Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwich
Easy slow cooker French Dip Sandwich recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. Loaded with tender, shredded beef, caramelized onions and served alongside Au Jus gravy for dipping.
The slow cooker beef gets so tender and juicy that this recipe can’t be beat. The whole family will love this dippable sandwich. If this is a hit, then make sure to also try my Slow Cooker Pot Roast which is just as tender and tasty!
How to Make Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwich from scratch?
- Sear roast- Sear all the sides of a seasoned roast until golden brown and transfer meat to slow cooker.
- Degalze pan– Add onions, garlic and saute for a few minutes. Then, add beer.
- Add ingredients to slow cooker- This includes onion mixture, broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, additional salt and pepper.
- Cover and cook– Until meat is tender.
- Shred meat- With 2 forks
- Strain juices– This will be the Au jus dip.
- Prepare sandwiches- Pile meat onto toasted buttered rolls, top with cheese, melt it in broiler.
- Enjoy- With the strained Au jus.
What sides to serve with homemade crockpot French Dip recipe?
You have to serve it with the strained Au jus and that’s truly the best.
Serve it with soup such as Slow Cooker Brown Lentil Soup or Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup.
Try it with salads. A simple green salad is best without any overpowering dressings and vinaigrettes.
Serve it with vegetables. Oven roasted vegetables are a great choice or try it with Slow Cooker Creamed Corn.
Classic sandwich sides like chips, fries, potato wedges, onion rings, coleslaw will also taste delicious.
What is French dip sauce made of?
It’s made of beef drippings, onions, broth, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and Italian seasoning.
Storage
Refrigerate– In a sealed container for up to 3 days.
Freeze– In a sealed container or freezer bag for up to 1 month.
Reheat- In the microwave or on the stovetop.
Variations
Make it spicy– Add jalapeno slices, banana peppers, or hot giardiniera for an extra kick.
Vary the cheese topping- Use mozzarella, Swiss, or even pepper jack.
Add more onions– They can be finely chopped or you can even use caramelized onions for more flavor.
Add horseradish- This is a strong flavor addition, but if you enjoy horseradish, then you can easily enjoy it on this sandwich.
Add seasoning blends– Such as Italian, Cajun, or Mexican seasoning.
Tips and Techniques
Sear the meat– It gives it a nice crispy exterior and helps with the overall texture and flavor.
What to do with leftovers? Use them as a pizza topping, in grilled cheese sandwiches, tacos, quesadillas, soups, pastas, salads. There are so many options!
Season the roast– This prevents the meat from tasting too bland in the end.
Deglaze the pot– This adds so much flavor to the au jus and makes cleaning the pot a whole lot easier too.
What kind of rolls to use? Use large rolls, brushed with garlic butter and toasted in the oven until golden brown. Consider using crusty bread like a French baguette, French rolls, or hoagie rolls so they absorb the au jus better.
Strain the au jus– Strain the liquid remaining in crockpot through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl to remove excess fat and bits. On busy days, I just skip this straining step and shred the meat in the crockpot and it still tastes really good.
Beer substitute- You can use low sodium beef broth or water although beer adds a lot of flavor, so I prefer it.
What kind of beef to use? I use a chuck roast, and make sure to trim the excess fat.
More Slow Cooker Beef Recipes
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes
- Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast
- Crockpot Sausage and Peppers
Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Butter, Unsalted
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 3 pounds Chuck roast, Trimmed of excess fat
- Salt, To taste
- Pepper, To taste
- 1/2 cup Onions, Sliced
- 3 cloves Garlic, Finely minced
- 1 can Beer, 12 oz. can
- 2 cups Beef broth, Low sodium
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Dried thyme
- 1 Bay leaf
- 8 Rolls, Large, Brushed with garlic butter and toasted in oven until golden brown, Consider using crusty bread like French baguette, French rolls, hoagie rolls so they absorb the Au jus better
- 8-10 slices Provolone cheese
Instructions
- Season roast with salt and pepper. Keep aside.
- Heat butter and oil in a large nonstick pot or pan and sear all the sides until golden brown.
- Transfer meat to your slow cooker.
- In the same pot or pan you browned the meat, add onions, garlic and saute for a few minutes until garlic is fragrant.
- Add beer and deglaze the pan, scraping all the brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Transfer this onion mixture and all the juices to the slow cooker.
- Add broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, additional salt and pepper (if necessary). Mix.
- Cover and cook on High heat for 3-4 hours or on Low heat for 5-6 hours or until meat is very tender.
- Transfer meat to a serving dish and shred it with 2 forks.
- Discard the bay leaf.
- Strain liquid remaining in crockpot through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl and serve this strained Au jus with sandwiches for dipping. On busy days, I just skip this straining step and shred the meat in the crockpot and it still tastes really good.
- Transfer the shredded meat and the onions back into the slow cooker. Pour over a little bit of au jus to moisten the meat.
- Pile meat onto toasted buttered rolls.
- Top with cheese. Heat in oven on broiler setting until cheese starts melting. I also added some sliced jalapenos because I really like them.
- Enjoy with the strained Au jus. If there is not enough Au jus for everyone, mix in a a little more broth to the Au jus.
Notes
- If you are short on time, add all the ingredients in a crockpot. Mix everything together. Cover and cook on Low heat for 8 hours or until meat is very tender.
- Read all my tips above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheated in the microwave.
