Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

side view of a french dip sandwich showing the shredded beef and melted cheese

5 from 15 votes

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

These Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches are made with ultra tender chunks roasted beef, melted provolone cheese, soft hoagie bread, and dipped into an amazing au jus sauce.

Prep Time20

Cook Time8

Total Time8 20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: french dip, slow cooker sandwiches

Servings: - 8 servings

Calories: 864kcal

Author: The Chunky Chef

Ingredients

Beef

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3-4 lb beef chuck roast
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
12 oz dark beer we love to use a porter, brown ale, stout, or amber beer
1 1/2 cups reduced sodium beef broth
1 large yellow onion sliced
1 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Sandwiches

6 large french or hoagie rolls
6 - 12 slices provolone cheese enough for 1-2 slices per sandwich
butter for toasting rolls

Instructions

Sear beef

Heat oil in a large skillet over MED HIGH heat.
Pat roast dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper, rubbing the seasoning into the meat.
Once oil is hot, add chuck roast and sear for 3-4 minutes per side, until a deep golden brown crust forms on the outside of the roast.

Slow Cook

Remove roast from skillet and add to the bottom of a slow cooker insert.
Add beer to skillet and heat over MED heat. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the bottom of the skillet to loosen the browned bits. Those bits are flavor and we don't want to lose them.
Pour contents of the skillet into the slow cooker insert with the beef. Add beef broth, onion, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.
Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours, or high for 5-6 hours (although I recommend cooking on low for best texture).
When cooking time is up, remove meat to a large bowl and shred, discarding any large fat pieces. Add a few ladles of the cooking liquid to the bowl with the meat.

Make sandwiches

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, and set aside.
Lightly butter the cut sides of the hoagie rolls and add to a clean skillet, cut sides down, over MED HIGH heat and toast until golden brown if desired. I know this is an extra step, but I highly recommend it.
Pile some shredded beef to toasted hoagie rolls, then top with 1-2 slices of cheese.
Place on prepared baking sheet, leaving the top part of the roll off. Broil until cheese is melted (be careful, this shouldn’t take long, you don’t want them to burn!).
Add top part of the roll.

To serve

To serve, add a ladle-full (or about a cup) of the juices from the slow cooker to a small bowl. Serve sandwich alongside the juices, dipping the sandwich into the bowl, and enjoy!

Notes

Making French Dip Sandwiches in the Instant Pot

Keep ingredients the same.
Cut chuck roast into approximately 2 inch pieces.
Select "saute" and allow to heat up until very hot. Add oil, then add about half the beef pieces and cook 1-2 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and repeat with remaining half of the beef pieces.
Add beef broth and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits.
Cancel saute mode, then add beef back to the pot. Add in beer, onion, soy sauce, and worcestershire sauce.
Pressure cook on high pressure for 45 minutes, then perform a natural pressure release (just leave it alone) for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, release any remaining pressure, if there is any.
Remove beef to a bowl and shred. Add a ladle or two of the cooking liquid to the bowl with the meat.
Proceed with the "make the sandwiches" part of the recipe above.

Nutrition