Italian Beef Sliders with Basil Pesto

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By now, we’ve all seen “The Bear,” on FX/Hulu, so you know I had to create my own Italian Beef Sliders with Basil Pesto.

“The Bear” was one of the best shows I’ve seen in a while. The actors, the cinematography, and of course, the BEEF. I’d never heard of Italian beef before but it looked so beautiful and easy enough to make so I thought I’d give it a shot. A slow braised chuck roast was all it took, and some Chicago style giardiniera.

What’s Italian Beef?

Italian Beef is a sandwich that originated in Chicago. It’s thinly sliced beef, braised with giardiniera, onions and garlic, and then served on a hoagie. I skipped the slicing and just let the beef fall apart in the oven. It was worth it.

How to Make Italian Beef

It honestly could not be easier. Clean and season your beef, then cover and let it marinate over night. Sear it the next day in a Dutch Oven, add some broth and herbs, plus the giardiniera, then “let it rip” for a few hours in the oven. My schedule looked like this:

8pm:  Clean the beef (rinse and trim). Then generously season the beef. Put the beef in a glass bowl, cover, refrigerate and let it marinate.

NEXT DAY

11am: Preheat oven to 250F. Bring the beef to room temp. Sear the meat on both sides in your dutch oven.
11:15am: Pour broth (I used homemade broth, which is a lot more gelatinous and really adds to the flavor!) over meat, add herbs, garlic cloves and onions, and cover.
11:20am: Place the pot in the oven for 2.5-3.5 hours

This is the schedule for 1.5-2lb chuck roast. You’ll have to add about an 1 or 2 for every pound. 

What Goes On Italian Beef Sliders?

Technically, nothing but peppers and onions go on Italian Beef Sliders. But I had some homemade pesto in the fridge and felt like adding it to my sliders. I’m so glad I did! I also melted Provolone on my sliders. Not done in a traditional Italian Beef Sandwich but trust me on this one. Store-bought hoagie rolls will do just fine for this recipe, or even Hawaiian rolls, BUT if you’ve got time for homemade rolls, head to my Instagram (@apieceofressa) highlights for a link to the sourdough rolls I used!

Print Recipe

Italian Beef Sliders

Italian beef sliders amped up with basil pesto and provolone on soft fluffy sourdough rolls.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time3 hrs

Total Time3 hrs 13 mins

Course: Dinner

Keyword: Basil Pesto, beef, italian beef

Servings: 12 sliders

Equipment

• Dutch Oven

Ingredients

Italian Beef

• 1.5 lbs Chuck Roast
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 ½ tsp Salt
• ¼ tsp Black Pepper
• 2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 ½ tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1-2 Cups Broth
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 Cup Chicago Style Giaridiniera drained and rinsed, the excess oil is not needed
• 1 Rosemary Stem optional
• 1 Oregano Stem optional
• 1 Cup Yellow Onion, sliced
• 3 Cloves Garlic, crushed and peeled

Instructions

• Clean and rinse your beef. Pat it dry with a paper towel. Rub olive oil on beef. Then season the beef with salt, pepper, paprika, Italian seasoning, garlic and onion powder. Press the seasonings into the meat.
• Place beef in a large bowl, add a bay leaf on top and cover. Then refridgerate overnight.
• NEXT DAY: Preheat oven to 250°F. Remove beef from fridge and allow it to sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes. This is bringing the meat to room temp so it will sear better.
• Add butter to the dutch oven and place over medium heat. When the butter is hot, sear the beef on both sides, until a nice brownish crust forms. Then remove from the pot from heat.*
• Pour the broth over the meat. The broth should come up about half way on the meat, DO NOT SUBMERGE THE MEAT.
• Add the giaridiniera, and the rosemary and oregano stems if you have them. Then add the garlic and onions. Cover the pot and place it in the oven for 2.5-3.5 hours.*
• Serve over rolls slathered with basil pesto and cheese melted on top or serve plain on hoagie rolls. Refridgerate leftovers for about 4-6 days.

Notes

• It's okay if the seasoning burns a bit - leave it in the pot, it will go unnoticed in the final product.
• I cook my meat until it easily falls apart (see video here). It melts in your mouth when cooked low and slow! You can lessen the cook time if you prefer to slice the beef, just make sure the internal temperature of the heat is between 145°F to 165°F.