Scatchells Beef & Pizza
The beef at Scatchells is so finely sliced that it looks like its seconds away from breaking down into a mess of shredded beef strands. Yet it manages to stay succulent, with a powerful savoriness in each bite. The hot pepper mix is celery-based, but unlike most in this style, its loaded with red chile flakes. This allows for a terrific balance of beefiness to spiciness. $5.69
4700 W. Cermak Road, Cicero, 708-656-0911, scatchellsbeefstand.com
How Do You Cook Italian Beef In A Crock Pot
Place beef, dry Italian dressing mix, beef broth and peppers in a 5 quart or larger crock-pot. Cover and cook on HIGH for 6 hours or until the meat is tender and shreds easily with a fork. Remove meat from slow cooker and place on a rimmed baking sheet and shred the meat with a fork discarding any fat or bones if there is any.
Portillo’s Italian Beef Sandwiches
Portillo’s restaurant, in Chicago, are famous for their beef sandwiches. This would be one of those dishes you could make for your family and freeze leftovers for another meal.
Provided by Miss Annie
1 teaspoon ground black pepper |
1 teaspoon dried oregano |
1 package Italian salad dressing mix |
5 lbs rump roast |
Steps:
- In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine the water, salt, ground black pepper, oregano, basil, onion salt, parsley, garlic powder, bay leaf and salad dressing mix.
- Stir well and bring just to a boil.
- Place roast in a slow cooker and pour mixture over the roast.
- Cover and cook on low setting for 10 to 12 hours OR high setting for 4 to 5 hours.
- Remove bay leaf and shred meat with a fork.
- Serve on Italian Rolls.
Baguette |
Roast and Beef Juice, recipe follows |
3 Sweet Peppers, recipe follows |
Giardiniera, recipe follows |
1 cup fine sea salt |
1/3 cup ground black pepper |
1/4 cup granulated garlic |
One 1 1/2- to 2-pound sirloin roast |
1/4 cup olive oil |
Extra-virgin olive oil, for cooking |
Salt and pepper |
3 tablespoons fine sea salt |
2 tablespoons minced garlic |
2 1/2 tablespoons crushed red pepper |
2 teaspoons black pepper |
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Great Reminder Of Home
I was watching the travel channel and suddenly became home sick. I realized how much I missed the variety of food that Chicago has. As a native south sider, I thought about how much I missed foods like gyros and Italian beef. Needless to say, I purchased the pizza and beef combo. I was so excited, when it arrived, I went to work immediately. I followed the cooking instructions listed online for the beef and everything came out perfect. I immediately went back to my days of visiting Portillo’s in Alsip and Oaklawn. I would definitely recommend this pack to anyone that gets a littl home sick. You will not be disappointed. Now if I can only get Portillo’s chopped salad and lemon poppyseed muffin delivered!
Jays Beef Of Harwood Heights

Its hard not to be impressed by the striking color palette of a beef from the original Jays Beef in Harwood Heights. Instead of drab green bell peppers, this shop uses bright orange and red peppers, which look better and taste sweeter. Im not usually a huge fan of the style of hot peppers that focuses on sliced fresh jalapenos and crunchy celery, but for some reason it all works together here, even if there isnt much heat. Thats probably thanks to the meat, which really latches onto the beefy gravy. Jays has three locations, but the original in Harwood Heights is the one to visit. $7.25
4418 N. Narragansett Ave., Harwood Heights, 708-867-6733, jaysbeef.com
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Portillo’s Italian Beef Copycat Recipe
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut bread two-thirds of the way through. Toast bread in oven until crispy on outside. Drop sliced Roast into simmering Beef Juice.
3-Ingredient Weight Watchers Crock Pot Italian Beef Recipe. Simple and delicious, this low carb 3-Ingredient Italian Pepperoncini Beef turns out tender and flavorful and was a hit with the entire family. Prep Time 5 mins. Cook Time 8 hrs. Total Time 8 hrs 5 mins.
2 Tb black pepper. 2 beef bouillon cubes. 2 cups beef stock. Cut slits in to the meat and stuff with minced garlic. Combine seasoning and rub in to meat. Place in a crock pot and cover half way with water, add bouillon. Cook on high 4 hours. Add beef stock and more seasoning if needed. Cook on low 23 hours.
