Insanely juicy, tender and flavorful Italian shredded beef sandwiches that only take 15 to prepare, then roast in the oven or slow cook in the crockpot. Served on a toasted roll with easy roasted garlic aioli, melty provolone cheese, pepperoncini peppers and pickled vegetables. Truly perfection. Don't forget to serve with a side of the broth for dipping!
This post is sponsored by Strauss Grass Rooted, who I am so excited to partner with! Recipe, photographs, thoughts and opinions are all my own.
These sandwiches are messy, delicious goodness!! Between the Italian shredded beef, pickled vegetables, roasted garlic aioli, crusty sandwich roll and zesty beef broth for dipping, this is one hell of a sandwich!
Even better, these sandwiches are super easy to prepare, and require minimal hands-on prep time. The beef slow cooks in a beef broth seasoned with Italian spices and pickled peppers and vegetables to add a tasty zip to the beef!
I provided oven and slow cooker instructions, so the choice is yours. Either way, I have a good feeling that you'll be coming back to this recipe again and again.
As always, using good quality meat is the secret to the best recipes! Grass-fed beef truly tastes better than conventionally raised beef, and it's honestly better for you. Strauss Grass Rooted sent me beef to try, and I can't get over how good it is! It's 100% grass-fed from pasture raised cows that are never administered antibiotics or growth hormones!
Why you'll love the Italian Beef Recipe
- Lots of delicious flavor. Italian seasoning, pepperoncini peppers, and pickled vegetables all come together to create a uniquely delicious shredded beef.
- Easy to make. This recipe only requires 15 minutes of hands-on cooking time! The oven does the rest.
- Roasted garlic aioli. Made with a whole bulb of roasted garlic, mayonnaise and a few simple ingredients, this aioli adds lots of flavor and sauciness!
Ingredients
- Chuck roast
- Olive oil
- Beef broth
- Soy sauce
- Worcestershire
- Sliced pepperoncini peppers
- Giardiniera
- Italian seasoning
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Salt
- Black pepper
How to make Italian Beef Sandwiches
Making Italian beef sandwiches is super easy with little hands-on cook time! Here's an overview on how to make Italian beef sandwiches!
- Sear the roast. Don't skip this step! Searing creates a golden brown crust on the outside of the roast, amplifying the flavor before it goes into the oven.
- Add broth and seasoning. Once the roast is seared, you will add lots of beef broth, seasoning, pickled peppers and vegetables.
- Roast in the oven. Transfer the roast to the oven, and cook for about 3 hours, or until fork tender.
- Make the roasted garlic aioli. Roast a bulb of garlic alongside the roast to make delicious roasted garlic aioli.
- Assemble the sandwiches. I like to toast crusty sandwich rolls with provolone cheese, then top with the Italian shredded beef, pepperoncini peppers, giardiniera and roasted garlic aioli!
Crockpot Italian Beef
This recipe calls for braising the beef in a dutch oven, but if you prefer, you can cook the beef in a crockpot! Here's how to do it:
- Sear the beef roast. Follow the same instructions to sear the roast.
- Transfer to the crockpot. Transfer the seared roast and the remaining ingredients to the crockpot.
- Slow cook. Cook the roast in the crockpot over low heat for 7-8 hours, or until fork tender.
Roasted garlic aioli
Do not skip out on the roasted garlic aioli! It sounds kinda fancy, but it's actually super simple to make at home with mayonnaise.
A garlic bulb is roasted in the oven alongside the beef, then mixed with mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. It adds an extra layer of flavor and sauciness to the sandwich!
P.S. if you like horseradish, you most definitely need to mix a little into the roasted garlic aioli. Holy moly is it good!!
Tips & substitutions
- Horseradish aioli. If you're like me, and you love horseradish, I highly recommend adding a little to your roasted garlic aioli! So so good with the Italian beef and pickled vegetables!
- Serve with the extra broth for dipping. Use your sandwich to soak up the extra broth creating crusty, soggy deliciousness.
- Crockpot option. If preferred, you can slow cook the beef in the slow cooker! Once you sear the beef, transfer the beef and all the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker, then cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until fork tender.
- Double the recipe. If you're feeding more than 4 people or you want leftovers (highly recommend), then feel free to use a bigger 3-4 pound roast. To do so, simply double the ingredients. You may also need to increase the cook time by 1 hour. Simply check the roast periodically to see how tender it is.
Frequently asked questions
What cut of beef is best for Italian Beef Sandwiches?
