Buying beef for homemade Italian Beef?

Hi friends, any suggestions on where I could order and buy very thinly sliced RAW beef to use in making homemade Italian Beef?

Thanks much!

Mike

Any Korean market carries thinly sliced ribeye perfect for this application, (the stuff they use for bulgogi) though you're likely to find it frozen if you want it unmarinated. If you let us know what part of town you're in, someone will tell you the closest place to you.

I've never made it myself, but I believe for Italian beef, you usually to start with a large roast and then it is sliced after it has been cooked.

viaChgo is correct.
Purchase the cheapest roast you can find, season with pepper, salt and oregeno and slow roast. Chill and then thin slice. Put back into a 300F oven with some liquid for a few hours until you are satisfied.-Dick

Though I'm with the OP - barring a commercial slicer, getting cooked beef Italian-beef thin is nigh on impossible. Using bulgogi beef in a quick sear and then quick braise with jus and spices is a quick way of getting something similar.

budrichard wrote:viaChgo is correct.
Purchase the cheapest roast you can find, season with pepper, salt and oregeno and slow roast. Chill and then thin slice. Put back into a 300F oven with some liquid for a few hours until you are satisfied.-Dick

I've not tried myself, but wouldn't this result in the kind of dry, stringy beef that results when the beef is left in the juice for too long at lesser beef establishments? I was always under the impression that swishing the beef in hot juice just long enough to warm it was key to keeping it tender and moist.

I've started with rump roast several times to make my own Italian Beef and after 18 hours in the slow cooker, it comes out quite delicious but not the texture I am looking for. It comes out shredded like pot roast instead of the thin slices like at local establishments. That's why I wanted to start with raw as another post noted. I suppose I could go with deli roast beef sliced thin and then cook/soak for awhile in my broth/spice blend for a similar effect.

Mike, I've tried both those cheats - honestly, because of the post-cooking slicing the Deli roast beef winds up the closest, though it's not the same - and most delis have jus you can purchase. Of course, beef is going to vary in quality from deli to deli, and nothing's going to come out exactly like the slow-cooked thin-sliced beef from a stand.

Bulgogi beef isn't stringy, but it's kind of...patchy...think of bi beem bap or beef teryaki. It comes out more moist than the deli roast beef, and more beefy tasting, but the texture is definitely different. It's kind of its own thing, one that I like and that works on a sandwich, but not exactly like Italian Beef.

Good Luck! Report back!

My SIL has made Italian Beef several times for family events. She roasts the meat then takes it back to the butchershop and they slice it for her! She's in the southern burbs; not sure which butcher did it for her, but it sure made her life easy.

She keeps the au jus hot, but not simmering - am guessing about 140 to 150 degrees, but I'm not sure. When people are ready, they put the beef in the au jus for a minute to warm it and then put it on their sandwich

MikeK,

You've already tried a method similar to the one I use all the time but you may want to try again with a few different twists. Instead of braising a rump roast in the slow cooker for 18 hours, braise an eye of round roast more traditionally for about three hours. Then, the key is to cool the meat thoroughly in the fridge before slicing. When the meat is cold you can slice it pretty thin across the grain with a good sharp knife and it won't shred on you, but because it's braised as opposed to roasted, it will still be very tender even if the slices are not paper thin. Reheat as suggested above by dunking the slices in the hot braising liquid just long enough to heat through.

Dmnkly wrote:

budrichard wrote:viaChgo is correct.
Purchase the cheapest roast you can find, season with pepper, salt and oregeno and slow roast. Chill and then thin slice. Put back into a 300F oven with some liquid for a few hours until you are satisfied.-Dick

I've not tried myself, but wouldn't this result in the kind of dry, stringy beef that results when the beef is left in the juice for too long at lesser beef establishments? I was always under the impression that swishing the beef in hot juice just long enough to warm it was key to keeping it tender and moist.

Most of the places serving Italian beef use the bottom round which is hardly a top of the line cut.

If I had to serve a large group, as much as I dislike the place, I would probably run down to Portillos and by the cryovac packages of meat and make my own an jus.

I would agree with the others that you need a commercial slicer to get the meat that thin.

In the past Ive gotten mine at Johnny G's in Bloomingdale..
I beleive Mr Beef and Portillo's sells sliced Italian beef crovaced with juice on side as well.

My Chicago-Calabrese extended family recipe has two variations:

1. slow cook the roast and don't worry about thin slices; go with shreds or slightly thicker slices, which make the spiced edges more enjoyable anyway

2. after cooking and draining, freeze the roast, and shave while frozen. This gets it similar to Portillo's / Johnnie's in superficial aspect.

Weird that this post comes up I bought two roasts last week and decided to give IB a try with my own little twists.

Mhays wrote:Though I'm with the OP - barring a commercial slicer, getting cooked beef Italian-beef thin is nigh on impossible.

I knew that this was going to be the main problem so I decided to try and do an Al's style beef (shredded) as described below.