Cover the crockpot and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, or until meat shreds easily with a fork. Shred the beef, then stir it together with the juices. Cover and cook on low for 30 additional minutes. To serve, split the hoagie buns and toast on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes .
Pops Italian Beef & Sausage
Pops is another Italian beef chain, with more than a dozen locations in the south suburbs and one in the city. The meat here is sliced very thin, though its also a touch dry. Fortunately, its saved by the top-notch gravy, which amps up the beefiness of every bite. What really sets Pops apart is the hot pepper mix. The shockingly green collection of celery and sliced jalapenos adds a less frantic hit of heat than other giardiniera, but it really works here. $7.65
Multiple locations, this sandwich is from 10337 S. Kedzie Ave., 773-239-1243, popsbeef.com
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Tips In Making Italian Beef Sandwiches Like Portillos
Apart from the fact that they are served fresh daily, you may be wondering what all the fuss is about Portillos Italian beef sandwiches so here it goes. Lets start recreating the best Chicago Italian beef sandwich.
- Slice the beef as thin as possible. This allows you to pile on the meat slices which can then soak up the au jus, making the sandwich more flavorful.
- Season the whole beef to bring out its umami. The simple seasoning of mustard, salt, and pepper gives your meat a great boost, especially after searing all the flavors in.
- Slow cook the well-seasoned thin-sliced beef in beef broth. This ensures that the beef absorbs the flavors more than the average whole beef cuts.
- Dont forget to top it with hot peppers. It adds profile and spice to every bite of this most filling sandwich. You can use pepperocini or giardiniera peppers. If you prefer less spice, you may tone down the heat by replacing hot peppers with sweet peppers. Try topping your sandwich with piquillo or banana peppers instead.
- Choose the right bread. In this case, the right bread means a bread that can withstand the juices of the beef and the savory beef gravy dip. You can use Turano rolls or hoagie rolls.
Do a little trick before serving by gently warming the beef in the au jus to make it extra juicy.
Portillo’s And Emmett’s Are On A Mission To Get Their Signature Item The Recognition It Deserves
Update, 9/29/21: The mighty Italian beefs quest for nationwide domination continues, as Portillos the Chicago-area staple that already has 67 locations operating in eight different states announced a major expansion plan today. The chain filed to become a publicly traded company, and it will open more than 600 new restaurants across the country over the next 25 years. First up will be seven new locations in Illinois, Michigan, Arizona and Florida, all of which are slated to open by the end of 2021.Below, read our definitive history of Chicagos signature sandwich.
Outside of Illinois, however, its a different story. While other Windy City staples like Chicago-style pizza and the Chicago-style hot dog have earned nationwide notoriety, the Italian beef hasnt become as ubiquitous as other regional specialties. You can find a Philly cheesesteak, for example, just about anywhere tracking down an Italian beef outside the Midwest is more difficult though it can be done. As Emmett Burke, a native Chicagoan who opened up Emmetts in New York City in 2013 to champion the cuisine he grew up with, points out, East Coast acolytes of the Italian beef are a small but highly devoted bunch.
The main draw at Emmetts is its pizza , but Burke says he often gets large catering orders from former Chicagoans now living in New York looking to spread the beefy gospel. People who know, know, he tells InsideHook with a laugh.
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More About Chicago Portillos Italian Beef Recipes
CLASSIC CHICAGO ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICH RECIPE DONE AT HOME
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PORTILLO’S ITALIAN BEEF COPYCAT RECIPE | THE FOOD HACKER
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- Render the beef fat by chopping it into small bits with a food processor. Be sure the fat is very cold–it will chop better. If you don’t have a food processor, you can chop the fat by hand. Use a sharp knife and cut it as small as you can. Heat up the fat in a sauté pan over medium heat until the bits are browned. Strain the solids from the fat and measure 1/4 cup of fat for the gravy.
- Make the beef gravy by combining all of the ingredients, including the beef fat, in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the mixture begins to boil reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, then turn the heat to low.
PORTILLO’S FAMILY RECIPE – HOME OF ITALIAN BEEF – RECIPES …
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CROCK POT ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICHES – CHICAGO STYLE – FOX …
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- This is meant to be a juicy sandwich. Either ladle out some juice to dip your sandwich in, or add the beef to the hoagie along with a generous splash of juice.
