Bison Italian Sandwich

By Steve Squier
Serves: 4-6 people

This sandwich is inspired by the hit TV show The Bear. The Chicago style Hot Beef or Italian Beef is a staple food for the working class in Chicago and beloved by the people of the windy city. I love to make these sandwiches for friends and family when we are watching some Hockey or Football. It is a great way to feed a bunch of friends with our having to be in the kitchen the whole time. This can be made ahead of time or even the day before so you have more time to enjoy the game. The giardiniera is the key to this sandwich and provides the crunch and tang that compliments the roasted bison.

Ingredients:
Bison Roast
2lb/1KG Bison Roast
1 Large Yellow Onion
1 Large Carrot
2 Yellow bell peppers, quartered
2 Stocks Celery
3 Cloves Garlic
2 Tbls Bison Ridge BBQ Spice Mix
1 Bay Leaf
900ml/1 carton Beef or Bison Broth
1 Tbls Salt
1 Tbls Black Pepper
¼ cup Olive Oil

If you don’t have Bison Ridge Spice Mix:
1 Tbls Kosher Salt
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Onion Powder
½ tsp Cumin
½ tsp Chili Powder
½ tsp fennel seed

Giardiniera
1 cup Celery, small diced
1 cup Carrots, small diced
1 medium Jalapeno, small diced
1 cup Sweet Peppers, small diced
1 cup Cauliflower, cut in small pieces
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 cup White Vinegar
1 pinch Chili Flake
1 pinch Fennel Seed
2 cup Olive Oil

Method:
Bison Roast
1. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees
2. With a piece of paper towel, dry off and moisture on the bison roast and cover with salt and pepper
3. Using a Dutch oven or heavy bottom stock pot heat on high heat
4. Pour olive oil in to pot then carefully place roast in pot and sear on all sides until a brown crust forms then remove and set aside
5. Next cut all the vegetables into large pieces and place into the hot pot and suatee for 3-5min or until the vegetables are just soft
6. Place the roast back into the pot and add the broth and spices, stir and bring to a boil
7. After the pot comes to a boil place a lid on top and put into the pre heated oven and cook until roast hit 125 degrees internally. For a roast of this size this should take about 1 hour or a little bit longer. (this can be done in the slow cooker in the high setting for 4 hours)
8. Once the roast reaches temperature remove from the oven and allow to cook in the broth for 30min. The roast will continue to cook a little further.
9. After 30min remove the roast form the broth and allow to cool completely. After the roast is cool slice as thin as possible, we are looking for paper thin slices.
10. Save the broth and bring back to a low simmer to reheat our sliced roast.

Giardiniera
1. Small Dice all the vegetables into roughly the same size and place into a sauce pot.
2. Add the vinegar to the pot and place on high heat
3. Bring vinegar and vegetables to a boil and cook for 3-5 min
4. Next drain off the vinegar and let the vegetables cook for 5min
5. Place cooked vegetables into a pickling jar, add fennel and chili flake
6. Cover with olive oil and allow to cool to room temperature.
7. You can use the giardiniera right away but the flavour will get better with time

To build the sandwiches get your favourite sub rolls or French bread buns. Toast them and spread with garlic butter. Bring the broth that we cooked the roast in to a low simmer and reheat our sliced bison in the broth for 1-2 min. Pull the sliced bison out of the broth and put it straight into your bun. Top with a generous amount of Giardiniera and enjoy.

Chef`s tip:
Serve your sandwich with a little bit of the broth for dipping. I also like to add some pickled Jalapenos to spice it up.
Enjoy!!