If you’re looking for an easy-to-prepare weeknight dinner, look no further. Our slow cooker French Dip Sandwiches are just what you’re looking for.
Beef that has been cooked low and slow creates tender, juicy, flavorful beef that will make your friends and family line up for seconds before they finish their first sandwich!
Pile that tender beef high on your favorite hoagie rolls, add a few slices of provolone cheese, and get ready to dip that delicious beef sandwich into the au jus sauce. It’s a match made in heaven.
You may have noticed I added the provolone cheese before the beef. The melted cheese creates a barrier and keeps the roll from getting too soggy before you dip it.
There is something magical about the flavor combination of roast beef, gooey cheese, and onions. This hot sandwich is perfect for game day, family get-togethers, and busy weeknights.
Try our creamy horseradish sauce to kick up the flavor of our Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwich. You’ll be glad you did!
Ingredients For French Dip Sandwich
Gather the ingredients to prepare our Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwich recipe. Culinary professionals call this the “Mise en Place,” which means “everything in its Place.”
Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also ensures you have all the necessary ingredients on hand to make the recipe.
Do I have to use gravy mix?
No, you don’t. You can use beef broth or beef bouillon granules instead. If you use beef broth, you’ll be adding more liquid and end up with extra au jus, which, in my book, is a good thing.
How to Make a French Dip Sandwich in the Slow Cooker
Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make a French Dip Sandwich in the slow cooker.
- Add the all-purpose flour, garlic powder, onion powder, table salt, and black pepper to a small bowl.
- Whisk to combine the seasoned flour mixture.
- Pat the roast dry with paper towels. Then, season/dust all sides of the chuck roast with the flour mixture.
- Add two tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet (or cast iron pan) over medium-high heat.
- Place the roast in the hot pan.
- Sear the top, bottom, and sides of the chuck roast to create a brown crust on the outside of the roast (8-10 minutes).
Don’t clean out the pan, you’ll use it for the sauce. The meat drippings will help flavor the onions.
*We used sweet onions for our crockpot French dip sandwich recipe, but you can use white, red, or yellow onion to make our crock pot French dip recipe.
- Place the seared roast into the crock pot.
- Turn the skillet heat down to medium, and scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add one tablespoon of olive oil and the sliced onions to the hot pan and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the onions begin to turn translucent.
- Add the chopped garlic to the pan, stir to combine with the onions; cook for 1 minute until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Add the beer and Worcestershire sauce to the pan and mix with the onions and garlic. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release any bits stuck to it.
- Add the packet of brown gravy mix and whisk to combine, ensuring there are no lumps.
- Bring the mixture to a light boil, then remove from the heat.
If you have a slow cooker with a sauté function, you can do it all in the slow cooker. There is no need to dirty another pan.
- Pour the gravy over the seared roast in the crock pot.
- Set crock pot to low heat and cook for 6 – 8 hours.
- Remove the chuck roast from the crock pot and place it into a large bowl.
- Shred the meat using two forks.
- Place the shredded beef back into the crock pot and turn off if you are serving it immediately. Leave it on the low setting if you plan on serving it later.
When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slice the rolls, and if you like cheese, add two slices of provolone to the bottom of the roll.
Using tongs to remove the meat from the crock pot, place shredded beef and onions onto the roll (you don’t need much juice as you will have au jus on the side for dipping).
Place the sandwich on a baking sheet and place it on the center rack of the preheated oven for a couple of minutes. Just long enough to melt the cheese. Remove the toasted hoagie rolls from the oven and enjoy!
This is one of my favorite slow cooker recipes. Trust me when I tell you, it’s a sandwich the whole family will love! And it’s going to cost a whole lot less than your local sandwich shop.
To complete the meal, serve the French Dip Sandwich with au jus for dipping and a Caesar salad or tossed salad.
Any leftover beef and au jus should be stored refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-4 days. It can also be frozen for up to two months.
Recipe FAQs
Provolone or Swiss cheese are usually served with this sandwich, but any cheese you enjoy eating will work. Gruyere, American, and Pepper Jack cheese are other good choices.
If you ask that question to 10 different people, you will likely get 10 different answers. It’s subjective and a matter of preference and geographical location.
I like to use a crusty bread, such as a French baguette (hence French dip) or a hard Italian roll. But Kaiser rolls, hoagie rolls, and Portuguese rolls are often used. Just make sure whatever roll you use will stand up to the au jus dipping sauce. Soft rolls will fall apart.
You can substitute Coke, Dr. Pepper, or root beer for the beer. You can also use a non-alcoholic beer, or simply replace the beer with beef broth.
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French Dip Sandwich Recipe (Slow Cooker)
Equipment
- Large deep skillet
- Slow Cooker / Crock Pot
- baking sheet
Ingredients
Beef
- 3 -4 lb chuck roast
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Au Jus
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup sweet onion -thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoon garlic -finely chopped
- 12 oz beer -your favorite brand- we used an IPA
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 packet brown gravy mix
Assembly
- 6 no-point long rolls -or your favorite roll
- ¼ pound provolone cheese -sliced
- 1 tablespoon Italian parsley -chopped for garnish
Instructions
Beef
- Add the all-purpose flour, garlic powder, onion powder, table salt, and black pepper to a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Pat the roast dry with paper towels.
- Season / dust all sides of the chuck roast with the flour mixture.
- Add two tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat
- Sear the top, bottom, and sides of the seasoned chuck roast to create a brown crust on the outside of the roast (8-10 minutes).Don't clean out the pan, you'll use it for the sauce.
- Place the seared roast into the crock pot.
Sauce
- Turn the pan heat down to medium heat & scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, and add one tablespoon of olive oil to the pan.
- Add the sliced onions to the hot pan and cook for 1-2 minutes or until onions are beginning to turn translucent.
- Add the chopped garlic to the pan, stir to combine with the onions; cook for 1 minute until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Add the beer to the pan and mix with the onions and garlic.
- Add the packet of brown gravy mix and whisk to combine, ensuring there are no lumps.
- Bring the mixture to a light boil, then remove from the heat.
- Pour the gravy over the seared roast in the crock pot.
- Set crock pot to low heat for 8 hours.
- Remove the chuck roast from the crock pot and place it into a large bowl.
- Shred the meat using two forks.
- Place the shredded beef back into the crock pot and turn off if you are serving it immediately. Leave it on the low setting if you plan on serving it later.
Assembly
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- If you're using a long roll, slice it lengthwise. For a Kaiser roll, slice it in half.
- Using tongs to remove the meat from the crock pot, place shredded beef and onions onto the roll (you don't need much juice as you will have au jus on the side for dipping).
- Place a slice (or slices) of provolone cheese on top of the beef on the roll.
- Place the sandwich on a baking sheet and place it on the center rack of the reheated oven. Remove it from the oven when the cheese is melted (you can broil if you like cheese a little more crispy).
- Using a ladle, remove some of the juice from the crock pot and place it into a small bowl or ramekin for dipping.
- Garnish with chopped parsley.
Notes
I like to use a crusty, hearty bread, such as a French baguette (hence French dip) or a hard Italian roll. But Kaiser rolls, hoagie rolls, and Portuguese rolls are often used. Just make sure whatever roll you use will stand up to being dipped in the au jus.
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