COPYCAT PORTILLO’S ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICH RECIPE – RECIPES.NET
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PORTILLO’S – PORTILLO’S ITALIAN BEEF KIT | ITALIAN BEEF …
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SAVORY SWEET AND SATISFYING: COPY CAT PORTILLO’S ITALIAN BEEF
Better Than The Memory
My daughter had a birthday delivery of Portillo’s Italian Beef to her Boston home. She willingly shared it with several friends who now appreciate and understand her excitement. I can’t believe that she shared her prize package, nor can I believe that one guy had lived and schooled in Chicago for a year and never had even tried Italian Beef! OMG!
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Portillos Italian Beef Recipe Crock Pot
Place roast in slow cooker, and pour salad dressing mixture over the meat. Step 3. Cover, and cook on Low for 10 to 12 hours, or on High for 4 to 5 hours. When done, remove bay leaf, and shred meat with a fork.
In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine the water, salt, ground black pepper, oregano, basil, onion salt, parsley, garlic powder, bay leaf and salad dressing mix. Stir well and bring just to a boil. Place roast in a slow cooker and pour mixture over the roast.
So Happy For This Website

May 8, 2015 | Posted By Dana from Cibolo, TX
I grew up in the burbs of Chicago. Then joined the military when I was 22 and left home. Then married a soldier, we’ve been all over the U.S. ever since. So when my parents found this site. I got all my favorite foods for my birthday. Now I order it when ever we want!!!
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So Which Is Better Als Beef Or Portillos
My only complaint with the Portillos beef is that the juice doesnt seem to have any distinct flavor to me compared to other Italian beef places. The beef itself is delicious, but the juice needs to also have some sort of unique spices or ingredients that set it apart from other places. Im not saying that it tastes like every other Italian beef, but when comparing the juice to Als gravy, as they call it, I dont even think they compare.
Portillos and Als both offer a variety of Chicago-style food, but when it comes to the beef Im going to have to go with Als on this one. And the main reason is the gravy. Its just that good. I do wish you got a little more for the money, but in my eyes Im getting what I paid for . Im not trying to put down Portillos beef because I still eat a lot of it, but mainly just for lunch while at work. And if there was an Als closer to work I would probably opt for that instead, but theres not, so Portillos is a suitable compromise. So while there are tons and tons of other amazing Italian Beef sandwiches to be had across the Chicagoland area, these 2 franchise spots are 2 of the best. Many people would argue that Johnnies Beef is also up there in flavor, but I havent been there in years so I cant comment.
How To Make Portillo’s Italian Beef In Slow Cooker
Portillo’s Italian Beef. Ingredients. Directions. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, combine the water , salt, ground black pepper, oregano, basil, onion salt, parsley,garlic powder, bay leaf and salad dressing mix. Stir well and bring just to a boil. Place roast in a slow cooker and pour mixture over the roast.
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Long Time Dick Portillo Fan
I first became familiar with Dick Portillo’s offerings back in the ’60’s when he started out in the wagon parked in the Zayre’s parking lot on North Avenue in Addison. I took my boys there after little league games and it was the highlight of their day, even more than their game. Now they are all grown and send me the Portillo’s Beef kit here in Texas on a regular basis. I am very grateful for the service and find the product just as good as if served in one of the restaurants. Keep up the good work!Nick N.Fort Worth, TX
Orlando Location Opens June 15
Bob Kotek, News 6 Production Manager
ORLANDO, Fla. The Orlando location of Portillos opens Tuesday.
The restaurant is known for serving Chicago-style meals and the new location will be in southeast Orlando on Palm Parkway.
Im originally from Chicago and have been counting down the days until the opening of the Central Florida location.
I have been getting my Chicago Fix by traveling 81 miles to the location in Brandon.
The convenience of having a location much closer is extremely appealing.
Here are seven things to try at Portillos:
Hot Dog
Make sure to order it Chicago Style. It comes with mustard, neon relish, onions, tomatoes, pickle, celery salt and sport peppers. No true Chicagoan will put ketchup on a hot dog.
The Char-Grilled Maxwell Street Polish
This sausage is grilled to perfection with mustard and grilled onions.
The Italian Beef Sandwich
You can order it with hot or sweet peppers or both. If you want to order it like a Chicago veteran, you can order it dry, wet or dipped.
- Dry
- The beef is pulled from the juice with tongs, most of the juice is allowed to drip off, and it is put into a roll. No juice is added and the sandwich is about as dry as it can get.
Combo Sandwich
Burgers
Salads
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