I’m not a big crockpot person. In our house, it essentially serves three roles:
1. Maker of pulled pork sandwiches
2. Maker of French dip sandwiches
3. Taker-upper of pantry space
We love French dip sandwiches – fall-apart tender meat slow-cooked in a flavorful jus, served on a toasty roll with melty cheese. It sounds like it should be a lot of work but it’s not. And with a 10 month old leaving a path of destruction in her wake, I love when something so delicious takes just minutes to make. Because I can use all that extra time to pick up the living room floor for the 16th time that day.
I usually make a loaf of bread or pick up a pack of ciabatta rolls from the store. Chewier breads hold up better to dunking in the jus.
French Dip Sandwiches au Jus
Tender, fall-apart French Dip Sandwiches made easy in your crockpot.
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 3/4 cup beef broth/stock (a small Campbell
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp creole mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- ~3lb chuck roast
- salt
- pepper
- 6-8 sandwich rolls, split
- 6-8 slices of provolone or swiss cheese
Instructions
- Slice the onion into ~1/4-inch rounds. Keeping the rounds intact, place them in the bottom of the crockpot.
- Add beef broth, water, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and garlic to the crockpot (I just drop a dollup of mustard in the liquid between two onion rounds - it all events out in the end).
- Salt and pepper both sides of the roast and place on top of the onions.
- Cook on low 6-7 hours until beef is fall-apart tender.
- Transfer the roast to a cutting board and shred using two forks.
- Remove the onions and set aside. I strain the juice into a large "defatter" measuring cup and get rid of the oil that collects on top.
- Return the roast, juice, and onions to the crockpot for up to an hour before serving (I usually switch it to "Keep Warm" so it doesn't continue cooking).
- Heat the broiler. Place the split sandwich rolls on a lined baking sheet and toast for 1 minute or just until the bread begins to brown.
- Remove the tops from the pan. Scoop the beef onto the bottom of the rolls and top with cheese.
- Return to the oven just until cheese is melted. Top with sandwich halves and serve with small bowls of jus.
Notes
Yields: 6-8 servings
Estimated time: 8 hours