It is officially rivalry week in Wisconsin and Illinois, and the stakes are high. The winner of Sunday's game controls its own destiny in the NFC North and for the Bears, the No. 1 seed in the conference. Tomorrow's loser will head to the back of the postseason qualifiers, fighting for the final Wild Card Berth. Let's hope Ben Johnson didn't rip that shirt off a week too early.
The game is the headliner for FOX-TV, and 95% of the country will bear witness as the resurgent Bears take on their archrival enemy, so you're gonna need food, and plenty of it. Thanks to Tom Thayer and Steve Dahl, two Chicago legends, we've got the perfect recipe for your Chicago-style Italian Beef sandwiches, sure to be the hit of your Bears (yay!) or Packers (boo!) party.
I grabbed the recipe several years ago from Dahl's website and it's been a rivalry game staple since. The best part is that it cooks in a 4-quart crockpot and it's relatively simple to make. Let's get to the ingredients first:
One Boneless Beef Chuck Roast, 3.5-to-4.0 pounds in weight.
One package of Good Seasons Zesty Italian Salad Dressing & Recipe Mix
One 16 oz. jar of hot giardiniera
One 16 oz. jar of mild giardiniera
16 slices of mozzarella cheese (optional).
4-5 red bell peppers, sliced (optional).
One dozen baguettes or French Bread rolls.
Here's the simple directions to prepare your Tailgate Italian Beef Sammiches!
Pour the bottle of the mild giardiniera into your crockpot. I prefer to drain mine of the oil first but that's entirely up to you. Place the roast, fattiest side up, on top of the layer of the giardiniera and then sprinkle that salad dressing on top of your roast. Then top it with the hot pepper mix. Cover and cook on high for 6-to-8 hours. When your roast is fork tender, shred it inside the crockpot so everything mixes together. Slice your rolls in half and pile the mixture into each sammie. If you like your sandwich with cheese, add it to the roll BEFORE you add your shredded beef.
I always buy extra jars of the giardiniera just in case you want to top the sandwiches with it. In a future post I'll give you the recipe for homemade giardiniera, which does make an impressive difference. I also like to pan fry some red bell peppers to add as a sandwich garnish.