Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
Chuck roast slow-cooked 8 hours in a beefy au jus with onions and thyme — the meat shreds under a fork and the au jus is the dipping sauce.
slow-cooker Timer
Set for 480 mins @ Low 8 hours (200°F / 93°C)
Ingredients
Base recipe calibrated for 8 adults.
Get to the Point
Sear 3 lb chuck roast on both sides 4 min each in a hot skillet.
Add to slow cooker with 3 cups beef broth, 2 sliced onions, onion soup mix, thyme.
Cook LOW 8 hours until fork-shreddable; lift meat, shred in a bowl.
Strain jus, skim fat, pile shredded beef on toasted hoagies with provolone.
Step-by-Step Guided Instructions
Pat a 3 lb chuck roast dry. Season all over with 1 tbsp kosher salt and 1 tbsp black pepper. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat. Sear roast 4 minutes per side until deeply browned. Transfer to a 6-qt slow cooker.
Chuck is a $6/lb cut — searing is what gives it its beef-tips-and-au-jus flavor. Skip the sear and you get a beef-flavored bath instead of a French dip.
Add 1/2 cup of the beef broth to the still-hot skillet and scrape every browned bit off the bottom with a wooden spoon. Pour this liquid gold into the slow cooker over the roast.
The fond stuck to the pan is 80% of the flavor of the au jus. If you skip deglazing, all that flavor stays glued to the skillet and washes down the drain.
Slice 2 large yellow onions into 1/4-inch rings and scatter around and over the roast. Pour in the remaining 2.5 cups low-sodium beef broth. Sprinkle 1 packet (1 oz) Lipton onion soup mix over the top. Add 2 sprigs fresh thyme and 2 bay leaves.
Lipton onion soup mix is not authentic French cuisine, but it is exactly what makes the au jus taste like the diner. Do not skip it — this is the pot roast bell tower.
Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. The roast is done when a fork twists in the meat with no resistance. If it fights you, cook 30 more minutes and test again.
Chuck is done by feel, not temperature — 205°F is when the collagen has melted, but a fork test is faster. 8 hours on low is the reliable target for a 3-lb roast.
Lift the roast to a large cutting board. Discard bay leaves and thyme stems. Shred meat with 2 forks against the grain into bite-sized pieces. Strain the au jus through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl; skim the fat from the surface with a spoon.
Save a cup of unstrained jus for the meat to sit in while you toast the rolls — it keeps the shredded beef juicy and salty.
Split 8 hoagie rolls and lay them open cut-side up on a sheet pan. Top each with 2 slices provolone. Broil 90 seconds until cheese melts. Pile shredded beef on the bottom half, dip roll tops in au jus briefly, close. Serve each sandwich with a ramekin of warm au jus.
Broiled cheese roll grabs the beef and keeps it from sliding out on the first dip. A cold roll gets soggy in one bite; a broiled roll holds up through the whole sandwich.
The Worcestershire trick: whisk 2 tbsp Worcestershire into the au jus after skimming the fat. It doubles the umami depth without changing the color, and nobody will guess it's there.
For kids, skip the dipping and build an open-face slider with a scoop of beef on a slider bun with melted cheese. Toddlers dunking sandwiches is a laundry event, not a meal.
- Crispy oven fries or tater tots
- Simple green salad or vinegar coleslaw
- Dill pickle spears
Store the shredded meat submerged in the strained au jus. Warm portions in a covered saucepan over medium-low for 6 minutes; do not boil, which toughens the shreds.