This Slow Cooker French Dip Au Jus recipe features succulent beef slow cooked in a flavorful broth, served on toasty rolls with melted cheese and extra au jus for dipping!
With the first day of school on the horizon, my meal planning has turned from dinners on the grill back to the offerings of my trusty, effortless slow cooker. And with recipes like this hearty, succulent, bursting-with-flavor French Dip, I’m not even sad.
There’s no question that a crock pot is ideal for cooking roast. But if you want to take that same cut of beef and branch out a bit from the ordinary, French Dip sandwiches are the way to go.
Bear with me for a moment. But when the crunchy bread soaks up that deep, savory beef broth, I’m reminded of the episode of Friends when Ross’ leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwich gets stolen out of the refrigerator at work. He’s highly upset! Because he doesn’t get to enjoy his once-a-year sandwich with its piece of gravy-soaked bread in the center, dubbed “the moistmaker.”
Well, this French Dip sandwich has a moistmaker as well and it’s the jus, which is just the fancy French term for the cooking juices that the beef was cooked in.
You’ll hardly believe that such a simple recipe can yield such a flavorful outcome.
Truly…it doesn’t get any easier than this, folks!
French Dip Ingredients
You just need a handful of ingredients to yield meaty, savory, delicious French Dip Au Jus sandwiches.
- Chuck roast. Chuck roast has an amount of marbling just made for slow cooking. You may certainly trim off any large pieces of fat from the outer edges of the roast before cooking. But I never worry about it too much. Most of the fat melts down and can be skimmed from the cooking juices later. If you opt to use a leaner cut of roast, just keep in mind that your beef may not turn out as tender and juicy.
- Beef broth. You may use homemade beef stock, cartons of beef broth, or — my favorite in slow cooker recipes — Organic Better Than Bouillon Beef Base. I use this beef base all the time in gravies, sauces, soups, stews, beans, etc. If you’ve ever read the back of a jar of standard chicken or beef bouillon granules or cubes, you might be alarmed to find that its ingredients aren’t exactly straightforward. So I love this substitute, the organic version of which contains only ingredients that I am actually able to spell and pronounce. And one jar of this stuff goes a long way!
- Dark beer. Nobody will guess that the depth of flavor of this jus is achieved thanks to dark beer. I promise that the final result tastes nothing like beer, so don’t let that scare you away. Living in Texas, my dark beer of choice is Shiner Bock.
- Garlic. When it comes to this French Dip recipe, I’m of the opinion that the more garlic, the better! I like to use fresh minced garlic in most recipes. But since crock pot recipes cook for so long, I find that jarred minced garlic (the kind that must be refrigerated) works great.
- Worcestershire sauce. This ingredient adds yet another layer of flavor to the jus.
- Herbs and spices. Namely dried thyme, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper. I’m usually pretty generous with the pepper up front. As for the salt, you should definitely use enough to bring out the beefy flavor of the jus. But keep in mind that the bouillon base I recommend is pretty salty, just like bouillon cubes or granules would be. So I typically don’t add extra salt at the beginning of the recipe. However, if the cooking juices taste bland at the end of the cooking time, I season with more salt before serving.
How to Make
- Trim the roast (if desired) and plop it in the bottom of your crock pot.
- Pour/sprinkle the remaining ingredients on top, which will meld together and ultimately serve as the “dip” for your French Dip.
- Slow cook all day.
- Transfer the roast to a cutting board. Discard the fat and shred or slice the meat.
- Skim the fat from the cooking juices. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
- Serve the succulent, falling-apart beef on a toasty baguette with plenty of provolone cheese melted over the top and, of course, a generous crock of the jus (AKA, cooking broth) on the side.
The bottom line is that this Slow Cooker French Dip Au Jus recipe is quick and easy to throw together, and it receives rave reviews from every member of our household, kids and adults alike.
So as life gets crazy once more with the beginning of a new school year, do yourself a favor and dust off the ol’ crock pot. And when you do, be sure to try this recipe! You just can’t beat coming home and having dinner waiting on you…especially when it’s as mouthwatering as this one.
More Crock Pot Sandwiches
- Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Shredded Beef Sandwiches
- Slow Cooker Root Beer Pulled Pork Sliders with Creamy Broccoli Slaw
- Chicken Sloppy Joes from the Crock Pot
- Slow Cooker Meatball Subs
Slow Cooker French Dip Au Jus
Ingredients
- 3 pound chuck roast
- 1 (12-ounce) bottle dark beer
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- French baguette, French rolls, hoagie rolls, or other crusty bread , for serving
- Slices of provolone, Swiss, or mozzarella cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Trim excess fat from the roast and place it in the bottom of a large slow cooker. Add all of the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or longer (the longer, the better).
- Split open your rolls (and spread with butter, if desired) and arrange on a baking sheet. Heat the split rolls in a toaster oven until toasted, or bake in a regular oven set to 350°F until warm and toasty (about 10 minutes).
- Remove the roast to a cutting board and skim the fat from the cooking juices. Season the cooking juices with additional salt and pepper, to taste. Pull the beef into chunks or slice it against the grain (assuming it doesn't fall apart). Pile the meat on top of the toasted rolls, place slices of cheese over the meat, and place back in the toaster oven (or under the broiler) for a few minutes until just melted.
