Name: Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches
Yield: serves 6
Ingredients: 3lb chuck roast, trimmed of visible fat and cut into large hunks; 1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix (see notes); 8oz pepperoncini pepper slices + splash of juice, plus extra for serving; 8oz Giardiniera (Chicago-Style Italian Sandwich Mix,) drained, plus extra for serving; 14.5oz can beef broth; provolone cheese slices; hoagie buns

Last week I asked my Facebook and Twitter friends if they’d like to see a crock pot recipe on the blog this week. There were so many exclamation marks in the comments, which I took to mean, ‘heck yes!’ that I immediately started brainstorming.

Everyone knows crock pot recipes are a busy person’s best friend but many of them can be heavy and unappealing at times. While brainstorming a new and interesting crock pot combo I decided the recipe would have to meet the following criteria:

Beef-based as I have exactly one beef crock pot recipe on the blog – Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce.
Easy. Nobody likes crock pot recipes with several cooking steps before you even plug the dang thing in.
Very delicious, unique, and not gloopy whatsoever.

With the aforementioned criteria in mind, I settled on Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches. A mouthwatering, 5-ingredient flavor combo that has just the right amount of zip and zing!

Watch How to Make It!

Chuck roast is slow cooked for 10 hours in a mixture of pepperoncini peppers, Giardiniera, Italian dressing mix, and beef broth then shredded and served on a chewy hoagie bun with melted provolone cheese. Crazy (CRAZY) good, and did I mention that it’s made with just 5 ingredients?!

Ben was skeptical about eating the crock pot version of one of his favorite sandwiches, which is typically made with thinly sliced beef. “Oh…I’ve never heard of a shredded Italian beef sandwich before…” he said in a tone that I knew meant, I am definitely going to hate this.

But guess what? He didn’t! While I stood eating the shredded beef straight out of the crock pot like the refined woman that I am, he inhaled an entire sandwich in under 2 minutes. That is to say, this dish was a total hit!

How to Make Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches:

Start by trimming any large pieces of fat off a chuck roast then cut the roast into seven or eight big hunks and place them in the bottom of a 6 quart crock pot.

Next sprinkle in a packet of gluten free Italian Dressing Mix like Hy-Vee’s Good Graces brand, or Simply Organic. If you don’t need to eat gluten free, you can use Good Seasons Zesty Italian Salad Dressing Mix.

Add sliced pepperoncini peppers plus a splash of pepperoncini juice, and Chicago-Style Giardiniera which you can find in the olive/pickle aisle at the grocery store. I love Mezzetta brands for both, which is gluten free.

I’d never had Chicago-style Giardiniera, a type of relish made with pickled olives and vegetables that’s packed in herbs and oils, but Ben insisted it go into this dish. I’m so glad he did because OH MY GOSH it is so good! It’s supposed to go over Italian beef sandwiches, but I could have eaten forkful after forkful all by itself.

Because it’s packed in oil though, which would add unnecessary fat to the dish, I scooped out the mix with a fork and let it drain away. You can get Giardiniera that’s packed in vinegar, but I found this style to be a real treat.

Finally, add beef broth then place a lid on top of the crock pot and let it cook on low for 9 hours, or until the beef can be easily shredded with a fork.

Once the roast can be easily shredded with a fork, shred with two forks then slip the meat back into the slow cooker to cook in the juices for 1 more hour on low. Scoop the meat onto hoagie buns then slap a slice of provolone on top to melt from the heat of the beef. Serve with extra pepperoncini peppers and Giardiniera, and you’re set!

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