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Instant Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
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Instant Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches

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Instant pot Italian beef sandwiches are here to blow your mind and perfect your game day spread. Tender beef, melty provolone cheese, and tangy giardiniera loaded on a garlic butter toasted hoagie roll. What more could you want? Throwing these together is so easy using the instant pot or slow cooker! Get ready for your Sundays to get even more exciting.

What is an Italian Beef Sandwich?

The Italian beef sandwich originated in Chicago. The sandwich’s history dates back at least to the 1930s. It was developed by Italian immigrants in Chicago working in the meatpacking industry. They’d bring home tough cuts of meat, cook them slowly until tender, and eat the meat on Italian bread. I don’t claim for this recipe to be authentic, but it takes a lot of inspiration from the Chicago classic and it’s delicious!

How to Make Italian Beef Sandwiches

Tools Needed

italian beef sandwiches

Ingredients you’ll need

  • Beef. The secret to Italian beef sandwiches is to use a good cut of beef. I like chuck roast or shoulder, something with a good amount of marbling and fat.
  • Pepperoncini. The beef for our sandwiches is cooked with whole pepperoncini peppers plus some of the pepper juice. It may sound weird, but I swear it’s magical.
  • Beef Broth. We want a nice bit of jus after cooking so I like to add some beef broth to the braising liquid as well. I serve some jus on the side, almost like a french dip sandwich.
  • Hoagie rolls. Opt for a crusty hoagie roll, preferably something fresh from the bakery section of your grocery store. They should be sturdy enough to stand up to the juicy beef.
  • Giardiniera. Giardiniera is a mix of pickled veggies (peppers, onion, cauliflower, carrots, celery, etc) that’s typically served on Italian beef sandwiches. It adds a bit of tang and crunch–delicious!
  • Provolone. I’m not sure if the authentic sandwich has cheese on it, but melty provolone is AMAZING here.
  • Worcestershire sauce. Don’t skip the Worcestershire–it adds so much flavor to the beef!

italian beef sandwiches

How to prepare Italian beef sandwiches

  1. Prepare your beef. Start by seasoning your beef well with salt, pepper, and granulated garlic. Then, sear your beef in a large skillet. If you’re using the instant pot, you can do this directly in the pot by using the ‘saute’ function. Once you’ve browned the beef on both sides, add your pepperoncini, bell pepper, onion, garlic, pepperoncini juice, and beef broth. Secure the lid of your instant pot and set it to manual pressure cook on high for one hour. Allow for a natural pressure release and then shred the beef, while reserving 2 cups of broth.
  2. Make the garlic butter. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and garlic.
  3. Assemble sandwiches. Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F. Layer the beef, provolone, giardiniera, and sliced banana peppers in the hoagie rolls. Place them on a baking sheet and brush the rolls all over with the garlic butter. Bake for 7-8 minutes until golden brown and the cheese is melty. Serve with beef jus on the side.

Italian Beef Sandwich FAQs

What’s the best cut of meat for Italian Beef Sandwiches?

There are many different cuts of beef that you can use for Italian beef sandwiches from beef shoulder, to brisket, to chuck roast or sirloin. I love chuck roast because it has great marbling and flavor.

How do I make Italian beef in the slow cooker?

Follow all the same recipe steps, including searing the beef (optional), and then combine all the ingredients in the slow cooker. Add 1 extra cup of beef broth. Set to low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Italian beef sandwiches

More Game Day Recipes to Try

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instant pot Italian beef sandwiches
Sandwiches

Instant Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches

Instant pot Italian beef sandwiches are going to be your new go-to sandwich and game day snack!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Makes: 6 sandwiches

Ingredients

Italian Beef:

  • 3 lbs beef chuck roast
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion sliced
  • 1 green bell pepper sliced
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 8 whole pepperoncini peppers
  • 1/2 cup pepperoncini juice
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup beef broth

Sandwiches:

  • 6 hoagie rolls
  • 4 tablespoons salted butter
  • 2 garlic cloves grated
  • 8 slices provolone cheese cut in half
  • 1/2 cup giardiniera chopped
  • 1/4 cup hot banana peppers

Instructions

  • To prepare Italian beef: Season both sides of the chuck roast liberally with salt and pepper. Set the instant pot to 'saute' on high and add the oil to the pot. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, place the beef in the pot and sear until golden brown on both sides--about 4-5 minutes per side.
  • After browning the beef, add the remaining ingredients for the beef to the instant pot. Change the setting to 'manual' and set to high-pressure cooking or 1 hour. Allow for natural release. Open the lid and reserve 1-2 cups of the broth for dipping. Shred the meat, season to taste with salt and pepper, and leave in the remaining juice.
  • To assemble the sandwiches: Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and simmer with the garlic until the garlic is no longer raw. Slice the hoagie rolls (if not already sliced) and layer in the beef, provolone cheese, and chopped giardiniera. Brush the sandwiches all over with the garlic butter. Place the sandwiches on a baking sheet and bake for 7-8 minutes until golden brown and the cheese is melty. Remove from the oven and top with hot banana peppers. Serve with beef jus for dipping.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sandwichCalories: 770kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 68.2gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 190mgSodium: 1500mgFiber: 3.8gSugar: 5.8g

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  1. 5 stars
    Loved this!!! I added all the juice from the pepperoncinis and about 3/4 of them for the extra kick my family loves. As the recipe blogger mentions in the recipe, you can add or subtract based on your likes. The best part that sets this recipe apart from others? The garlic butter brushed on at the end. I added a little bit of parmesan cheese to the rolls after the brushed on butter. This dipped into the au jus…so good and so easy to make! AND leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch. Thanks!

  2. 5 stars
    Delicious. This recipe is great and so easy to follow, but, Um, what do you do with the garlic and butter from the saucepan???

    • Oh my gosh, this was a huge oversight on my part, so sorry! You brush the sandwiches with the garlic butter before toasting the sandwiches in the oven. Thank you for bringing that up, I’ll get that changed ASAP!

  3. 5 stars
    These are as delicious as they look in the pictures. This recipe was absolutely on point. Thank you! I’ll be keeping these in the repertoire.

  4. 5 stars
    I wish I could give more stars cuz this recipe is just that good. The house smelt so good while cooking and after the first bite my husband literally let out a “daaaaaaaaang” . My kids ate all of their sandwich without argument so you know it’s good! These were easy to make a winner in our house. Will definitely be making these on a regular basis