A Chicago beef sandwich is a local delicacy—a beautiful fusion of savory and spicy. If you’ve been lucky enough to have one, you know exactly what I’m talking about. But let’s be real—an au jus–dipped sandwich doesn’t exactly scream “weekly meal prep.” So, we’re swapping the bread for rice and turning it into a Chicago beef bowl, complete with savory au jus and spicy homemade giardiniera.
Traditional giardiniera is usually made with a brine of olive oil and vinegar. But through testing, I found that the oil isn’t necessary to make a delicious final product—and hey, bonus points for lowering the fat content. The vinegar still does the heavy lifting and carries all that spicy goodness. The best part? While classic giardiniera takes 2–4 days to make, this quick-pickled spicy version takes just 10 minutes.
For this recipe, we’re using a whole sirloin roast. You can usually find these at your local restaurant supply store, and they’re a great way to get a lot of beef for a good price. If you’ve never butchered your own meat before, don’t stress. It’s a super simple process and can save you a ton of money. As a bonus, you’ll end up with an entire picanha—one of the best cuts on the cow. It’ll cost you an arm and a leg at a butcher shop, but if you do it yourself, it’s a fraction of the price.
Chicago Beef Bowl Recipe
Enjoy a breadless twist on Chicago’s Italian beef! Tender roast beef, spices, and giardiniera served over rice for a bold, hearty bowl.
6
servings1
hour20
minutes599
kcalIngredients
1 whole top sirloin
2 cups uncooked rice
- Giardiniera
1 cup cauliflower, chopped
2 jalapeños, deseeded and diced
2 serrano peppers, cut into coins
1 carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
- Brine
1 cup water
1 cup white vinegar
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp black peppercorns, whole
1 tsp coriander seed, whole
3 cloves garlic
- Aus Jus
2 quart beef broth
1 cup red wine
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp Onion powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp rosemary
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Breaking Down the Top Sirloin
- Remove top sirloin from packaged and pat dry
- Remove any excess hard fat from the roast
- Find the seam between the sirloin cap and the rest of the roast. Start to peel this apart with your hand, only using the knife when necessary. Once the roast is only held on by the fat cap, use your knife to separate the two parts.
- Clean up any silver skin on the sirloin cap (picanha)
- Slice roast into 1.5-2” thick steaks with the grain
- Remove all hard fat on the top sirloin, taking any silverskin present off in the process.
- Reserved all trimmed fat for rendering tallow
- Giardiniera
- Begin by chopping all your vegetables, except the garlic
- In a small pot bring the water, vinegar and salt to a boil
- Once salt has dissolved, pour brine over chopped vegetables adding in your seasonings
- Let brine for at least 10 minutes before using
- Au Jus
- Combine all the ingredients in a pan and bring to simmer to cook off the alcohol
- Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally until ready to serve
- Chicago Beef Bowl
- Rinse rice until water runs clear, add water, let soak for 30-45 min and cook until soft and tender
- In a carbon steel pan over medium high heat, sear the sirloin steaks. Approx. 1 min per side, flipping until internal temp reaches 105-115 deg F. (It’s ok to undercook these at this point as you will be reheating these meals later)
- Reduce heat to medium low and deglaze the plan with ½ cup red wine. Cook until thickened and reduce
- Add beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and spices. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Salt to taste
- To assemble bowl, add 2 cups cook rice, 10 oz cooked beef sirloin, ¼ cup of giardiniera (strained of any oil), and ½ cup of au jus
- Enjoy
Recipe Video
Nutrition Facts
- Total number of serves: 6
- Calories: 599kcal
- Fat: 21g
- Carbohydrates: 49g
- Protein: 46g