French Dip Sandwiches
This is the absolute best recipe for a French Dip Sandwich full of rich, deep flavor. They're so easy to make too with just a handful of ingredients and a crockpot. These are guaranteed to be an easy dinner favorite!
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chuck roast , trimmed of excess fat
- coarse salt and pepper , to taste
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 packet beefy onion soup mix
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 6 hoagie rolls
- 6 ounces freshly shredded gruyere cheese
- minced parsley , for garnish
Instructions
- Coat a 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick spray.
- Warm the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, season the roast all over with some salt and pepper, then sear on both sides until golden. Add to the slow cooker and top with the beef broth, water, Worcestershire, beefy onion soup mix, and all the seasonings.
- Cook on LOW for 4 hours then remove roast and transfer to a cutting board. Thinly slice the roast across the grain. Place sliced meat back in the slow cooker and continue to cook on LOW for another 1-2 hours.
- Remove the roast from the slow cooker and strain fat from the broth to have a clean au jus.
- Split the rolls open and fill them with the beef and some shredded cheese. Place the sandwiches onto a baking sheet under the broiler until the cheese is melted and golden (watch them very carefully so the rolls don't burn!) Alternatively, you can place them in a 350F preheated oven.
- Garnish sandwiches with a touch of finely minced parsley and serve with a bowl of the au jus for dipping.
Video
Notes
Do you have to sear the roast first? You don't have to. If you're in a hurry, you can definitely just season the chuck roast and pop it in the crockpot. However, I do recommend it as it truly adds an extra level of flavor to the dish.
Trim excess fat. After the first 4 hours of cooking, I like to trim the outer edge of fat and the big inner fat chunks off the roast when you take it out to slice it. This breaks it down into smaller chunks that are easier to slice across the grain.
Don't shorten the cooking time. Don't skip putting the sliced meat back in the crock for another 1 to 2 hours - that's what makes the beef very tender.
Cook on low. Do not try to increase the temperature to HIGH and reduce the cook time. Chuck roast is a fairly tough cut of meat that really needs to be cooked low and slow to become tender and juicy.
Cut against the grain. Cutting against the grain means to cut through the fibers and make them shorter, not cut in the same direction. This makes the meat more tender and easier to chew.
Nutrition
Calories: 708kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 59g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 188mg | Sodium: 878mg | Potassium: 967mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 304IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 338mg | Iron: 16mg