The Famous Chicago Italian Beef

---

Some history from Far and Wide:


On Chicago's South Side, Italian immigrants first started making Italian beef sandwiches in the ‘30s. Juicy and flavorful, these sammies are now available all over Chicago, but purists run to Al's, which still claims to be the originator of this classic sandwich. The chain still uses its original recipe to prepare dry-roasted beef coated in a secret blend of spices, topped with peppers and served inside a thick roll. Most connoisseurs opt for their sandwich "wet," with extra meat juice poured on like gravy, so grab a few extra napkins (and be prepared to get a bit messy).



Fabulous Freddie's may not be as much of a household name as Al's, but it's still a local fave, located just steps from Sox park. The juicy Italian beef is made in-house every day and can be topped with chunks of Italian peppers for guests who like a bit of heat.





Of course, Portillo's is my favorite. I am also able to get it in Scottsdale. The closest one to us is Buena Park, CA (near Knott's Berry Farm?).

Fifty Shades of Gravy: The Many Ways to

Order a Portillo's Italian Beef SandwichBlog Title

There are many different ways to order an Italian beef sandwich at Portillo’s. Start with a traditional Italian beef sandwich or upgrade to a Big Beef. Then, customize your sandwich in the following ways:

Gravy
Dipped: Your sandwich is submerged in the gravy for a few seconds.Easy Dipped:Your sandwich is submerged in gravy for just one second.Extra Gravy: Your sandwich is splashed with extra gravy but not submerged.Dry: Before putting the beef on your sandwich, we wring as much gravy from the beef as possible.Side of gravy: Your sandwich is served with a small cup of gravy on the side. Many people order a side of gravy and a dry beef if they aren’t going to eat the sandwich right away.



Peppers
Sweet: We top your sandwich with our homemade red and green sweet peppers. Double the peppers by asking for extra sweet peppers. Or, get a side of sweet peppers to add later.Hot: We top your sandwich with hot giardiniera peppers. Double the peppers by asking for extra hot peppers. Or, get a side of hot peppers to add later.Hot Oil: We’ll give you a cup of giardiniera oil on the side, perfect for dipping or pouring right on the sandwich.



Cheese
We offer three types of cheese. You can order them on your sandwich or on the side:
CheddarMozzarellaAmerican



You can also order your Italian beef sandwich topped with the cheese sauce we use for our cheese fries.

There’s no wrong way to order an Italian beef sandwich. What’s your favorite way?


Just amazing! And quite delicious. Tell Portillo's that I am on my way!

---