Yes, Jeff. The Bear Cookbook: Season 1, Unofficial: The Bear Cookbooks, #1

By Hank Finnegan

#1 FAMILY BESTSELLER OF ALL TIME • KID SISTER BOOKCLUB SELECTION 2023
Love The Bear? We do too. Hank wrote this cookbook to give as a ridiculous gift for his brother and sister, who also dig the show.

Is this associated with the FX and Hulu hit? Nope! It's totally unofficial and only exists because the real deal does not. Are the recipes real? Yes!

This cookbook has recipes for (almost) all of the food featured in Season One of the FX and Hulu tv program, along with tips about Chicago. Chicago Italian Beef? Of course! Risotto? You know it. Marcus' Chocolate Cake? We'd be nothing without it. Need a Chicago movie marathon? We have you covered.

Is this a fun gift for fans of the show? Yes, Chef.

If anyone other than me purchases this, proceeds will be donated to serve people dealing with alcoholism and addiction.

(This has been updated with a few more recipes and fun things like restaurant list, soundtrack etc.)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kid Sister Books
• Release date: Jun 25, 2024
• ISBN: 9798227214980

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

SYSTEM: SEASON 1, EPISODE 1

BEEF 101

When it comes to Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches, there's a whole raft of terms that can leave the uninitiated flummoxed. Don’t worry, Magellan of sandwiches, we’ve got maps.

Here’s some lingo you might encounter when placing your order:

Chicago Style: This refers to the overall style of the sandwich, which includes:

Italian beef (thinly sliced roast beef)

Italian roll (kind of like a hoagie bun; a hearty roll, soft enough to soak up the juices but sturdy enough to hold up under the weight of the meat and toppings)

Au jus (the flavorful broth the beef is cooked in)

Optional toppings: Giardiniera (pickled vegetable relish), sweet peppers, mozz

Wet/Dry/Dipped: This refers to how much gravy the sandwich is dipped in:

Dry: The beef is served without being dipped, with minimal drippings.

Wet: The sandwich is dipped in the au jus before being served.

Dipped: The entire sandwich, bread and all, is submerged in the gravy for a gloriously messy, juice-dripping experience. You’ll have to pull off the Chicago Lean to eat this one.

Giardiniera: A spicy pickled vegetable relish, often including sport peppers, celery, cauliflower, carrots, and jalapeños.

Hot: This doesn't refer to temperature, but to the addition of giardiniera.

Sweet: Without giardiniera, but with sliced, roasted bell peppers.

Sweet & Hot: With giardiniera and bell peppers.

Cheese: This isn’t a Philly Cheesesteak - Chicago-style Italian beef doesn't typically include cheese. However, some places will add mozzarella or provolone, just ask for cheese or mozz.

The Good Stuff:

Gravy/Jus/Juice: These terms all refer to the savory broth the meat is cooked in.

Putting it all together:

Italian Beef, hot, dipped: The classic order, a messy, spicy, beefy masterpiece.

Beef, sweet, wet: A milder, but equally delicious alternative.

So there you have it, a crash course in Chicago's most iconic sandwich. Now you can confidently stroll up to the counter and order a hot, wet, dipped beef with sweet peppers and mozz like a native. Just don't forget the napkins.

THE CHICAGO LEAN

Sorry to disappoint you so early, but this not about purple drank or sizzurp.⁠*

Whether you know it or not, you’ve been in intense training for the Chicago Lean your whole life. It may seem like a simple technique for eating a messy sammich at a counter, but it employs core elements of the following athletic feats:

a. The Awkward Middle School Slow Dance

b. The Hugging Your Boss

c. Blowing Out Birthday Candles

d. Drinking a Juice Box with a Broken Straw

e. Pretending to be Interested in a Meeting

g. The Biathlon

The key here is the lean. It’s the elbows firmly planted, it’s the hips out, it’s the vital distance between you and the sandwich.

Here's how you do it:

Stand away from the counter, maybe 6 inches or 12cm. You want to give adequate space for the sandwich and avoiding splash back.

Plant your feet a foot or two apart - you basically want to have solid footing. This is your anchor, your port in the storm of beefy goodness.

Lean forward at a 45-degree angle. Imagine you're making a triangle with yourself, the counter, and the sandwich. (Who knew we’d use so much geometry as adults? Got me feeling like Euclid out here.)

Pick up the sandwich, resting your elbows on the counter for stability.

Hold the sandwich at an angle with its top end towards your mouth and its bottom end pointed away. This is critical for maintaining your shirt’s integrity.

Dig in, bud. You've earned it.

Real Gs move in silence like lasagna.

LIL WAYNE

CHICAGO ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICHES

Serves 8; 24 to 48 hours of cook/ prep time

Giardiniera: 30 minutes prep time, +24 hours pickling time

Beef: 45 minutes prep time, 3-5 hours cook time, optional 24 hours post-cook chilling time

This is the sort of sandwich you bite into and it makes you realize that meditation may work because you feel totally present in the moment, and you discover that being present feels good. It’s the sort of sandwich you dream of when you’re in the Peace Corps and it’s 2:37am and all you can hear is the mosquitoes and the auditory hallucinations from the janky anti-malarial medicine they gave you, but all you can think of is the hot, sour greatness of an Al’s #1 Italian Beef.

To create a (semi) authentic Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich, you'll need to invest time and care into preparing the beef, jus, and giardiniera. Start by making the giardiniera at least 24 hours before you want to enjoy the sandwich.

Ingredients

For the beef:

Ideally, use a cheaper cut of steak. Top round roast is great. Flank steak, hanger steak, tri-tip steak, top sirloin steak, flat-iron steak, and flap steak are all good alternatives. Avoid premium cuts like sirloin, tenderloin, or filet as they are too tender and lack the necessary texture after slow-cooking.

3 lbs (1.4 kg) top round roast

2 tbsp Italian seasoning blend