This is the home version of the renowned sandwich featured on the FX on Hulu series “The Bear.” Its onscreen recipe was developed by the show’s Chicago-raised culinary producer, Courtney Storer — sister of “The Bear’s” creator, Christopher Storer, and former culinary director for L.A.’s Jon & Vinny’s — alongside chef Matty Matheson.
Courtney Storer uses beef chuck in the video demonstration above, but she’s also used top round or top sirloin roast. She suggests that you choose the cut of meat that best fits your budget. Soft, American-style French bread, not crusty sourdough, is a critical component. Storer uses bread from the Chicago-founded Turano Baking Co., which is sometimes sold at Aldi supermarkets; we also found that Gonnella and Amoroso sandwich rolls, available from Smart & Final, have a good consistency. Storer browns her meat with a quartered onion and a head of garlic halved horizontally; she says you can also brown the meat separately and then sauté six sliced garlic cloves, or even skip the browning step altogether if time is short.
For the giardiniera, Storer says that what you find jarred in your local supermarket or deli should work fine. If you want to make your own, any basic giardiniera recipe will work — you soak your vegetables with enough water to cover them and about 1/2 cup of salt for 8 hours or overnight, then mix your drained vegetables with a cup of white vinegar and a cup of olive oil, plus garlic, dried oregano, red pepper flakes and black peppercorns, refrigerating it all for 2 days before using. Storer distinguishes hers by using fennel bulbs in addition to the traditional carrot, celery and cauliflower. Many use sweet red peppers as well. If you like it hot, add jalapeño, sport peppers or, Storer’s preference, serrano peppers. She also likes to heat the vinegar with the aromatics (the garlic, oregano and spices) and pour that over the soaked vegetables with the oil.
Pack as much of the thinly sliced beef as you can into the Italian sandwich roll before dousing it with jus and adding your choice of giardiniera.
