bones are so expensive here that I rely on the canned or boxed broth. If you’re only using a partial amount, freeze any remainder for your next recipe. Some people like ice cube trays. I just put mine in a Ziploc to save freezer space.
Cheese is another item that I stock up on during sales. Really, there’s no reason to buy full price and if you’re looking at the basic prepackaged cheese, it keeps for weeks in the fridge. If it looks like I won’t use it in a reasonable time, I toss it in the freezer. As far as the Giardiniera. that’s just not an item that goes on sale in my area, or maybe I don’t watch the price closely enough because I don’t buy it on a regular basis. It will keep, tightly covered in the fridge for months. Just make a lot of these Chicago Italian Beef Sandwiches to use it all up!! You can’t go wrong with that!
Italian Beef Sandwiches – Instant Pot
Juicy succulent Italian Beef “wit” the best au jus! Add cheese & fried “peppers” if you want.
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 min
- Yield: 6 - 8 large servings 1x
- Method: Instant Pot
Ingredients
Spice Rub Seasoning:
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Mix together and set aside. There will be a little leftover; use it as any Italian seasoning.
Italian Beef:
- 1 two to two and a half pound beef roast, sirloin, round, or rump preferred
- 2 teaspoons of the Spice Rub Seasoning
- 1 can or about 14 ounces of beef broth
- 2 to 3 tablespoons Johnnys French Dip Au Jus, optional
- 6 to 8 rolls, good hearty, not soft, bread
- Giardiniera as desired
- Fried Peppers (below) optional
- slices of Provolone cheese, optional
Instructions
Trim roast of any excess fat and cut into three or large chunks. Sprinkle with the seasoning mix and rub in.
Add the beef broth to the Instant pot, then the roast pieces. Cover and cook on high pressure for 60 minutes, then allow to naturally release. After 20 minutes, release any remaining pressure.
Shred beef in the Instant Pot and add the Johnnys French Dip Au Jus to taste. Defat the au jus in the Instant Pot if desired or needed.
To Serve:
Spoon a little au jus from the pot onto each of the rolls, top with beef, Fried Peppers (if using) and Giardiniera. Add a slice of Provolone, if desired. Serve each sandwich with a small bowl of the Au Jus.
Fried Peppers:
- 2 green bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and peppers. Saute until peppers are soft and slightly browned in spots.
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I’ll be bringing Chicago Italian Beef Instant Pot to Fiesta Friday #211, and the cohosts this week are Lily @ Little Sweet Baker and Alisa @ Livin’ Well.
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