Chuck roast is most commonly used to make Italian Beef Sandwiches because it becomes super tender when braised or roasted. It's the ideal protein for shredded beef. However, here are some other beef roasts that you could use: bottom round, eye round, top round, ribeye, or sirloin roast.
What goes well with Italian Beef Sandwiches
I love to serve Italian Beef Sandwiches with vegetables, potatoes, salad, or chips and dip. Here are two recipes that pair well: Balsamic Marinated Grilled Vegetables and Salt and Vinegar Roasted Potatoes.
What is on an Italian Beef Sandwich
I like to serve Italian beef in a crusty hoagie roll with melty provolone cheese, pickled pepperoncini peppers, giardiniera (pickled vegetables in oil), and roasted garlic aioli or horseradish aioli!
What kind of bread to use for an Italian Beef Sandwich?
Crusty sandwich rolls are best for Italian Beef Sandwiches! Italian shredded beef cooks in broth making it super moist, tender, but also really juicy, so you need a roll that can hold up to juices! Crusty hoagie rolls are great. Avoid buying regular hot dog or burger buns, as they're just too soft. I find that the deli area of the grocery stores has better crusty sandwich roll options versus the bread aisle.
What is the difference between Italian beef, Philly cheesesteak and French dip?
Italian beef sandwiches, Philly cheesesteaks and French dips are all fairly similar sandwiches made with beef, but are still very different.
Italian beef sandwiches are made with Italian seasoned shredded beef, then topped with pickled peppers and vegetables. Philly cheesesteaks are made with thinly sliced beefsteak, and topped with melty cheese. French dips are made with thinly sliced roast beef, and served with a side of au jus (a light broth) for dipping.
Make ahead.
This is an excellent make ahead recipe! The beef can be fully cooked 1-2 days in advance, then stored in the fridge. Same goes for the roasted garlic aioli!
Storage & reheating
Storing in the fridge.
Cooked beef will last in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Freezing.
Freeze Italian shredded beef for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Reheating.
My favorite way to reheat Italian shredded beef is on the stove! Simply add the beef and leftover broth to a skillet, and cook over medium-high heat until warm.
If the beef is frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below! I'd love to hear from you! If you’re on Instagram, share a picture of the food you created and tag me at Modern Farmhouse Eats! I enjoy seeing all the pictures! 😊
Italian Beef Sandwich with Roasted Garlic Aioli
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1-2 pounds chuck roast (I recommend Grass Rooted Grass-Fed Beef)
- salt & pepper to season the roast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire
- ½ cup sliced pepperoncini peppers + ¼ cup brine (mild or medium heat)
- ½ cup chopped giardiniera (mild or spicy)
- ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Roasted garlic aioli
- 1 large garlic bulb
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 dashes Worcestershire
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- pinch of black pepper
For the sandwiches
- crusty hoagie rolls
- provolone cheese slices
- giardiniera
- pepperoncini peppers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F, and season the roast with salt and pepper.
- Heat a dutch oven over medium-high heat with olive oil. Sear the roast for about 3-4 minutes on each side until a deep golden brown crust forms. Remove from the heat, and add in the remaining ingredients.
- Cover the roast and bake for about 3 hours, or until fork tender. Meanwhile, prepare the roasted garlic aioli.
- Shred the roast with forks, then return to the broth in the dutch oven. Transfer to the oven and continue to cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
- Open each sandwich roll and add 2 slices of provolone cheese. Toast under the broiler for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is melty and the roll is golden brown, keeping a close eye so they don’t burn.
- Spread roasted garlic aioli over the cheese, then add the Italian beef, and top with pepperoncini peppers and giardiniera. Serve with a side of the broth for dipping!
Roasted Garlic Aioli
- Cut the top off the garlic bulb to expose the garlic. Place the bulb on a sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap the foil tightly around the garlic and bake for 1 hour.
- Remove the garlic from the foil and let cool enough to handle. Turn upside down and squeeze the cloves into a small bowl. Mash with a fork, then mix in the remaining ingredients. Store in the fridge until you’re ready to make the sandwiches.
Notes
- Season the roast with salt and pepper.
- Heat a dutch oven over medium-high heat with olive oil. Sear the roast for about 3-4 minutes on each side until a deep golden brown crust forms.
- Add in the remaining ingredients.
- Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until fork tender.
- Shred the beef with forks, then return to the broth in the slow cooker.
Kathleen Wagner says
The whole recipe is delicious, but my favorite part is the aioli! It's so good that it's amazing how easy it is to make. I came back to the recipe this evening because I mean to make Greek food tomorrow, and the aioli will be a perfect dressing for it, alongside the yoghurt/cucumber dip. Many, many thanks for this wonderful condiment!