Have You Eaten Chicago’s Legendary “Italian Beef?”
Well, this is it, thanks’s to Al’s #1 Italian Beef! Here’s their fascinating story!
The History of the Italian Beef Sandwich
The sandwich’s story starts around the end of World War I with a Chicago street peddler named Anthony Ferreri. He would drive around the city making deliveries of cold sandwiches and other bakery items he made out of the basement of his home. Anthony sold them off the back of his truck at construction sites, hospitals, and other offices just like a modern-day food truck.
One day he attended a local Italian-American “peanut wedding”, and the course of Chicago culinary history was changed forever. Italian American immigrants did not have much money back in those days, so wedding receptions would be held in homes and church basements where they served cheap foods like peanuts (hence the name peanut wedding). At this particular wedding, the family had a beef roast where they were slicing it pretty thick by hand and making sandwiches out of it.
Ferrari, who was always a sandwich guy at heart, had an idea. He could slice that beef roast much thinner on his deli slicer and cook it in its juices, add in some secret spices, and you could feed twice as many people with a first-rate sandwich.
Ferrari coined the thinner beef cut the “Beef Sandwich’ and would sell it with his other deliveries or at other Peanut Weddings he would cater across the city.
Here is what you get!
Which led me to head over to Al’s and try one myself!
Here’s what the menu offer but prices are more now…I went with a “big combo”, which is shredded beef over an italian sausage and dunked in au jus of course!
Take a look up close: you can see the Italian sausage nestled under the beef, all of it soaked with sauce!
The au jus is so rich and hot, and the shredded beef really does melt in your mouth…as a lover of Italian sweet sausage, the combo can’t be beat…and speaking of combos:
Crispy French fries smothered in American cheese was my side dish and they both delivered! The restaurant is iconic as you can see:
I also made “wet” French dip sandwiches at home too…and I slathered it with lots of melty cheese:
Then I got a little carried away:
Yes, I made French Dip sandwiches at home and you can too…see how I did it here:
These sandwiches are so good and a “must try” when in Chicago, as is this iconic dish:
Deep Dish Pizza!
A Chicago staple, deep dish pizza can be found in many different places, but I love Lou Malnati’s…see how they make this dish by clicking here!
I will be sharing a look at Chicago’s famous hot dogs as well, and I got the chance to try one of the city’s best before they closed their doors:
Hot Doug’s is gone but the Chicago hot do lives on! See why here:
And if you are in Chicago, you MUST have a “Cheezborger! Cheezborger!” as well…see why here:
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Categories: Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Eat This!, Food, Food Travel, Recipes, Restaurants, Travel, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
I am a sandwich fan, John. This sounds terrific
It’s a treat, just not everyday of course! Thanks for the comment!
great origin story on this one, John!
Thanks! Living in Chicago fro 5 years helped me find all kinds of regional delights!
You do make me smile and remember the first time I arrived for a trip to the US from a then still very British-minded Down Under! Our ‘beef sandwiches’ had two thick slices of white bread around one couple-of-millimetres thick slice of meat – originally from European-open-sandwich-land to see yours was a delight but somewhat also an ‘overkill’ . . . still have mine ‘in-between’ but am smiling at all of yours!
I rarely have one and ONLY if drenched in the au jus sauce…it’s a treat maybe twice a year and that’s plenty – thanks for the note!
Although not a fan of ‘wet’ sandwiches as a rule, the beef one made my mouth water!
Best wishes, Pete.
Pete, it’s a fun treat to be sure! Thanks as always for sharing!