Chicago-Style Italian Beef Sandwiches

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the center. Stir together the salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, garlic powder, onion powder and red pepper flakes listed for the beef. Rub the roast with the 1 tablespoon of oil and press the spice mix all over it.
2. Scatter the onion and smashed garlic in a roasting pan and set the beef on top. Roast for 15 minutes, until the surface is browned in spots.
3. Lower the oven to 325°F and pour 2 cups of the broth into the pan, not over the beef. Roast until a thermometer in the center reads 145°F, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours more. If the pan starts to run dry, add 1 cup of water.
4. Move the beef to a plate and let it cool for 30 minutes. Wrap it tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Cold beef slices much thinner. Pour the pan juices, onion and garlic into a container, cover and refrigerate them too.
5. Slice the cold beef across the grain as thin as you can, with a long, sharp knife or a meat slicer. You should almost be able to see through the slices.
6. Lift off the fat that has set on the chilled pan juices and throw it away. Put the juices, onion and garlic in a large saucepan and add the remaining 4 cups of broth and the oregano, basil, thyme, black pepper, red pepper flakes and bay leaf listed for the jus. Simmer gently for 20 minutes. Pour through a strainer, return the jus to the pan and throw away the solids. Taste and add salt. It should taste savory, peppery and a little stronger than you would want to sip.
7. While the jus simmers, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bell peppers and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring now and then, until very soft and browned in spots, 15 to 20 minutes.
8. Keep the jus hot over low heat, just below a simmer. Add the sliced beef and let it sit in the jus until steaming hot, about 3 minutes, or 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. Do not let it boil.
9. Lift the beef out with tongs and pile it into the rolls. Add sweet peppers and giardiniera. Chicago sandwich counters offer three ways: dry, with the beef drained before it goes on the roll; wet, with an extra spoonful of jus; or dipped, with the whole sandwich dunked in the jus for a second. Serve the remaining jus in small cups for dipping.

Good to know

• Make ahead: roast the beef and chill the pan juices up to 3 days ahead. Keep the sliced beef and finished jus in separate containers until you warm them together. Leftover beef in jus keeps 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.
• For a crowd, warm the beef in the jus, then move both to a slow cooker on warm for up to 2 hours so guests can serve themselves.
• Swap: if hot giardiniera is too much, use the mild kind or pile on more sweet peppers. Choose the crustiest rolls you can find, since soft rolls fall apart in the jus.
• For even thinner slices, put the chilled roast in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing.