What's for Dinner Tonight? - "Da Beef" Italian Pot Roast Sandwich

This recipe comes from Food Network star Jeff Mauro's sandwich chain, Pork & Mindy's. It's a Chicago style Italian beef sandwich kicked up with red pepper flakes and hot peppers. Not for the gentle soul afraid of heat, but sure to be a hit with your family and friends who love things hot & spicy. Although it takes a bit of time to prepare, once in the oven it only requires turning to ensure the pot roast evenly soaks in the juices from the jus. We absolutely love these sandwiches!!

"Da Beef" Italian Pot Roast Sandwich

For the Pot Roast:

1 - boneless beef chuck-eye roast (about 3-1/2 pounds)

Slat and pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning (I used 1/2 tablespoon basil & 1/2 tablespoon oregano)

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1/2 cup dry red wine

5 cups beef stock

2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/4 teaspoon ground dried thyme)

For the Pepper:

4 green bell peppers, cut into strips

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

Salt and pepper

For the Sandwich Build:

6 soft hoagie rolls, split

Oil-packed hot giardiniera, sliced pepperoncini or sliced hot banana peppers

 1. Make the pot roast. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Liberally sprinkle the entire beef roast with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat (I used a regular pot for this part of the process and put into an oven-proof dish for roasting). Add the roast and cook until browned and caramelized all over, 3 to 4 minutes per side (reduce the heat if the fat begins to smoke). Transfer the roast to a plate and reduce the heat to medium.

2. Add the onion to the pot and sauté, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes and sauté until fragrant, another minute. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Deglaze with the red wine and cook until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the beef stock and thyme and bring to a simmer. Adjust the seasoning of the jus. Put the beef roast and any accumulated juices into the pot with the jus. Cover, place in the oven and cook, turning the roast every 30 minutes, until very tender, 3-1/2 to 4 hours. Transfer the roast to a cutting board and tent with foil. Increase the oven temperature to

350 degrees F.

3. Strain the jus through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl and return to your Dutch oven or regular cooking pot. Bring to a simmer and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Once the meat is cooled a bit, pull it apart into smaller chunks; return to the jus and reserve until ready to build the sandwiches.

4. Meanwhile, cook the peppers. Toss the green bell pepper strips with the olive oil, granulated garlic and some salt and pepper on a baking sheet. Bake, while stirring halfway through, until soft, about 20minutes.

5. Build the sandwiches: Place some beef on each hoagie roll, then top with the peppers and some of the giardiniera, pepperoncini or banana peppers. The recipe calls for dipping the hoagie rolls into the jus and wrapping in parchment to let the juices settle. I did not do this. I put the jus in a small bowl and then we dipped the sandwiches in the jus as we ate them.