A bib. A tarp. A large towel. All three are required when I start diving into my slow cooker Italian beef sandwiches. Juices, oh delicious juices, running everywhere. Down my arms. Down my legs. Into my lap. Tender, oh so tender, beef. Packed with flavor. And giardiniera. I love that stuff, that vinegary tang and great crunch. Fresh bread, soaking up the yummy juices. A bit of cheese for some ooey gooey goodness. These are great. One of my all-time favorite sandwiches, for sure. And easy, too!
This Is It. Perfection.
What would I do differently next time I make slow cooker Italian beef sandwiches? Nothing. Not a thing. They’re easy and great. My only recommendation is that you make sure you trim the meat of any large fatty pieces before searing. Fat is flavor, yes, but you don’t want it floating in fat after spending 10 hours in the slow cooker. Some is good, a lot is not.
Spicy? Yeah, You Can Do That
Nothing wrong with a little spicy kick in your food, I always say. I like some heat. Not crazy heat. Not burn-my-mouth heat. But a little something. If you’re like me, you can bring a bit of heat in these sandwiches too. Hot giardiniera is a great place to start. And the easiest way to spice these up.
Pickled jalapenos are another way to add some heat. Just add them to the crockpot. A little or a lot, it’s your call. You can use fresh, instead, too. Remove the seeds first if you don’t want them too hot.
Lastly, a few good pinches of dried red pepper flake can amp these up too. Again, I wouldn’t go crazy with them. Adding heat is ok. But you don’t want to bury the delicious flavors of the meat, vegetables, and sauce!
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Looking for a great side for your beef sandwich? Try my quick fix Nashville Hot Chicken potato chips!
Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches
Equipment
Ingredients
For the seasoning
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
For the beef
- 3-4 pound chuck roast excess fat removed
- kosher salt
- 14.5 ounce beef broth divided
- 8 ounces pepperoncini peppers
- ¼ cup juice from the pepperoncini
- 1 cup giardiniera drained. You want the chopped giardiniera, not the chunky vegetable style. In a pinch you can chop them smaller.
For the sandwiches
- 8 ounces pepperoncini peppers or more, to taste
- 8 ounces giardiniera or more, to taste (again, get the chopped style, not the chunky vegetable one)
- Provolone cheese sliced
- 8 Hoagie buns
Instructions
For the seasoning
- Combine all ingredients.
For the beef
- Lay the roast out on a cutting board or on a baking sheet and let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle liberally with salt, getting it on all sides.
- Heat a large Dutch oven, skillet or pot over medium-high heat.
- Carefully add the roast. Sear on all sides until golden brown, turning often. Don't rush it, you want it perfectly seared all over.
- Transfer the roast to a slow cooker.
- Reduce the heat on your Dutch oven to medium. Carefully add in half of the can of beef broth.
- Using a wooden spoon or spatula, scrape up any bits of meat that are stuck to the pan. Get them all. There's tons of flavor in those bits!
- Pour the contents of the pan over the roast.
- Sprinkle the roast with the seasoning mix.
- Add the pepperoncini and 1/4 cup of the juice from the jar, along with the giardiniera (just the vegetables, don't add any juice from the jar) and the remaining beef broth.
- Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until the roast shreds easily.
- Carefully remove the roast to a cutting board. Note: I like to put the cutting board inside of a baking sheet pan so as to catch any juices.
- Shred and return to the slow cooker along with any juices that are on the cutting board (or caught by the baking pan).
- Cover and cook another 30 minutes.
For the sandwiches
- Toast the buns if desired.
- Fill the hoagies with the beef (along with some of the liquid). Top with cheese, pepperoncini and giardiniera.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
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