Crock Pot French Dip Sandwiches

Tender and flavorful, these slow cooker French drip sandwiches are a cozy dinner to come home to. Don’t skip using the pan drippings for the au jus sauce that completes the dish and adds to the deliciousness.

 

Why We Love Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

• Hearty Meal – This recipe makes a cozy and hearty dinner that’s really flavorful. If you have a meat and potatoes style family, they’ll love this French dip recipe.
• Slow Cooker Makes It Easy – I love letting my slow cooker do the work, it makes such an easy recipe. Cooking this large piece of beef low and slow will leave you with tender beef every time.
• The Sauce Tops The Meal – If you have a kid who loves to dip, this type of meal can be a great meal to try. Try serving it with the beef dip au jus sauce and ketchup (or their favorite dip). The beef is also shredded and tender making it a little easier for younger children to enjoy.

Ingredients For Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

• chuck roast beef roast or rump roast also work for this recipe
• oregano
• thyme
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• salt
• pepper
• onion – sliced thin, optional
• beef broth – some people prefer using beef consomme, which is a clarified beef broth and can be used in this recipe
• Worcestershire sauce
• bay leaf
• sub-style rolls also called sausage rolls- these are typically wider than a hot dog bun. You can also slice a baguette into pieces or use ciabatta rolls. You want to use bread that is sturdy enough to stand up to dipping in the sauce and can still hold the meat.
• butter – melted salted
• provolone cheese

How To Make The Crock Pot French Dip Sandwiches

1. Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray. Trim the beef if necessary on a cutting board.
2. In a small bowl add oregano, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper and mix well together. Add half the seasoning over the top of the beef on the cutting board. Give the seasoning a good rub to distribute it evenly. If using the optional onion, add the onion to the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the beef in the slow cooker seasoning side down. Sprinkle the second half of the seasoning over the meat and give it a good rub.

3. Pour the beef broth into the slow cooker along the edge. Add the Worcestershire sauce over the meat. Add the bay leaf to the slow cooker, pushing it into the beef broth.

4. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until the beef pulls and shreds easily with a fork. Take out the bay leaf and discard.

5. Remove from the slow cooker and let the meat rest for about 10 minutes, then shred with two forks turned backward.

6. Warm the oven on the broil setting. Spray a baking sheet lightly with cooking spray Open the rolls and place them cut side up on a pan.
7. Brush both sides of the rolls with melted butter. Cut the slices of cheese in half, then place the cheese on the top side of each roll.

8. Set the oven to the broil setting. Broil the rolls in the oven under the broiler for 1-2 minutes or until you melt the cheese and the rolls just start to turn golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and top the rolls with the shredded beef. Strain the broth from the slow cooker with a sieve, serve in small bowls to dip the sandwiches. Serve and enjoy!

Variation Ideas Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

Bread Variations

You can vary the roll to other kinds of bread. The trick is the roll or bread needs to be strong enough to hold up to dipping in the au jus sauce.

If you choose to use more of a regular sandwich bread instead of a roll, but expect it to be a sandwich you eat with a fork and a knife. Sandwich bread typically won’t hold up well to adding the sauce but can still be tasty, just is messier.

You could also swap bread out entirely and serve the meat in a tortilla or over mashed potatoes.

Meat Variations

I don’t really recommend swapping the beef out for another meat other than picking another cut, like rump roast for this recipe. Chuck roast is a pretty lean cut, but you could use a cut like rump roast that has a little more fat. You should try this Slow Cooker Root Beer Roast Beef with rump roast, it’s pretty delicious.

You could in theory swap out chicken thighs or pork roast in this recipe, but I haven’t tried it. The flavor just won’t be the same swapping out a different meat for this recipe.

Cheese Variations

You can swap the cheese. I recommend using a cheese that is creamy, melts well and is on the mild side flavor-wise. Havarti, swiss, mozzarella and even a white American cheese all work well.

How Long Will Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches Last?

Expect leftovers will last for about three days.

If you know you’re not going to be eating all of the sandwiches I do recommend storing the bread and cheese and the au jus sauce separate from the meat as it will reheat a little easier.

Do I Need To Sear The Meat?

You could sear the meat in a pan before placing it in the slow cooker. This does add extra flavor and juiciness to any meat and can be done for this recipe.

Since we are cooking the meat in a close slow cooker you don’t have to sear the meat as the slow cooker will keep it juicy, but it does add extra flavor to sear it.

Can I Use Onion Soup Mix In This Recipe?

Yes you can use a dry onion soup mix in place of the dry spices in this recipe if you like. You can use an entire 1.8 ounce envelope of dry onion soup mix, like Lipton’s french onion soup mix. I also recommend still add the Worcestershire sauce in the recipe.

I prefer using my own spice mix to get the best french dip sandwich but dry onion soup mix works well too.

How Do I Keep The Sandwiches From Getting Too Soggy?

Toasting the bread will help to keep the sandwiches sturdy when you are dipping them in the au jus sauce. Using a sturdy bread also helps to keep the sandwiches from becoming too soggy.

Dipping the sandwich as you eat is another way too keep the sandwich from becoming too soggy. Serve with little dipping bowls of the au jus sauce on the plate instead of pouring it over the meat.

Storing the meat separately from the bread and au jus sauce also helps too keep leftover sandwiches from becoming soggy.

How Do I Reheat The Leftovers From These Crockpot French Dip Sandwiches?

Microwaving is the easiest way to reheat the meat. I like to add just a little bit of the au jus sauce to the meat to make sure it stays moist when reheating and then use the rest of the sauce for dipping as I am enjoying the sandwich.

The meat could also be reheated on the stovetop and then added to the sandwiches.

Rolls can be toasted in the oven or toaster oven, or microwaved.

You can also try reheating the whole sandwich in the toaster oven or air fryer set to about 350 degrees, but watch carefully as it is easy to overcook or burn the bread.