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- 1
Salt the roast
Pat the chuck roast dry with paper towels, then sprinkle kosher salt evenly over every side. Heat a wide skillet over medium-high heat until it's good and hot.
- 2
Sear it hard
Add the vegetable oil to the hot pan and swirl it around. Lay the roast in and don't touch it for a minute or two, then flip and brown every side you can get to. Five or six minutes total, no more. You're after that deep brown crust, not cooking it through.
- 3
Into the crock pot
Move the roast to a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Sprinkle the black pepper over all sides.
- 4
Build the broth
Set the hot skillet back over medium heat. Pour in the water and sherry wine, add the beef bouillon base, and stir, scraping up all those browned bits stuck to the pan, until the bouillon dissolves. Pour that liquid over the roast.
- 5
Season and load up
Drop in the bay leaf. Rub the onion soup mix packets right onto the exposed top of the roast -- some will fall into the broth, that's fine. Sprinkle on the dried thyme and rosemary.
- 6
Low and slow
Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, until the roast is fork-tender all the way through. Don't rush this on high heat -- you'll end up with tough meat instead of the fall-apart kind.
- 7
Slice it up
Lift the roast out onto a cutting board and let it rest a couple minutes. Slice against the grain into thin slices rather than shredding -- slices hold together better in a sandwich. Keep the meat warm.
- 8
Toast the rolls
Turn the broiler on and move a rack to the top position. Split the rolls and lay them cut-side up on a baking sheet. If you want to go the extra mile, stir together the softened butter and garlic powder and spread it over the cut sides -- it's worth it.
- 9
Broil and melt the cheese
Broil the rolls for 2-3 minutes until just golden, watching closely so they don't burn. Flip and broil the other side another 2-4 minutes until crisp. Flip back cut-side up, layer provolone over both halves of each roll, and broil one more minute or two, just until the cheese melts.
- 10
Build the sandwich and dip
Pile sliced beef onto the cheesy rolls and close them up. Ladle the hot au jus from the slow cooker into small bowls -- skim off any extra fat first if you like a cleaner broth. Dip the sandwich in and take the biggest bite you can manage.
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Diner-Style French Dip Sandwich
Created by: DinerStyleDave
Ingredients
- 4 lb chuck roast
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup sherry wine
- 1 tbsp beef bouillon base
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 onion soup mix packet
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- 8 crusty roll
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 16 oz provolone cheese
Instructions
- Salt the roastPat the chuck roast dry with paper towels, then sprinkle kosher salt evenly over every side. Heat a wide skillet over medium-high heat until it's good and hot.
- Sear it hardAdd the vegetable oil to the hot pan and swirl it around. Lay the roast in and don't touch it for a minute or two, then flip and brown every side you can get to. Five or six minutes total, no more. You're after that deep brown crust, not cooking it through.
- Into the crock potMove the roast to a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Sprinkle the black pepper over all sides.
- Build the brothSet the hot skillet back over medium heat. Pour in the water and sherry wine, add the beef bouillon base, and stir, scraping up all those browned bits stuck to the pan, until the bouillon dissolves. Pour that liquid over the roast.
- Season and load upDrop in the bay leaf. Rub the onion soup mix packets right onto the exposed top of the roast -- some will fall into the broth, that's fine. Sprinkle on the dried thyme and rosemary.
- Low and slowCover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, until the roast is fork-tender all the way through. Don't rush this on high heat -- you'll end up with tough meat instead of the fall-apart kind.
- Slice it upLift the roast out onto a cutting board and let it rest a couple minutes. Slice against the grain into thin slices rather than shredding -- slices hold together better in a sandwich. Keep the meat warm.
- Toast the rollsTurn the broiler on and move a rack to the top position. Split the rolls and lay them cut-side up on a baking sheet. If you want to go the extra mile, stir together the softened butter and garlic powder and spread it over the cut sides -- it's worth it.
- Broil and melt the cheeseBroil the rolls for 2-3 minutes until just golden, watching closely so they don't burn. Flip and broil the other side another 2-4 minutes until crisp. Flip back cut-side up, layer provolone over both halves of each roll, and broil one more minute or two, just until the cheese melts.
- Build the sandwich and dipPile sliced beef onto the cheesy rolls and close them up. Ladle the hot au jus from the slow cooker into small bowls -- skim off any extra fat first if you like a cleaner broth. Dip the sandwich in and take the biggest bite you can manage.