This sandwich I’m calling an Italian beef because of the simple marinade. Italian beef sandwiches really aren’t too different from French dip because it is a warm beef sandwich dipped in a hot gravy or juice. I used beef round roast for this sandwich because first it’s a more affordable cut of meat and second when it is cooked properly and cut thin is super tender and packed with tons of flavor.
To cook the meat I went low and slow on my Kamado smoker, this can be done on any smoker. I used a drip pan on the grill filled with a mixture of beef stock and red wine, allowing the meat drippings to fall into it.
This sandwich would be really good with some homemade pickled banana peppers but I ran out of time so went with a purchased giardiniera.
Serves 6 – 8 people
Smoked Italian Beef Sandwiches
Ingredients:
- 4lb Beef Round Roast
- 1 Bottle of Zesty Italian Dressing (I used Kraft brand but and brand will work fine)
- 1C. Dry Red Wine
- 6C. Beef Stock (2C set aside for sauce)
- 1T. Worcestershire Sauce
- 1t. Red Wine Vinegar
- French Bread
- Gardenia or Any Pickled Pepper (for topping)
- Salt and Pepper
Directions:
- Season roast by with a generous coat of salt and pepper. Place in a zip top bag or container that can be sealed and add in the Italian dressing. Allow to marinate for 24 to 36 hours.
- Start smoker and maintain a temperature of 220. In a disposable small roasting pan add in 4C of Beef stock and 1C of red wine. Place pan under roast to catch the pan drippings. Took me approximately 4hrs. (I used my Kamado style smoker with a fan controller that maintains and even temp within 5 degrees.)
- Allow meat to slowly smoke until internal temp reaches 130. Remove roast at this point and allow to rest for at least 30 min (I let mine rest for several hours and start to get cool, this is fine because it will be warmed up in the juice before serving)
- While meat is resting remove drip pan and pour into a medium sized saucepan.
- After the roast has fully rested slice into thins slices across the grain of the meat, you will want to slice this as thin as possible.
- About 20 minutes before planned serving time add in remaining 2 cups of beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, and red wine vinegar. Bring to a boil and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- To serve slice bread in half and dip meat into boiling liquid for 10 sec then place onto the French bread. Top each sandwich with desired toppings and serve with a cup of the liquid for dipping.
I’m adding a few pictures of how the roast looked coming off the smoker and how the roast was sliced.
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