Feeds 8
I ate the most memorable sandwich of my life hunched over the back of a rental car in a parking lot in South Chicago. When my friend Sharon and I drove across the country, from New York City to Oregon, we plotted the routes we would take based on legendary foods we couldn’t miss. For lunch one day, we stopped at Al’s #1 Italian Beef in Little Italy, the home of (what some said was) the best Italian beef sandwich in America. Think of a French dip, but with thicker meat, sweet peppers, and dipped in the beef juices. Sharon and I stood over the trunk of our white rental car, eating and making happy noises. The drippings from those sandwiches stayed on the car until Wyoming, when we hit an epic thunderstorm. The memory still stays.
Prepare to cook. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut small slits in the roast, about every 2 inches. Set a large pot over high heat. Pour in the beef stock. Bring it to a boil, then turn down the heat and keep it at a low simmer.
Make the rub. In a bowl, whisk together the pepper, basil, oregano, onion powder, and red pepper flakes.
Rub the roast. Rub three-quarters of the spice mixture all over the roast. Push the slivers of garlic into the slits you made in the roast.
Sear the beef. Set a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Put the roast into the skillet and cook until the bottom is browned, about 3 minutes. (Watch it carefully. The garlic could burn quickly.) Flip the roast and continue searing each side until it is browned. Turn off the heat and take the roast out of the pan.
Roast the beef. Pour the hot stock into the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch roasting pan. Scrape all the remnants of the beef from the skillet into the stock. Put a raised rack into the pan. Put the roast on the rack, above the juice. Roast the beef until the temperature has reached 130°F for medium-rare, about 1½ hours. Take the beef out of the oven and put it on a plate to rest for 15 minutes, then put it in the refrigerator. Let it grow entirely cold. Set aside the stock for later.
Cook the peppers. While the meat is cooking, set a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions, peppers, and remaining spice mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are browned and softened, about 15 minutes. Take them off the heat and let them cool.
Reduce the stock. Set a large pot over high heat. Pour in the beef stock. Bring it to a boil, then turn the heat down to low. Allow the stock to cook until it reduces by one-third.
Slice the beef. Using the sharpest knife you have, slice the beef into the thinnest pieces you can make. Go slowly. Overly thick slices of meat will overpower the sandwich. Now, you’re ready to make sandwiches.
Make the sandwiches. Slice the hoagie rolls to open them partially. Dip as many slices of meat as you want on your sandwich into the hot stock with tongs and let it stay there for 1 minute. Pile it on the roll. Add some of the onions and peppers. Spoon juice over it all, or you can go the entire way and dip the sandwich into the juices.
Eat immediately with a lot of napkins handy.