CHICAGO ITALIAN BEEF

Category

Umami

Form

Juicy, Sliced, Filling

Function

Centerpiece, Vehicle

CHICAGO ITALIAN BEEF

CHICAGO ITALIAN BEEF

Difficulty: Easy
Yield

1.5

kg
Prep

30

minutes
Cook

24

hours
Rest

14

hours

Equipment

  • Spice Grinder
  • Cast Iron Skillet
  • Sous Vide
  • Deli Slicer

Top round gets a tallow sear then a long sous vide with garlic and spices, an overnight chill and a hard freeze so it slices paper thin and drinks its own jus. Pile it on a French roll with giardiniera and sweet peppers for that classic Chicago sandwich. It’s drippy, savory and stubbornly simple. Or try something entirely new.

Ingredients

  • 15 g kosher salt, divided

  • 10 g whole black peppercorns

  • 6 g fennel seeds

  • 5 g whole coriander seeds

  • 5 g paprika

  • 3 g dried thyme

  • 2 g dried oregano

  • 2 g red pepper flakes

  • 1.5 kg top round, trimmed of extra fat

  • 5 g freshly cracked black pepper

  • 30 g beef tallow

  • 15 g garlic cloves, peeled

  • 140 g homemade beef bouillon cubes

  • 950 g water (1 quart)

Method

  • Toast whole peppercorns, fennel, coriander, paprika, thyme, oregano and red pepper flakes in a dry pan until fragrant. Grind into a coarse spice mix and set aside.
  • Rub half the salt and 5g freshly cracked black pepper evenly over the beef.
  • Heat beef tallow in a cast-iron skillet until very hot. Sear beef on all sides until deeply browned, then remove. Turn off heat.
  • Add garlic cloves to the hot tallow, about 1 minute until lightly browned on all sides. Remove and set aside.
  • In a saucepan, combine water, bouillon cubes and the reserved spice mix. Bring to a simmer over high heat, stirring until bouillon dissolves, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
  • Coat the seared beef with the spice mix, then transfer to a vacuum bag with the browned garlic and cooled bouillon liquid. Seal bag.
  • Heat sous vide bath to 64 °C (148 °F). Submerge bag and cook for 24 hours.
  • Remove bag and chill completely in an ice bath. Transfer to the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. Move to the freezer for 6 hours before slicing.
  • Strain the jus through a fine mesh strainer and refrigerate until ready to use.
  • Using a deli slicer, cut beef paper thin across the grain. Immediately add to beef jus to avoid drying it out. If you don’t have a slicer, get your sharpest knife and cut as thin as humanly possible.
  • To serve, warm sliced beef in a saucepan with the jus. Cook gently over low heat, but no more than 1 hour.

Timelapse Video

Notes