Italian Roast Beef Sandwich: Collections

I have three collections that I’ve pursued over the years with relatively little vigor — meaning lackadaisically. The first was a collection of boxes that I collected prior to adulthood. I was never interested in ordinary boxes so my collection only has 10 members and my favorite is the first, a box handmade and intricately carved with a geometric motif by my father’s father, a man who died before I was born.

During my early adult years I collected hats, a collection that began with a beret I bought when I was around 13 and most recently with my acquisition of a straw cap (you know the kind, the sort of things people driving sports cars wear, but made of straw instead of tweed). My most prized item in that collection is a very old straw boater.

I have one more thing I’ve collected with some assiduousness over the past 10 years: sandwiches.I also have around 25 cork screws. Some old, some new; some were gifts, some I purchased in my travels; some quite efficient, some almost worthless. All are distinctive except for three that are nearly identical. I purchased one of those similar cork screws and then was given the other two within the next four months — an odd coincidence.

But I have one more thing I’ve collected with some assiduousness over the past 10 years: sandwiches.

No, they aren’t arranged in a display case or strewn artfully around my house. Instead most of them are displayed in this blog. I’m particularly interested in sandwiches associated with a particular place or culture. So while I consider the basic hamburger/cheese-burger a member of the collection (as a supremely American cultural icon) most other burgers don’t count. And although the ham sandwich is the most popular sandwich in America and has been since at least 1970 there is no particular format considered Kosher — figuratively speaking.

I do consider the Muffaletta a member of my collection as well as the Rueben, Bahn Mi, Cubano, a prosciutto panini, and the grilled cheese. In fact, last year I won a prize for my grilled cheese sandwich, beating out dozens of imaginative competitors by concentrating on getting the details right on a basic cheddar-and-white-bread version.

Before adding a sandwich to my “collection” I do as much research on it as I can, trying to home in on all the common elements. Then I put together a recipe and make it. The initial recipe gets tweaked until I’m happy with it. So here I present the latest addition to my collection: the Chicago Italian Roast Beef. This sandwich is awesome.

Italian Roast Beef Sandwich
Makes 10.

3 lb. rump roast*
4 c beef stock or broth**
Dried Italian herb mix
Garlic powder
Onion Powder
Salt and pepper
10 hoagie rolls***
Gardiniere (Italian pickled salad)

Heat oven to 300F.

Generously season the roast with herbs, garlic and onion powders, and salt and pepper. Allow the seasoned roast to warm on the counter for two hours.

Pour stock into a medium roasting pan and bring to a boil on the stove. Then place a rack over the pan (I used a cooling rack), place the roast on the rack, and set in the middle of the oven. (Note: You want the roast above the jus, not resting in it.

Cook for about 3 hours until the internal temp is 130F. This may seem like a long time (and do keep an eye on the roast’s temperature) but the liquid below the roast will slow the cooking. You’re shooting for a medium-rare roast.

Let the roast cool, then refrigerate for at least four hours or, better, overnight. Store the jus separately.

Skim any fat off the jus and pour it into the roasting pan. Bring to a boil over high heat and reduce to about 2 cups. Taste and adjust seasoning. Reduce heat to a simmer.

Cut hoagie rolls in half — but not all the way through, leave a hinge. Slice roast extremely thin (a circular meat slicer is your best tool for this job, but I just use a very sharp carving knife) and add to jus for about 2 minutes — just to warm through. Spoon about 4 ounces of meat with plenty of jus onto each roll then top with gardiniere. Serve with plenty of paper towels and the rest of the jus for dipping.

*Although rump roast is the most common choice, I used chuck with great success.

**I had homemade stock in my freezer and used that, but it’s equally authentic, perhaps more so, to use bouillon cubes and when I tasted the juice I’d made I ended up adding a tablespoon of Better than Bouillon beef base to the mix.

***Look for rolls that are somewhat chewy (meaning well-developed gluten) or the rolls will simply dissolve in the juice. In fact, in some joints in Chicago they dip the whole roll in the juice before adding the meat.

Try this sandwich with…
Tomato/Garlic Soup
Italian Apple Cake

Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | main dish | sandwich | beef

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