Slow Cooker Italian Beef

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 5 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 9 Servings

"As someone who was born and raised in Chicago, but spent much of my adult life in New York City, I am often asked about my pizza affiliation. While I am not one to fight for the supremacy of one slice over the other, I will argue that a Chicago-style Italian beef is hands-down the best sandwich in the country.

Italian beef sandwiches are traditionally made with roasted beef that has been sliced paper-thin, which can be difficult to achieve when recreating it at home. This slow cooker version incorporates all the flavors I have come to love in this Chicago-style sandwich, but it can be sliced and served slightly differently: either shredded with a fork or cut into slices."

Ingredients

1 (3- to 4-pound) beef top round roast
1 to 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
4 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup water
2 cups regular or low-sodium beef broth
1 (0.7-ounce) package powdered Italian dressing mix
1 cup sliced pepperoncini peppers
1/4 cup pepperoncini brine (from the jar)

Instructions

7-ounce) package Italian salad dressing mix, 1 cup sliced pepperoncini peppers, and 1/4 cup pepperoncini brine. Cover and cook until the meat is very tender, 8 to 10 hours on the LOW setting or 4 to 5 hours on the HIGH setting.Transfer the roast to a clean cutting board. Shred with two forks into small pieces, or thinly slice across the grain. Reserve the sauce.When ready to serve, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Split 8 hoagie rolls and place cut-side up on a baking sheet. Top each half with 2 slices provolone cheese. (Toast in 2 rounds or on 2 baking sheets if needed.)Bake until the cheese is melted, 5 to 7 minutes. Fill the toasted rolls with the beef and top with mild or spicy Giardiniera, as desired. Taste the sauce and season with more kosher salt and black pepper as needed. Spoon the sauce over the sandwiches and divide the rest into individual bowls or ramekins for dipping.