Description
Wet, dry, or dipped? However you like your Chicago Italian Beef, this Instant Pot recipe delivers maximum flavor with minimal effort.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 2-inch cubes
- 1 ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups beef broth (homemade beef broth or store-bought low sodium)
Serve with
- Hoagie Rolls
- Giardiniera (Italian pickled vegetable relish)
Instructions
- Brown the beef in two batches: Heat the vegetable oil in an Instant Pot using Sauté mode adjusted to high until the oil shimmers, about 3 minutes. (Use sear mode or medium-high heat for other pressure cookers.) While the oil heats, salt the beef, sprinkling the cubes of beef with the fine sea salt. Add half of the beef to the pot in a single layer, and sear until well browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Remove the batch of browned beef to a bowl. Add the rest of the beef to the pot, and sear until browned on the bottom, about 3 more minutes.
- Add the spices and the broth: Add the beef in the bowl back into the pot, and sprinkle the beef with the spices (paprika, coriander, fennel seed, oregano, and garlic powder). Stir the beef to coat with the spices, then pour in the beef broth. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to loosen the beef cubes and any browned bits sticking to the pot.
- Pressure cook for 30 minutes with natural pressure release: Lock the lid on the cooker. Cook at high pressure for 30 minutes in an electric pressure cooker ("Manual" or "Pressure Cook" mode in an Instant Pot) or 25 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 15 more minutes. (You can quick release the rest of the pressure after 15 minutes.) Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam.
- Shred the beef, add some pot liquid, and serve: Scoop the beef from the pot with a slotted spoon into a wide bowl or rimmed serving platter, then shred the beef with a pair of forks. Spoon a ladle or two of the cooking liquid from the pot onto the shredded beef and toss to moisten all of the beef. (I add about 1 cup of sauce from the pot to the shredded beef.) Fill a hoagie roll with the beef from the serving platter and top with giardiniera. This gives you a "dry" sandwich, the starting point for the next two versions.
For a "wet" sandwich, pour an extra ladle of broth over the beef in the roll.
For a "dipped" sandwich, pour the pot liquid into a loaf pan or baking dish, then grab the whole roll (beef and all) with tongs, and dunk it in the liquid. (A loaf pan makes this easier, but it is still a a mess. Dip it quickly, and use foil or butcher paper to wrap the sandwich to hold it together.)
My preferred way of serving is "dry", with extra pot liquid passed at the table as au jus dipping sauce. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 sandwich (with bun and giardiniera)
- Calories: 564
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 1138.4 mg
- Fat: 26 g
- Carbohydrates: 30.2 g
- Fiber: 1.7 g
- Protein: 50.3 g
- Cholesterol: 156.8 mg