50 States Sandwich Challenge: Illinois

 Here's a sandwich that might be a little familiar from a previous state.  But instead of a French Dip, today's sandwich is an Italian Beef, the pride of Chicago, Illinois.  Like the French Dip, Italian Beef is a simmered chuck roast served with provolone BUT instead of French bread, it is put on Italian bread.  And, because Italians like to add a little extra flavor to everything, we're going to put some hot giardiniera (Italian relish) and pepperoncini pepper slices.  Full disclosure that should come of no surprise to anyone, but I loved this sandwich.  The exact origin is unknown, but its believed to be created by Italian immigrants who came to Chicago to work in the slaughterhouses of the early 1900s.  (Not every Italian in Chicago is linked to Al Capone).  Because Italians were the new, fresh immigrants to treat like shit, the factory bosses would send them home with the tougher, less desirable cuts of beef sold by the company.  To make the meat better to eat, it was slow-roasted in Italian-style spices and herbs.  It rapidly grew in popularity and eventually became one of Chicago's most famous ethnic foods (at the time): the Italian beef sandwich.  The recipe was popularized by Pasquale Scala who started small beef stands in Chicago and in 1938, the now-famous Al's Beef opened where 70 years later was named "the best sandwich in the Midwest" by Adam Richman (who has probably eaten more sandwiches than me).  Anyway from now on if you refer to this sandwich as just a roast beef sandwich or cheesesteak I will be writing to the American Italian Anti-Defamation League.  Here's the recipe I used:

Ingredients:

3lb chuck roast

1 envelope of Zesty Italian salad dressing mix

8oz pepperoncini pepper slices

8oz Giardiniera (Chicago-Style Italian sandwich mix)

14.5oz can beef broth

Provolone

Italian bread (I got mine at Livoti's because they make the best bread in the world)

1.  Put your roast into a crockpot and season with the salad dressing mix.  Add about half the pepperoncini peppers, a splash of the juice from the jar, Giardiniera, and the beef broth.  Cook on low for 9 hours. 

2. Put the beef on your Italian bread and add provolone cheese.  Top with pepperoncini peppers and Giardiniera.