Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

If you’re in the mood for a delicious beefy sandwich – this one is for you.

Let your slow cooker do all the heavy lifting for this epic sandwich. The best French dip sandwich we’ve ever prepared was with our leftover standing prime rib during the holidays. Searing a chuck roast and slow cooking for hours produces melt-in-your-mouth beef and the juices make the most amazing au jus. An instant family favorite!

How To Make Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

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The Ingredients You Will Need

The ingredients for the incredible sandwich are simple and many you’ll probably already have in your pantry. Here’s what you’ll need to have on hand:

Beef roast – We recommend a nicely marbled chuck roast. However, you could substitute a top round roast, bottom round roast, or a tri tip roast for equally delicious results.
Seasonings – Salt and pepper.
Onion – Chopped.
Garlic – Minced.
Beef stock or broth – Homemade or purchased are both perfectly fine.
Soy sauce – Regular or low-sodium are both excellent choices.
Worcestershire sauce – We love Lea & Perrins which is available in the condiments section of most supermarkets.
Dried herbs – Herbs de Provence or dried thyme are both wonderful choices.
Buns – Soft French buns or hoagie buns are perfect.
Sliced cheese – Provolone is what we recommend, but you could also go with sliced Muenster, gouda, or even mozzarella.

EXPERT TIP: Searing the roast before adding it to the slow cooker creates a nice crusty exterior called the Maillard Reaction. It does add a depth of flavor, but, if you are in a crunch for time, you can skip searing the roast and go directly to the slow cooker. But, try and find the time, if possible.

Tips for Making Perfect Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

Don’t Overcook the Roast – We love a roast that is so tender it completely shreds when barely pulled apart with a couple of forks. For a French dip, you want layers of meat. Cooking the roast on LOW for 9 hours gives you extremely tender beef, but not so much that it can’t be sliced.

Choose the Right Buns – For that authentic taste and texture, find buns that are soft. Hoagies and soft French bread are ideal. Crusty Italian loaves or baguettes are just fine but harder to bite into.

Toast the Buns – This isn’t completely necessary, but it gives a slightly crunchy interior to the inside edges of the bread which are an amazing contrast to the tender meat and melty cheese.

Strain the Liquid – Don’t skip this step. The au jus will be thin and should only be broth. If desired, use a fat separator to get rid of excess fat in the au jus. But, remember, there’s a lot of flavor in that fat!

EXPERT TIP: For optimal flavor, we place the chopped onions on the bottom of the pot and place the seared roast on top of them. Then, add the minced garlic on top of the roast and cover with the broth mixture. No need to sauté the onions and garlic, they will cook perfectly and impart flavor.

How To Serve

When serving friends and family, you can go ahead and assemble the sandwiches and serve them piping hot, right after toasting the buns and melting the cheese under the broiler.

To avoid communal double-dipping, we recommend providing a small bowl of au jus for each person and their sandwich.

Or, you can place the sliced meat back in the slow cooker, pour a little of the au jus over the meat, and then set the toasted buns and cheese slices on a platter and let guests build their own sandwiches.

Remember, you want to cook the meat long enough so it is extremely tender, but not completely fall apart. It should be juicy, but still be able to slice with a sharp knife.

Other Amazing Sandwich Recipes to Try

When a sandwich is done right, it’s about one of the most wonderful culinary creations of all time. Here is a collection of some of our favorites:

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Slow Cooker Chopped Brisket Sandwiches
Epic Meatball Sub Sandwich
Honey Mustard and Bacon Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Crispy Fried Chicken Sandwich
Sausage and Peppers Hero
Wagyu Pastrami Sandwich
Classic BLT with Basil Garlic Aioli
Fried Oyster BLT
Best-Ever Reuben
Fried Fish Sandwich
Authentic Muffuletta
Fried Catfish Po-boy
Bahn Mi Sandwich

These are all amazing and over-the-top delicious. But, in the meantime, isn’t the masterpiece catching your eye?

If you love a good sandwich as much as we do, you are going to flip for these epic beefy sammies!

The slow cooker makes the roast incredibly tender and the au jus sauce is as good as it gets.

This one is guaranteed to become a family classic. Perfect for game day grub, parties, or just a fun Sunday at home with loved ones.

Sandwich perfection!

Ready to make the best beef sandwich in town? Go for it!

And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches couldn't be easier to prepare but the result is beefy delicious perfection. The slow cooker does all the heavy lifting for you. Strain the liquid for an incredibly flavorful au jus.

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Lunch / Sandwich

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 9 hours hours

Resting time and Sandwich Building: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 9 hours hours 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 612kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

Equipment

• ▢
  Large cast iron skillet or any sturdy skillet or pan
• ▢
  1 4-6 Quart Slow Cooker

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 lb chuck roast
• ▢ Salt and pepper
• ▢ 2 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 2 cups beef stock or broth
• ▢ ¼ cup soy sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence or dried thyme
• ▢ 1 medium onion chopped
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 6 hoagie buns
• ▢ 6 slices Provolone cheese

Instructions

• Liberally sprinkle the roast with salt and pepper all over.
  3 lb chuck roast, Salt and pepper
• Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large cast-iron skillet (or any large sturdy skillet). Add the roast and sear until browned all over, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet and place on a plate or cutting board.
  2 tablespoon olive oil
• In a medium bowl, stir together the beef stock, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, dried herbs, and a healthy pinch of salt.
  2 cups beef stock, ¼ cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
• Place the onions in the bottom of your slow cooker. Top the onions with the seared roast. Sprinkle the minced garlic over the roast. Carefully pour the broth mixture around the roast. Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 9 hours, or on HIGH for 4½ hours.
  1 medium onion, 2 cloves garlic
• Remove the roast from the slow cooker and let rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes.
• Use a large sharp knife to slice the roast (against the grain, if possible) into thin strips.
• Turn your broiler on HIGH and place the baking rack 6 inches below the heating elements.
• Open the buns and place them on a baking sheet. Toast the buns under the broiler until toasty and lightly browned. Keep an eye on them, don't let them burn! Remove from oven and place on a platter (or individual plates).
  6 hoagie buns
• Form the sliced roast into 6 piles approximately the length of the hoagie buns. Cut each slice of cheese in half and place on top of each pile of beef.
  6 slices Provolone cheese
• Use a spatula to place the meat piles on a baking sheet and then place the sheet under the broiler until the cheese has melted, only a couple of minutes (Keep an eye on them!).
• Meanwhile, strain the liquid from the slow cooker through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl. If desired, divide the sauce (au jus) into 6 small dipping bowls.
• Place the heated meat onto the toasted buns and serve immediately with the au jus.

Notes

See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you liked the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel. 

You could substitute a tri-tip roast, top sirloin roast, or bottom round roast for the chuck.

Leftovers will keep in covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat meat in a 325°F oven in a dish covered with foil until heated through, usually about 15 to 20 minutes. 

Nutrition

Calories: 612kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 77g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 254mg | Sodium: 798mg | Potassium: 998mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 312IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 309mg | Iron: 9mg

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