Crock Pot Italian Beef
Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches are a classic Chicago favorite. The meat comes out so tender and it must be dipped in the beefy gravy!
A DELICIOUS ITALIAN BEEF RECIPE
If you’ve ever visited Chicago then you know one food you gotta try is the Italian Beef. It’s served on a sub roll with melted cheese, giardiniera (pickled vegetables) and gravy on the side to dip the sandwich in. You can even get the entire sandwich dipped into gravy before it is served for the full experience.The meat is tender, juicy and so flavorful. It’s a taste that just can’t be beat!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
With a chuck roast in a slow cooker, it would take more than a day for that to happen. Chuck roast is a tough cut of meat so it needs a longer cooking time to get tender. It’s very hard to overcook it unless you completely forgot about it cooking until the next day.
Chuck roast is typically used. However, top round, bottom round, London broil or rump roast can also be used. They are all pretty tough cuts of meat so cooking them low and slow all day is really the key to these coming out super tender!
No, it is not absolutely necessary to achieve good flavor. However, it is often recommended to brown the meat on both sides to add additional flavor.
For authentic Italian Beef, like the famous Portillos in Chicago, they would be served on Turano brand French Rolls. However, most people making this at home are using sturdy sub rolls (something that can hold up to gravy dunking!)
You can find jarred giardiniera (pickled vegetables) where the pickles are located in your grocery store. They are often right near the peperoncini peppers.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- chuck roast
- dry Italian dressing
- peperoncini peppers
- beef broth
- provolone cheese
- sub rolls
HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT MAKE ITALIAN BEEF:
Put the roast into the bottom of a 4-6 quart Crock Pot. In a bowl, combine beef broth, dry italian dressing and 1/2 the jar of pepperoncini peppers (including some of the juice). Use as little or as much of the peppers as you like (depending on how spicy you like it.)
Pour this mixture over the roast.
Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours.
When ready, remove the roast and shred with two forks then place shredded meat back into the juices.
This part is optional, but if you’d like, add a little butter to sub rolls and lightly toast them in a skillet. Place sliced meat onto your toasted rolls, making sure you add a few of the peppers on there too.
Add a slice or two of provolone cheese on top and serve. And if you’re doing it up Chicago-style, make sure you dip your sandwich into those leftover juices/gravy!
CRAVING MORE?
Originally published: July 2012
Updated photos & republished: April 2019
Crock Pot Italian Beef
Ingredients
- 3-4 pound chuck roast
- 1 packet dry Italian dressing
- ½ (16 ounce) jar sliced peperoncini peppers
- 10.5 ounce can beef broth
- 4-6 slices provolone cheese
- sub rolls
Instructions
- Place the roast into the bottom of a 4-6 quart crock pot
- In a bowl, combine beef broth, dry italian dressing and 1/2 the jar of pepperoncini peppers (including some of the juice).
- Pour this mixture over the roast.
- Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours.
- Remove roast and shred meat with two forks.
- Place shredded meat back into the juices in the crock pot.
- Add a little butter to sub rolls and lightly toast them in a skillet (optional.)
- Place shredded meat and peppers into sub roll. Top with a slice or two of provolone cheese.
- And if you’re doing it up Chicago-style – make sure to dip the whole sandwich into the leftover juices!
Video
Notes
- Use as little or as much of the peppers and juice that you like. If you like it with more kick, add more peppers and the juice.
- For extra Italian flavor, add a teaspoon or two of Italian seasoning into the broth mixture before cooking.
- It is not recommended to cook on high as the meat will not come out as tender and will not shred well.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Can you make this in a insta pot and if so how would you go about it?
It lists a 10.5 ounce can of beef broth. Considering the size of the can – should that be consommé and not beef broth?
No it’s beef broth. You can see it in the ingredient picture above.
Can you put it on high for 4 hours instead of low for 8 hours ?
I don’t recommend it. The beef needs time to become tender and four hours on high won’t result in a tender meat.
Great recipe
On the top of the recipe you say rump roast and when you give the directions you say chuck roast. Help!
Sorry for any confusion. You could use either but pictured here is the chuck roast.
Can you make this in the instapot?
I have 2 very picky eaters that hate peppers. We all loved it!
My family loved it!
Can you use sliced banana peppers? Also, if making own Italian seasoning, what would be the total amount? Like a table spoon or 2?
Hi Shannyn, I don’t see why you couldn’t use banana peppers. If using your own Italian seasoning, it would be about 3 tbsp. 🙂
I’d give it a 5 for simplicity alone. I added sauteed green and red peppers to fancy it up.
So simple and delicious!
Delicious my family loves this recipe
I’ve been making something similar for years. I always get a chuck roast, throw it in the crockpot, throw entire jar of pepperoncini after it, & in 8 hours or so heaven has arrived. I don’t know why you would add all the rest of the listed ingredients. The peppers give it plenty of flavor without being spicy.
