Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches (The Dinner That Saved My School Week)

The first two weeks of school always humble me. I go in with a color coded folder system and a real plan, and by day nine I am standing in the kitchen at 5:47 holding a bag of shredded cheese like it owes me answers. Everyone is hungry. Nobody agrees on anything. The planner is somewhere under a pile of paperwork I still have not signed.

These slow cooker French dip sandwiches are the fix. You do twenty minutes of work in the morning while the coffee is still hot, and then the crockpot quietly makes dinner all day without you. When you walk back in the house it already smells like you tried. That smell alone has saved my whole mood more than once.

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Why you will love this one

It is a dump and go dinner that does not taste like a dump and go dinner. Chuck roast is the cheapest cut in the case and after eight hours it falls apart if you look at it wrong, so you get that slow braised, restaurant sandwich feeling for about the price of a pizza.

It also feeds a crowd, which matters right now because fall sports have started and my house has become a place where extra teenagers appear. Eight sandwiches from one roast, and everyone builds their own, so nobody is negotiating with me about onions.

And the au jus. The dipping is the entire personality of this sandwich. My kids will eat almost anything if they get to dunk it in something.

What you need

For the beef: a 3 to 4 pound boneless chuck roast, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 large yellow onion sliced, 4 cloves garlic minced, 2 cups low sodium beef broth, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 2 bay leaves.

For assembly: 8 sturdy hoagie rolls, 8 slices of provolone, and 2 tablespoons of softened butter for toasting the rolls.

Two things worth buying once. A 6 quart programmable slow cooker that shifts to warm on its own is the difference between dinner and a very sad brisket, especially if you are gone longer than you planned. And a cheap set of meat shredder claws turns a ten minute fork job into about ninety seconds. I resisted those for years and I was wrong.

How to make them

Pat the roast dry and season it all over with the salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a big skillet over medium high and sear the roast for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until it is deeply browned. I know searing feels like an extra dish at 7 in the morning. Do it anyway. That crust is where the flavor lives.

Scatter the sliced onion across the bottom of the slow cooker and set the roast on top. Whisk the broth, Worcestershire, soy sauce, thyme, onion powder, and garlic together, pour it over, and tuck in the bay leaves. Lid on, LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 5.

When it is done, move the roast to a cutting board and shred it. Pull out the bay leaves and skim the fat off the top of the jus, a fat separator makes this painless, then slide the shredded beef back into the pot to soak for about ten minutes.

Butter the cut sides of the rolls and toast them under the broiler for about 2 minutes. Pile on the beef, lay a slice of provolone over each, and broil another minute or two until the cheese goes melty and a little bubbly at the edges.

Ladle the warm jus into little cups and serve immediately. I use a set of small dipping bowls because it makes a weeknight dinner feel intentional, and honestly that is most of what I am going for lately.

Tips, swaps, and make ahead

Toast the rolls. I am saying it again because the first time I made these I skipped it and ended up serving eight very soggy sandwiches to people who love me. Butter and two minutes under the broiler builds a little wall between the bread and the jus.

Swap the cheese if provolone is not your thing. Swiss is classic and Havarti melts beautifully. Add sauteed mushrooms and peppers if you want it closer to a cheesesteak. A spoonful of horseradish stirred into mayo on the top bun is very good for the adults.

Short on time? Cook on HIGH for 5 hours. It is genuinely almost as good. And if you only have a stovetop moment, an Instant Pot on high pressure for 60 minutes with a natural release gets you close.

Make ahead is where this recipe really earns its keep. The beef and jus keep in the fridge for 4 days and freeze for up to 3 months. Freeze them together so the beef reheats in its own liquid. I portion mine into freezer bags on a Sunday and then feel smug about it for weeks.

Quick recipe details

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 8 hours on LOW or 5 hours on HIGH
Total time: about 8 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 8 sandwiches
Storage: Beef and jus together in an airtight container, 4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Reheat gently in the jus. Always toast the rolls fresh.

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

Tender shredded chuck roast, melty provolone, toasted rolls, and a cup of rich au jus for dipping. The slow cooker does everything while you are gone.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 hours hrs

Total Time 8 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings: 8 sandwiches

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the Beef

• 3 lb boneless beef chuck roast 3 to 4 lb is fine
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil for searing
• 1 large yellow onion sliced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 cups low sodium beef broth
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 bay leaves

For Assembly

• 8 hoagie rolls sturdy, split
• 8 slices provolone cheese
• 2 tbsp salted butter softened, for the rolls

Method

 

1. Pat the chuck roast dry and season it all over with the salt and pepper.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and sear the roast about 3 to 4 minutes per side, until it has a deep brown crust. This step is optional but it is where most of the flavor comes from.
3. Scatter the sliced onion in the bottom of the slow cooker and set the seared roast on top.
4. Whisk together the beef broth, Worcestershire, soy sauce, thyme, onion powder, and garlic. Pour it over the roast and tuck in the bay leaves.
5. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or on HIGH for 5 hours, until the beef shreds with almost no effort.
6. Move the roast to a cutting board and shred it with two forks. Fish out the bay leaves and skim the fat off the top of the jus, then return the shredded beef to the pot to soak for about 10 minutes.
7. Butter the cut sides of the rolls and toast them under the broiler for about 2 minutes, until golden.
8. Pile the beef onto the rolls, lay a slice of provolone over each one, and broil for another 1 to 2 minutes until the cheese melts.
9. Ladle the warm jus into small cups for dipping and serve right away.

Notes

Make ahead: the beef and jus keep in the fridge for 4 days and freeze for 3 months. Reheat the beef right in the jus so it stays juicy.

The takeaway

Some weeks you cook because you love it. Some weeks you cook because people keep needing to eat. This recipe is for the second kind of week, and it still tastes like the first kind. Twenty minutes in the morning buys you a calm evening, and a calm evening in late August is worth almost anything.

If you make these, tell me what you put on yours. I am always looking for a reason to change up the cheese, so drop it in the comments.

So glad you are here.
xo, Pam