• 3 lbs French Roast, Shoulder Roast or Chuck Eye Roast (see note)
  • 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 4 cubes beef bouillon OR 6 cups beef stock
  • 10 soft, fluffy, high gluten rolls or a big Italian bread loaf
  • 3 green bell peppers
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup spicy hot giardiniera, pepperoncini, or other spicy vinegar-pickled pepper relish

Season the meat

Combine spices in a bowl. Coat the meat lightly with water to help the rub stick, sprinkle it generously on the meat, and massage it in. There will be some left over. Do not discard it, we will use it in the juice.

 

Prepare your heat source

If you are cooking indoors, put a rack just below the center of the oven and preheat to 225°F. If you are cooking outdoors use a 2-zone setup or a smoker and get it the oven or the indirect side up to about 225°F.

 

Heat your broth & roast meat

Combine 6 cups water and 4 bouillon cubes (if using), or 6 cups beef broth, in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the remaining spices from the rub.

Pour broth into the bottom of a 9×13″ baking pan. Set a wire rack on top of this, and put the roast on top of the rack. Transfer the pan to the oven or to the cool side of your grill.

Roast at 225°F until interior temperature is about 130-140°F for medium rare, about 3 hours (exact time will depend on the cut of meat, its thickness, and how well calibrated your cooker is). This may seem long, but you are cooking over water and that slows things down.

Prepare the Peppers

While the meat is roasting (mmmmm, smells sooooo good), cut the bell peppers in half and remove the stems and seeds. Rinse, and cut into 1/4″ strips. Cook the peppers in a frying pan over a medium high heat with enough olive oil to coat the bottom, about 2 tablespoons. When they are getting limp and the skins begin to brown, about 15 minutes, they are done. Set aside at room temp.

Chill the meat

Remove the roast and the juice pan. Take the meat off the rack and remove the rack. Pour off the juice, put the meat back in the pan, and place it in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Let it cool for a few hours, long enough for the meat to firm up. This will make slicing easier. Chill the juice, too, in a separate container.

Prepare your sandwich

Slice the meat against the grain as thin as humanly possible, preferably with a meat slicer. If you don’t have a slicer, use a thin blade and draw it along the meat. If you try to cut down or saw through the crust you will be cutting it too thick.

Next, taste the juice. If you want you can thin it with more water, or make it richer by cooking it down on top of the stove. In Chicago beef stands it is rich, but not too concentrated. Then turn the heat to a gentle simmer. Soak the meat in the juice for about 1 minute at a low simmer. That’s all. That warms the meat and makes it very wet. You can’t leave the meat in the juice for more than 10 minutes or else it starts to curl up, squeezes out its natural moisture, and toughens.

Slice the rolls lengthwise but leave them hinged on one side. Or slice a loaf of Italian bread the same way, then cut it widthwise into 10 portions. To assemble the sandwich, start by spooning some juice directly onto the bread. Get it wet. Then lay on the beef generously. Spoon on more juice (don’t burn your hand). Top it with bell pepper and, if you wish, giardiniera. If you want it “wet”, dip the whole shootin’ match in juice. Be sure to have plenty of napkins on hand.

 

 

Note:

Any lean, slicing roast will work for this recipe. Here are a few to choose from:

  • Shoulder Roast: This lean roast is the most similar to the non-kosher cut traditionally used for this sandwich. Because it has relatively little intramuscular fat, cook at a low temperature to avoid drying out. Cut to 1/8″ slices, as thin as possible.
  • Chuck Eye Roast: The Chuck Eye Roast contains a number of different muscles which are held together by ribbons of fat and connective tissue. The flavor is amazing, but you might not love the texture. You’ll need to cook this ahead and slice it cold to get nice thin slices.
  • French Roast: For a Shabbat-worthy sandwich, a luxurious French Roast would be perfect. The tender roast is gently marbled and completely free of gristle and tissues. Thin slices are best, but up to 1/4″ is ok too.