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Easy Italian Beef served in hoagie rolls for the perfect sandwich your guests will love with all the classic Italian Beef flavors.

We love cooking with roasts including our favorite Ultimate Slow Cooker Pot Roast and Slow Cooker Roast Beef (Cooked Medium and Sliceable!).

Italian Beef Sandwiches are a recipe as old as Pinterest itself. A large chuck roast, Italian dressing mix, beef broth, and pepperoncini peppers are cooked low and slow in your slow cooker for 8 hours until the meat shreds easily.

I’ve made this in the slow cooker more times than I can count, but I have recently started making the recipe in the oven because it’s even easier!

One of the most important things about cooking with roasts in the slow cooker is to brown the roast before adding it to the slow cooker. This adds a ton of flavor for only a bit more effort.

So what’s the problem? Well it is simple. Most people don’t have aluminum inserts in their slow cookers. So you end up getting two things dirty when you don’t have to! It’s easy, use a Dutch oven to sear the meat and just put it in the oven to finish. No need to make more work. It can cook low and slow in the oven and in just a few hours you’re ready to enjoy some delicious sandwiches.

There’s a general rule on the site that I don’t tend to use a lot of pre-made mixes. If you’d like to skip the pre-made Italian Dressing Mix here’s an easy homemade version you can use either for this recipe or for use as Italian Salad Dressing.

Homemade Italian Dressing Mix Recipe:

• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 pinch of celery salt

1. Whisk together and keep in a closed container.
2. To make into a dressing, add ⅓ cup white vinegar and ¾ cup canola oil to the mix and shake well before serving.

Slow Cooker Italian Beef:

Yes, of course, it is easy to cook the recipe in your slow cooker. It is by far the most popular method. Once you’ve seared the meat, simply add it and the rest of the ingredients to your slow cooker for 8 hours on low.

What to Serve

Italian Beef is generally served on hoagie rolls along side Crispy Sweet Potato Fries, Garlic French Fries or Beer Battered Onion Rings as it is normally served in diners and takeout restaurants.

Ordering an Italian Beef sandwich has slang, just like Pat’s Philly Cheese Steaks , and it all comes down to the dip or the lack of dip.

Typical Italian beef orders:

• Hot dipped: Italian beef served with the bread dipped in the juices and peppers.
• Sweet dry: Italian beef on bread with sweet peppers.
• Cheesy beef (cheef): Italian beef with cheese, usually Provolone.

When it comes to cheese on Italian Beef, it’s a highly debated topic. Most people do NOT top the sandwiches with cheese, as the tanginess from the peppers adds a unique flavor that doesn’t really need cheese. I love Provolone, so I always serve it with it, but you can also use sliced mozzarella in place of Provolone.

When served with cheese toast the roll with the slices of cheese on the open faced bread then add in the meat so it’s completely melted when served.