- October 18, 2022
- Recipes
Chicago Style Smoked Sweet Peppers
Top your next bratwurst, Italian sausage, or Italian beef sandwich with these delicious Chicago-style smoked sweet peppers. A great addition to any sandwich or served as a side.
Growing up in the Chicago suburbs I have tried countless Italian beef sandwiches. While my go-to sandwich combo is Italian beef, wet, with extra hot and spicy giardiniera (aka the hot peppers), there is something to say about the simplicity of deliciously roasted sweet bell peppers as well.
It’s important to note this is NOT a recipe for smoked stuffed peppers. This is sliced and slow-smoked bell peppers and white onions that can be used on smoked bratwurst, grilled sausages, or even with chicken, fish, or other smoked meats.
This is a super simple recipe and it’s easy to toss these onto the smoker, especially when you’re already cooking other delicious foods. If you do not have a smoker you can absolutely slow roast in your oven instead.
Supplies Needed:
- Sheet Pan or Cast Iron Skillet
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Knife and Cutting Board
- Tongs
Ingredients:
- Green Bell Peppers
- Red Bell Peppers
- Yellow Bell Peppers
- White or Yellow Onions
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Black Pepper
Sweet Peppers Recipe For Chicago Italian Beef:
Smoking peppers are very similar to roasting. Instead, you’re infusing them with light smoke flavor and cooking at a slightly lower temperature than traditional roasting.
- Start by washing and drying the peppers. Place them on the cutting board and remove the stems and seeds.
- You can use large, whole bell peppers for this recipe or small sweet peppers. The small ones do involve a little more work to remove the seeds, but I like both. I recommend using what you love to eat!
- Create thin slices about 1-2 inches thick at most. Keep the pepper pieces fairly long. This works best for wider sandwich buns for brats and Italian beef. Similarly, slice the onion.
- Place the sliced peppers and onions into a bowl. Season with a light coating of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
- Preheat the smoker to 350 F. Place the pepper and onion mixture into either a cast iron pan or an aluminum pan. Spread everything out so it’s in an even layer for cooking.
- Place the pan onto the smoker. Smoke for 20 minutes or so and give everything a nice toss with the tongs to rotate. Allow the peppers to cook for another 20-30 minutes or so. They should be tender and develop a richer color, but still, be slightly al dente (no one wants mushy peppers on their sandwich).
- Remove the sweet peppers from the smoker and place them in a serving dish. I like to serve this family style so guests can build their own sandwiches and sausages however they choose.
Recipes To Pair Sweet Peppers With:
Leftover peppers go great tossed in with these crispy herb roasted potatoes or mix into an omelet or breakfast casserole too. Here are some other ways to enjoy the peppers:
Chicago Style Smoked Sweet Peppers
Ingredients
- 2 Green Bell Peppers
- 1 Red Bell Pepper
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
- 1 Orange Bell Pepper
- 1 White Onion
- 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1 tsp. Sea Salt
- 1 tsp. Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the smoker to 350 F.
- Wash, rinse, and dry the bell peppers.
- Place the peppers and onion onto a cutting board. Remove the stems and seeds from all the peppers.
- Sliced each pepper to be about 1-2 inches thick and 2-3 inches long. Slice the onion into similar size pieces.
- Add the sliced bell peppers and onion into a bowl. Add in the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine.
- Pour the peppers into a cast iron skillet or aluminum pan. Spread them into an even layer for even smoking.
- Place the sweet peppers onto the smoker and smoke for 20-30 minutes. Toss the peppers with tongs and allow them to smoke an additional 20-30 minutes. The peppers are done when the color appears to be deeper and they are soft and tender but still have a slight bite to them (al dente).
- Remove the pan from the smoker and serve them with Italian beef, Italian sausage, or bratwurst.