- Serve hot sandwiches with a small bowls of reserved cooking juices (jus) for dipping.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
Notes
- I use Shiner Bock for my dark beer.
- I like to use fresh minced garlic in most recipes, but since crock pot recipes cook for so long, I find that jarred minced garlic (the kind that must be refrigerated) works great.
- If you don't use a chuck roast, be sure to choose a well-marbled roast for the most tender slow cooked beef.
- If I'm around, I like to flip my roast over halfway through the cooking time. But it's not necessary if you're not home.
Post originally published on August 13, 2013.
carri foss
Great recipe, why do you like that slow cooker?
Samantha Skaggs
Hi Carri! Glad you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
My experience with new vs. old slow cookers is that the new models run much hotter and cook much faster. This model still runs hotter than my 10-year-old slow cooker, but it doesn’t burn food like some of the other new slow cookers I’ve tried. I wrote a slow cooker cookbook a few years ago and let’s just say I had plenty of opportunity to experiment with different slow cookers — ha. 😉
Christina
I wanted to make this for my family but I wanted to ask a question. Is there something that you would suggest that I can use in place of the beer? It is something I just do not want to use in my cooking. Thank you!
Samantha Skaggs
Hi Christina! You can just substitute extra beef broth for the beer. But since the beer does contribute flavor to the au jus, I might suggest slightly increasing the other ingredients in the recipe (garlic/Worcestershire/herbs/spices) to make up for it. 🙂
Ben D'Agostino
Looks delicious …. Just like Arby’s Rost Beef … All I need need now is a slow cooker …
Ruth Mott
I’m looking for your recipe for the Organic Better Than Bouillon Beef Base that you mention in this recipe. Could you please share it?
Samantha Skaggs
Hi Ruth! Better than Bouillon actually comes in a jar that you can find at most grocery stores. It’s found near the regular bouillon cubes. Hope that helps! 🙂
Tess
OMG this looks Yummy!!! And it is simple to make… my kind of recipe!! Thanks.. will be trying it soon. 🙂
Beth
I’ve been making this for dinners for a couple of years now. My whole family loves it, and that’s rare with 6 people! I love the flavor of the au jus. I’ve been using whatever bock beer I can find in my area with good results. Plus, slow cooker meals relieve the stress of the dinner rush during the week because it’s easy to just add a couple of sides for a complete meal. Thanks for sharing.
Dan Dougherty
Hey Samantha:
I want to give this a try this weekend. However, I smoke my beef cuts and prepare the au jus separately. So I don’t have a roast to throw into the crock. Do you suppose I could only use the trimmings, which is what I normally use.
Side note: I also prefer the BTB.
Looking forward to trying. I believe I will also use Guiness, as one of your readers did. Love my Guiness.
Thanks,
Dan
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Hi Dan! You could try this recipe with other cuts of beef, but you may have to tweak the cooking time. Hope it turned out if you gave it a try!
Stella
This was super good. I made yesterday before trick or treating. My mom and the kids loved it and my husband (who is picky) told me to make it again!
This was great even though I left out the thyme (I don’t like it) and forgot to add the Worchester sauce.
Samantha at Five Heart Home
I’m so glad it was a hit, Stella! 🙂
moni
I used a 3 lb top loin and it was so dry after cooking! I made one sandwich and I threw the rest away. The Au Jus had good flavor but I highly recommend a more tender cut!
Such a waste. I wish I had a dog to have given it to.
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Hi Moni! I’m so sorry to hear that. It sounds like the top loin that you used was definitely too lean. I’ve made this recipe with various cuts of marbled beef that worked well, but I think the most consistent results are achieved with a chuck roast. So I just clarified the recipe so as to eliminate any confusion, since a cut of beef can go by different names, and since different cuts with similar names can cook up very differently. I apologize again that this recipe didn’t turn out for you and I hate that your ingredients were wasted, but I hope the recipe redeems itself if you decide to give it another try with a different cut of beef. 🙂
PK
Just fixed this. Followed recipe pretty much to a t. Omitted garlic powder since was happy with 2 big tbsp of minced garlic. Used a bottle of bully porter for the beer. Cooked it on low overnight (~12 hrs).
Impression: Delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe. Will be in my forever cookbook. A must try for those on the fence.
Samantha at Five Heart Home
I love hearing that this will be a forever recipe for you, PK…thanks for sharing! 🙂
Janet Hewitt
I made this recipe yesterday for our homegroup and it was a great success! I used London Broil (top round) because it was on sale…and it was very tender by about hour 7! I added a bit more worcestshire sauce and better than bouillon because even though I added less beer than called for (I used a stout) I kept getting a beery aftertaste. I also added a bit of butter since my beef cut was super lean. I love the way the sandwich tasted after buttering the buns, and toasting the sandwich with thin slices of provolone! Anyway…I loved it! I will make it again. Thanks for posting it!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
It sounds like you made just the right adjustments to this recipe for your cut of meat, Janet…so happy the sandwiches were a hit! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to comment and I hope your week is off to a great start!