Santander wrote:My Chicago-Calabrese extended family recipe has two variations:

1. slow cook the roast and don't worry about thin slices; go with shreds or slightly thicker slices, which make the spiced edges more enjoyable anyway

I grilled the roast first to sear it and get some crunchy edges


then I put it into a tray with all sorts of spices that people have described tasting in Al's gravy


Then it was into the oven until the meat basically shredded and I used some Gonnella bread and some Al & Joes giardinara.

How was it? it was good but not better than any above average beef joints. I wouldnt make again in the city just b/c its alot less work to just go get one at one of the many fine establishments. I would definitely make it again if I ever moved far away.

If i was having a party, Pop's moves pounds and pounds of beef daily for catered parties and its exactly the same as getting a beef there and they are one of the best beefs in the city.

MikeK wrote:I've started with rump roast several times to make my own Italian Beef and after 18 hours in the slow cooker, it comes out quite delicious but not the texture I am looking for. It comes out shredded like pot roast instead of the thin slices like at local establishments. That's why I wanted to start with raw as another post noted. I suppose I could go with deli roast beef sliced thin and then cook/soak for awhile in my broth/spice blend for a similar effect.

One of the ways to combat this issue is to refrigerate your finished roast overnight. The gelatin will solidify and hold meat together. Then you will be able to slice it and when you reheat it in your jus, it will still hold together in slices better. This is not just for making Italian Beef but for any braised meat, in general.

I know it doesn't satisfy the urge to "do it yourself," but what I've done is to go to Scala and buy the meat and jus, and heat and serve it. Yes, I cheat - but I don't have the time or the "touch" to get it right, otherwise . . . and I admire those of you who tough it out and have the satisfaction of accomplishment.

Anyone have a recipe for the gravy/juice for homemade IB? I have a friend from NY who wants to try to make it at home.

Al's uses top loin that they braise for about 4 hrs w/their seasonings. Then they let it cool overnite @ about 38 degrees and slice it on an electric slicer to nearly see through. You then finish it by bringing back up to temp in the defatted braising liquids.

Trouble sleeping, Jazzfood?

Angelo's Italian Grocery, at the corner of Belmont and Maple Ave. in Downers Grove has an outstanding - and very reasonably priced - deli. I was in on a Saturday before Super Bowl and they were braising at least 15 large roasts: their Italian Beef is super.

Here's a Chicago/Italian recipe from A Taste of Naples by Gloria La Rose; the small book is her mother's and grandmother's recipes.

4-6 lb. rump roast
4 whole garlic cloves
2 Tbsp oregano 2 Tbsp fresh parsley
1 cup dry red wine
1 small can beef stock
S & P to taste
Using a sharp knife, make slits in the roast and insert parsley and black pepper, filling it up with a garlic clove. The recipe calls for four... I do this at least a dozen times.
Start roast a 425 degrees, for 30 minutes, then reduce to 325 for about 12 minutes per pound.
Remove frompan, let stand at least one hour, collecting any juices.Return the juices to the roasting pan, add remaining ingredients, plus red pepper flakes as desire and heat gnetly.
Slice thin as possible and serve on crusty bread with the jus and fried bell peppers and/or giardina.

MikeLM wrote:Trouble sleeping, Jazzfood?

Currently in Istanbul, 8 hr time difference.

I called Scala's once.

They sell (what they call) Sirloin Butt in 14 lb. minimum size, and you need a restaurant ID to buy it wholesale from them. So that is the ultimate answer. I'm sure there are other butcher names for Sirloin Butt -- for instance, what cut is similar in retail stores?

My friends owns a place, and he uses "Inside Round" for his beef. Again, this is a commercial cut. He says it comes in a 25 lb. chunk, and then he fabricates it into smaller cuts to roast.

For home use, there aren't many good options. Rump roast is totally the wrong cut and taste, imho. It doesn't slice well, and that's why it has to be string tied from the beginning. Sirloin tip roast is too soft and has weird sinews that make slicing difficult, so that definitely is the wrong cut too.

Deli roast beef is usually the Top Round roast, but it's hard to find that roast (raw) in the grocery store. So, that has left me stuck with the Bottom Round roast, which is decent, but it's somewhat tough, although it's perfect for slicing.

There you have it, I'm dying to find someone to split a 14 lb. Scala piece someday, split in 4 pieces and roast 3.5 lb. pieces.

I have a Krups slicer ($99) and they are barely worth getting. It's better than nothing, but it certainly isn't commercial grade, and it cannot get beef razor thin.

Scala's and Gonnella define Italian beef, so maybe someone else could call Scala and double-check what I have said. Scala is on Orleans St.

Johnsoncon wrote:I called Scala's once.

They sell (what they call) Sirloin Butt in 14 lb. minimum size, and you need a restaurant ID to buy it wholesale from them. So that is the ultimate answer. I'm sure there are other butcher names for Sirloin Butt -- for instance, what cut is similar in retail stores?

My friends owns a place, and he uses "Inside Round" for his beef. Again, this is a commercial cut. He says it comes in a 25 lb. chunk, and then he fabricates it into smaller cuts to roast.

Scala's and Gonnella define Italian beef, so maybe someone else could call Scala and double-check what I have said. Scala is on Orleans St.

I
m sure those cuts are available through any butcher on request or at Rrestaurant Depot