In honor of the first night of football, I had to make a large piece of meat! I made The Pioneer Woman’s Hot & Spicy Italian Drip Beef. Her other sandwiches (portobello mushroom and steak) have not let me down.

I used the slow-cooker to braise my roast, because although it has cooled down a bit, it is not nearly cool enough to be football season!  I browned the meat in a pan first, but if I were to make this again, I would try skipping this step.

I served these with quick pickled cucumbers, which acted as both a vegetable and a topping.  Cole slaw or macaroni salad would be great too!

Spicy Italian Beef Sandwiches
(Adapted from The Pioneer Woman)

2 1/2 lbs. chuck roast
kosher salt
pepper
1 T vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 c beef stock
1 16 oz jar of peppers (I used a jar of green and red sweet peppers, which were still quite spicy)
1/2 jar pimientos

For the sandwiches:
provolone cheese
rolls
butter

Rinse the chuck roast and pat dry. Season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then sear the roast on both sides.

Place the garlic, tomatoes, stock, peppers, pimientos, and seared beef into a slow-cooker.  Cook on the high setting for 4-5 hours (or low for 8-10 hours).

When the meat is tender, remove it from the sauce.

Pull the meat apart with forks or tongs, then place it back into the liquid.

Toast the rolls and butter lightly.  Top with meat and provolone cheese. Melt the cheese under the broiler.

Optional: You can top these with pepperoncinis (I used fresh ones so that they would be tart) and serve them with some of the liquid on the side for dipping.