Too many peppers make it VERY spicy for me. There is no way I could use that much at all. It would give me terrible acid reflux. And the butter adds a wonderful buttery-ness and texture to it that’s hard to describe but tastes amazing!
great recipe, love it.
I love this recipe! The addition of the peperocini (sp) peppers – would have never thought of it and I will add those next time because we love them at this house – even Mr. Picky-eater!
Hi I added a handful of sliced mushrooms and a handful of sliced sweet onion. Yum!
Do you have to use the peppers? Can something else be substituted?
Yes, you do. They really add to the flavor. You don’t have to serve it with the peppers but the meat does need to cook with them.
Cooking Lover- Thanks so much for commenting and letting me know how great this was for you. Hope you browse around and find a few more to try.
My boyfriend and I thought this was awesome. I cannot comment on if it tastes like italian beef because I have never had it, but it was really great as a sandwich.
Love Love Love this site! This is a GREAT recipe….I have also made it with a Pork Roast…(instead of beef broth…I used a pkg. of brown/mushroom gravy mix and 1 cup of water). The pepperoncinis and pkg. of Italian dressing really make either roast taste so good!
Made this last night using a round roast (on sale this week — yay!). It was a 4 pounder and about $16. I cooked it for exactly 8 hrs and wished I'd have gone maybe an hour shorter. Flavor was FABULOUS and the meat had a nice kick to it but wasn't as spicy as I feared it'd be (my 17 yr. old daughter can be a bit of a wimp ;-); it was a tiny bit dry but was exceedingly tender. With about 4 hours to go I added a large white onion cut into rounds, which were great on the sandwiches, too.
I'll absolutely make this again, being mindful when those beautiful roasts are on sale so I've always got one in the freezer. This crock pot dinner allowed my husband and I to go wine tasting and come home with a very short "to do" list for dinner. Salad prep & roll prep and we were done! Loved it!
These rock and rock and rock! I have made this many times over the last year and you just can't go wrong with this recipe!
Is it wrong that I am already drooling & looking forward to TOMORROW'S dinner?? Bought the ingredients today & will be making this for the first time tomorrow. I have NO doubt that it will be fantabulous, as is everything I have made from your site. Thank you for posting awesome, easy to make recipes! SO glad I stumbled upon your blog!
I absolutely love the recipes I've tried from your postings and this one fits right in with the quality of all the others! Our two teenage boys didn't make a peep during dinner and my husband LOVED them. As a mom of two teenage boys and the wife of a man who works outside all year around, I am always looking for new recipes to try in order to change up the same ole boring stand-bys while continuing to stick to m budget and fill their eager stomachs. Your recipes never break the bank and always satisfy! Once again, Thank you CC!!
Gosh, I'm about to die for this!
For me, I'll add little sliced onion, mushroom and broccoli, YUMMY!
This was delicious! Instead of jarred peppercinis ( all I could find were ones with food coloring in them) I cut up 2 banana peppers….I think I've found my new favorite food blog!!!!! Thank you xoxo
I added thinly sliced onion and sliced up some mushrooms and it was great
Um………oh yeah, I'm making this today. Going to the freezer right now. Thank goodness for the defrost button on the microwave!
mouthwatering
I make this often with a chuck roast and it's out of this world good and so easy
Have this in my Crock now…kitchen is smelly yummy 🙂
I can't remember how I cam across you, but I am sure glad I did! Another GREAT recipe! Thx for sharing!!
Brandie,Our readers over at Mr. Food LOVE new slow cooker recipes and this one is right up their alley! We’d love for you to submit a similar recipe to The Search for the Ultimate Weeknight Meal, offering a grand-prize to one lucky blogger who will tape a segment to air on national TV! If you're interested, check out our contest page for more details.
I made this last night with a few changes just stuff I already had like italian hot peppers instead of pepperocini's. We enjoyed it today and it is so delicious, as usual!
Hi Brandie ~ One of my friends from work gave me an old Crock Pot about a year ago, and although I've only heard good things, your introduction in the beginning of this post really motivates me to try it out!! Thanks!!
~Jasmine
I can't wait to try this!!
This is in the crock pot now and smells awesome!!! Cant wait to try it!
Listen, I've just spent the whole day reading your blog — the laundry can wait, you're awesome! Great blog, great recipes! Just followed you on Pinterest, too! Can't wait to try all your recipes! So glad I found you!
That looks delicious!
Thank you so much for the sweet comments everyone!! Thank you Colby – who needs clean laundry anyway?? lol
when u toast the rolls add a touch of garlic butter.They are awesomme
My BFF is my crockpot. Especially when it is 106 outside w/78% humidity and our AC hasn't quit running in weeks.
Neat blog.. I'll be back
I've got to try this it looks wonderful. I will do anything with a crock pot to keep from heating up the house. Love your site. Thanks
Yummmmmy!
These kinds of sandwiches are my "go-to" meal when we have a slew of company or when I just want an easy day! You can't sing the praises of the slow cooker enough for me!