Copycat Portillo's Italian Beef Sandwiches (Slow Cooker)

For the longest time, there were only two ways to get a Portillo's Italian beef when you lived in Texas. One of them involved getting on a plane. Now, it's not quite so difficult and there are at least two to three locations in the DFW area.

You can see my problem, though. I had to make my own version to get my Italian Beef fix.

If you have never had one, an Italian beef is not a French dip and it is not a cheesesteak. It is thin, slow-roasted beef, piled into a sturdy roll, soaked in the seasoned juice it cooked in, and topped with either sweet roasted peppers or hot giardiniera. It is a sandwich you eat standing up, leaning forward, with a stack of napkins you will absolutely need.

Portillo's does theirs on freshly baked Turano French bread with a gravy they have been tuning for fifty years. I cannot get that here. What I can do is put a chuck roast in the slow cooker before lunch and have something on the counter by dinner that gets the same reaction at my table.

Six hours in the crockpot, ten minutes of actual work, and the whole thing finishes under broiled provolone.

Why You'll Love This Italian Beef

• Ten minutes of prep and the slow cooker does the rest
• Built on chuck roast, which is one of the cheapest cuts in the case
• Feeds six, and doubles easily for a game day crowd
• No searing, no browning, no standing over anything
• The gravy makes itself while the beef cooks
• Leftovers are arguably better on day two

This is a recipe that looks like you tried much harder than you did.

What Is Actually in Portillo's Italian Beef

At the restaurant, the beef is slow-roasted for four hours with a blend of Italian spices, sliced thin, and served on freshly baked Turano French bread with its own gravy. Sweet peppers and hot giardiniera are add-ons rather than standard, and you can get both. Mozzarella is optional. A Big Beef is the same sandwich, fifty percent larger.

Mine is the crockpot translation, and I want to be straight with you about the difference.

A commercial roast held at temperature for four hours can be sliced paper thin. A chuck roast that has gone six to eight hours in a slow cooker cannot. It shreds. That is the honest tradeoff, and I have decided I do not mind it, because shredded beef holds more of the gravy and the gravy is the entire point.

What my version gets right is the flavor profile: salty, tangy, a little vinegary from the peppers, rich from the butter, with heat you control. That is the taste people are actually chasing when they go looking for a copycat.

The Trailer in Villa Park

The whole thing started in 1963, when Dick Portillo put $1,100 into a six by twelve foot trailer on North Avenue in Villa Park, Illinois. No bathroom. No running water. He called it The Dog House.

That is not a legend the company keeps quiet about. It is the first line of their own history page, and I think about it every time I make this. Somebody's hot dog trailer became the thing a Texan wants badly enough to reverse engineer in a slow cooker.

Why Chuck Roast Is the Right Cut Here

Chuck roast carries a good amount of connective tissue running through it, which is exactly why it tastes so beefy and exactly why it needs time. Given six to eight hours in a moist, seasoned environment, that tissue breaks down and the roast goes from tough to shreddable.

Portillo's uses a leaner cut that gets sliced after roasting. We are shredding, not slicing, so we want the opposite qualities. Chuck is the right call for a crockpot.

If chuck is not what you have, rump roast or bottom round will work. They are leaner, so they drink more of the liquid and can turn stringy. Plan on the full eight hours and do not cut the butter.

Do not use pre-sliced deli roast beef. It has nothing to give the gravy, and the gravy is doing most of the work here.

Ingredient Notes

Chuck roast. One large one, whole. No cubing and no searing. It goes in as it is.

Good Seasons Italian dressing mix. One packet. This is the shortcut standing in for a long list of dried Italian herbs, and it brings the vinegar note that makes the gravy taste like a beef stand instead of a pot roast.

Onion soup mix. One packet. Salt, dried onion, and enough umami to give the liquid backbone. Between this and the dressing mix you will notice there is no separate salt in the recipe. That is on purpose. Salt at the end if it needs it, not before.

All purpose seasoning. A tablespoon. I use Lawry's. Use whatever your house seasoning is.

One stick of salted butter. This is not optional and it is not a garnish. Chuck releases a lot of liquid, and the butter is what turns that liquid into something with body that clings to the beef instead of running off it.

Beef broth. Half a cup. You need less than you think. A slow cooker traps moisture, and the roast will give up plenty on its own. Too much broth and you have soup.

Banana pepper juice. Half a cup, straight from the jar. This is the ingredient people leave out and then wonder why theirs tastes flat. Italian beef gravy needs acid. Do not skip it.

Sliced banana peppers. Half a cup. Mild, tangy, and they soften into the gravy.

Hot giardiniera. Half a cup, plus more for serving. This is the Chicago part. If you like heat, add it during the cook and again on the sandwich.

Green bell pepper. One, sliced, added at the end. Portillo's sweet pepper option is oven roasted sweet green bell peppers, so this is the nod to that side of the menu. Going in for only the last hour keeps it from disintegrating.

Hoagie rolls. Six, toasted. Toasting is not a suggestion, and I explain why below.

Sliced provolone. A pound sounds like a lot. It is not. It goes on thick and gets broiled.

