French Dip – an easy recipe for making the most flavorful french dip sandwiches right in your slow cooker! Just set them and forget them until dinner time. Everyone is going to love these!
These perfectly juicy and tender French Dip sandwiches are great for a quick & easy weeknight dinner or to feed a crowd! Everyone is going to love this easy dinner recipe!
Best French Dip Sandwich Recipe
Our family absolutely loves a delicious set-it-and-forget it slow cooker recipe! They are just so convenient for all of those busy nights. This classic french dip recipe has the most juicy chuck roast, flavor packed onions, and melty cheese all piled high on a crusty roll! Perfect for dipping in the delicious au jus that is created right in the crockpot when cooking. The whole family is going to love this easy recipe!
What You Will Need
- chuck roast – you can pick one up from your local grocery store or butcher shop. Option to grab a larger size if you are feeding a crowd, you will just have to adjust your cook time.
- kosher salt, ground black pepper, onion powder, & garlic powder – a simple seasoning combination that will coat your chuck roast.
- butter – just a little bit in the skillet to sear the outside of the meat.
- beef broth – the liquid base in the slow cooker to make the most tender, fall apart meat.
- worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, french onion soup mix, garlic, fresh thyme, & dijon mustard – add these simple ingredients to the beef broth for flavor that is out of this world!
- sweet yellow onion – these cooked onions are great for topping your sandwich and to bring plenty of flavors.
- rolls of your choice – we used some fairly large hoagie rolls but feel free to use french rolls or a sturdy roll that works for you!
- sliced cheese – we highly recommend gruyere, but provolone cheese, swiss cheese, or another white sliced cheese would be good too.
- optional horseradish mayo – mix a small amount of mayo and horseradish for a sandwich spread that will add even more flavor!
How To Make A French Dip
First, you can begin by patting your cut of meat dry with clean paper towels.
What Cut Of Meat Is Used For French Dips
We chose to use a chuck roast and it works great! Many restaurants might use a ribeye steak or sirloin steak. You just want to pick a roast that will be nice and tender, resulting in a flavorful beef.
Next, mix together the salt, pepper, onion powder & garlic powder in a small bowl. Then fully coat your all sides of the meat in this seasoning mixture.
Now bring a large skillet to a medium high heat on the stove top, add the butter to melt, and sear the roast on all sides.
In your slow cooker, add the broth, liquid smoke, worcestershire, onions, garlic, french onion soup mix, thyme, and dijon mustard. Mix to fully combine and then reserve about 1/4 cup of this mixture. Once your roast is seared, place it in the slow cooker. Bring your skillet back up to a medium-high heat, pour in the 1/4 cup broth and butter, scrap the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. This will be poured on top of the roast in the crockpot before you place the lid on top.
After everything has been added you can secure the lid and it slow cooks on the low setting for 8 hours or high setting for 4 hours.
Now you can carefully remove the cooked beef and shred with two forks on a large plate or cutting board.
Finally, it is time to create your french dip sandwich. Grab your roll or hoagie and stuff it with meat, the cooked onions from the slow cooker, and top with cheese. Serve with a side of au jus or dipping sauce from the crockpot.
Pro tip: mix a little mayo and prepared horseradish together to spread on your roll before adding the tender beef, onions, & melted cheese – the perfect added tangy flavor!
How Should I Serve French Dip Sandwiches
These easy french dip sandwiches would be great with just about anything! We love to pair this hot sandwich with a creamy coleslaw and grilled potato wedges. But they would also be great with a side salad, steamed broccoli, green beans or smoked baked beans!
Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!