Smoked Italian Beef Recipe | Chicago-Style on an Offset Smoker

Everyday BBQ original / brand featured: This smoked Italian beef cook was published for Everyday BBQ & Cooking and cooked on a Lone Star Grillz 24x36 offset smoker. I’m treating this one as an Everyday BBQ recipe that featured Lone Star Grillz equipment, rather than labeling it as client-produced content.

Italian beef is a Chicago classic, and this version adds real wood-smoke flavor by starting the roast on an offset smoker. The key is to smoke the beef first, chill it so it can be sliced very thin, then warm those slices in a seasoned beef jus before building the sandwich.

Smoked Italian Beef Ingredients

Use the beef roast and seasoning quantities from your preferred Italian beef recipe, along with beef stock or broth for the jus, rolls for serving, and classic toppings such as sweet peppers and giardiniera.

Day 1: Smoke the Beef

1. Trim the roast as needed and season it evenly.
2. Preheat the offset smoker and establish a clean-burning fire.
3. Smoke the beef until it reaches the target doneness for slicing. The goal here is to add smoke flavor without cooking the roast so far that it becomes difficult to slice thin.
4. Remove the roast, let it cool, then refrigerate it overnight. Chilling firms the beef and makes thin slicing much easier.

Day 2: Slice and Finish in the Jus

1. Slice the chilled beef as thin as possible, preferably with a meat slicer if you have one.
2. Prepare a deeply seasoned beef jus in a Dutch oven or other large pot.
3. Add the thin slices of beef to the hot jus and gently warm them until tender. Avoid a hard boil, which can tighten the meat.
4. Load the beef onto sturdy Italian rolls and spoon over extra jus to taste.

How I Serve It

I like mine with sweet peppers and hot giardiniera. You can serve the sandwich dry, wet, or fully dipped depending on how much jus you want in the bread.

Watch the Smoked Italian Beef Video

Watch my full Smoked Italian Beef cook on YouTube for the complete process on the Lone Star Grillz offset smoker.

Smoked Italian Beef Tips

• Chill before slicing: This is one of the biggest differences between a good sandwich and thick roast-beef slices.
• Slice against the grain: Thin, cross-grain slices stay more tender in the jus.
• Warm gently: The jus should heat and tenderize the beef, not aggressively boil it.
• Use a sturdy roll: A proper Italian roll holds up much better when you add extra jus or dip the sandwich.

BBQ for the everyday family.