How to Make Slow Cooker Italian Beef

1. Season the roast in the crockpot. Put the chuck roast in and sprinkle the Italian dressing mix, onion soup mix, and all purpose seasoning right over the top. No bowl, no rub, no resting.
2. Add everything wet. Butter, beef broth, banana pepper juice, banana peppers, and giardiniera go in around and over the roast.
3. Cook it low and leave it alone. Six to eight hours on low, or four to five on high, until the beef is fork tender. Low is better if you have the time. Resist opening the lid to check, because every time you lift it you lose heat and add time.
4. Shred it in the liquid. Two forks, right in the crockpot. Shredding it in the gravy instead of on a board means the beef reabsorbs everything it just released.
5. Add the bell pepper for the last hour. In it goes, lid back on.
6. Build and broil. Load the toasted rolls with beef, spoon gravy over it, pile on the provolone, and broil until the cheese is bubbly and going golden at the edges. Watch it. This takes a minute or two and there is no version of this where you walk away.

Dipped, Dry, or Extra Gravy: How to Order It Chicago Style

Portillo's lists five gravy styles, and knowing them tells you exactly how to build yours at home:

• Dipped. The whole sandwich is submerged in gravy.
• Easy Dipped. A one second dunk, for flavor without full commitment.
• Extra Gravy. Ladled over the beef, no dunking.
• Dry. As much gravy as possible wrung out of the beef before it goes in the roll.
• Side of Gravy. For dipping yourself, or to keep the sandwich from going soggy if you are eating later.

At home, the liquid in your slow cooker is the gravy. Spoon a little over the beef for standard. Dunk the whole assembled sandwich for dipped. Lift the beef out with tongs and let it drain for dry.

Whichever way you go, toast the roll. Untoasted bread falls apart the second it meets the gravy, and a dipped sandwich on soft bread is not a sandwich, it is a situation.

Make It a Portillo's Style Beef Bowl

Portillo's sells this without the bread as the Classic Beef Bowl, which is the same Italian beef and gravy in a bowl with optional cheese and peppers. It is the move if you are skipping the roll.

Do it with the leftovers. Shredded beef and a few spoonfuls of the cooking liquid in a bowl, provolone or mozzarella melted over the top, then giardiniera and the roasted bell pepper. That is the whole thing, and it reheats better than an assembled sandwich ever will.

There is also a Chicago Combo Bowl on their menu that adds Italian sausage. Brown a link, slice it on the bias, and stir it through.

Tips for the Best Italian Beef

• Do not add salt at the start. Two seasoning packets are already salty. Taste the gravy after shredding and adjust then.
• Use the low setting if you can. Four hours on high gets you tender. Seven on low gets you tender and silky. It is a real difference.
• Shred in the gravy, always.
• Toast the rolls under the broiler, not in a toaster. You want the cut faces crisp, which is where the gravy hits first.
• Save the liquid. Whatever is left in the crockpot goes in a jar in the fridge. That is your dipping gravy for day two, and it is better cold-stored and reheated than it was fresh.
• Let people top their own. Set out extra giardiniera and the banana peppers. Half my family wants heat and half of them do not.

What to Serve With Italian Beef Sandwiches

This is a heavy sandwich, so I keep the sides sharp and cold rather than rich. Classic macaroni salad is the one I make most often with it. A 3 ingredient chipotle onion dip with chips covers the game day version, since the crockpot is already occupied.

If you are feeding a crowd, this and one big bowl of something cold is a complete plan.

Storing, Freezing, and Reheating

Refrigerator. Store the beef in its gravy, not drained, for up to four days. Keep the bread, cheese, and peppers separate and build fresh.

Freezer. Beef and gravy freeze well together for up to three months. Freeze them in the same container and portion before you freeze, because a solid block does you no favors on a weeknight.

Reheating. Gently, on the stove or in the microwave, with the gravy. Never reheat drained beef. It will be dry and there is no fixing it at that point.

Assembled sandwiches do not keep. Build them as you eat them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the same as a French dip?
No. A French dip is served with a side of plain au jus for dipping. An Italian beef is seasoned aggressively with Italian herbs and vinegar, and the giardiniera or sweet peppers are part of the sandwich rather than a condiment.

Can I make this in an Instant Pot?
Yes. Pressure cook on high for about 60 minutes with a natural release, then shred. You will lose a little of the depth that six hours builds, so taste and adjust before serving.

What can I use instead of giardiniera?
More banana peppers plus a spoonful of pepperoncini and their brine will get you close on the tang, though not on the crunch. Giardiniera is worth buying if you can find it, and it keeps in the fridge for months.

Can I use provolone from a bag?
You can, but sliced provolone from the deli counter melts smoother and drapes better over the beef. Pre-shredded cheese carries anti-caking agents that keep it from melting cleanly.

How do I keep the sandwich from getting soggy?
Toast the roll under the broiler and spoon gravy over the beef rather than pouring it into the bread. If you want it fully dipped, eat it immediately.

Can I double it?
Yes, if your slow cooker has the room. Use two roasts and keep the liquid the same. More beef means more released liquid, so doubling the broth will thin your gravy.

More Beef Recipes

• Easy Weeknight Beef Stroganoff, the other place chuck roast earns its keep
• Beef Bourguignon
• Meatball Rigatoni
• Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas