I Love French Dip. It has always been one of my all-time favorite out-to-eat orders. The juicy roast beef will melt in your mouth. The tangy au just brings the flavors to life. And the toasted bun holds it all together while giving you mouthfuls of flavor to savor.
My mouth is literally dripping right now. Hang on, let me run down and thaw out some Roast Beef right now...
Those of you that don't know me, know this; I am far from a great chef. Honestly, let's take two giant helicopter steps back. I am not even close to being known as a good cook. In fact, I may be slightly closer to a person that is well known for her cereal for dinner spread. (We can keep backing up this train all day... you get the picture.) Thankfully for our family, we can count on daddy to man the grill, the smoker, the Blackstone, anything in a cast iron skillet, and really anything we could ever ask for. Well, except for the family-sized microwave meals. He has drawn a hard line there.
I do have a few things that I cook very, very, very well. Thanksgiving for one, yes, the entire meal! I stumble with Box Mac and Cheese but can make it from scratch. Carmelized Pear French Toast; and our Family Favorite... French Dip. (There are probably a couple of other items, but let's focus on the French Dip!)
First off grab your slow cooker. You may have a Crock Pot brand, that is the same thing. You can use this recipe with an InstaPot or Ninja Foodie, too. I am just going to assume that you have the perfect-sized unit for your family, I know they come in a few different sizes. I think they go by Quarts. Honestly, I am not super sure. I have large ones because I have a large family.
Cooking device. Check.
The next thing you are going to want is a good piece of meat. You want a Roast. You want it as big as will fit in your cooker and still have space around it. Think of it like potato chips in a bag. You want a good bit of room so the meat can cook. But you want to fill up your little bellies. (Now you can see why I am not the best cook?). When getting a roast, I like to get one that is red. I always get the perfect Roast at Costco. For the french dip, I am looking for little to no fat. If you are in the meat game, they call it marbling. That is the sexy white likes in a steak. For this french dip, I get it trimmed or will trim it myself.
Ok, So we have our cooker. We have our meat. Now we season. Salt, Pepper and Garlic. Again, put it how you like it. You can fresh do up your garlic or use the jar. I get the giant garlic at Costco that is minced and kept in the fridge. I sometimes will do fresh. You can even use garlic powder or granulated. I NEVER buy garlic salt. I don't really buy any salted spices. I just use granulated or powdered whatever and salt separately. Look at me giving out cooking advice. Oh, I like to use onions too. You can slice wide onion slices and throw them in if your family is into that. You can do granulated/powered if no one likes the texture.
ProMomTip: If you are like me, I am not a fan of onion. Yuck! But I leave it in big slices when I cook so I can take them back out. My kids actually like onions. I try and feed my kids things I don't like. (Manicotti, Chorizo, Fish, Sausage...)
So now turn on your cooker. Either on High or if there is a setting for the sear. Wait for a few until that thing is HOT. Squeeze a little EVVO (OIL) in the bottom. Placed the seasoned meat in and let it brown on each side. This is to seal the juices inside while you cook the roast. When I say each side, I do like every square inch. If you are doing real onions, you can throw them in the oil and get them cooked until clear. You can do fresh garlic here too. If you brown it, you will have to throw it away and try again. Nothing will ruin a meal faster than garlic that is browned/burned.
Now you are ready for the liquid. I usually use two cans of beef broth. You can do bullion or stock. Now you will want to get 1-2 two packets of Au Jus. It is in the grocery with the packets. (Brown Gravy Mix, Other Gravy Mix, Meatloaf Mix, Other sauces mix. You know that aisle.) Depending how much room you have left in your cooker, depends on how much to use. Generally, each Packet goes into 1 cup of cold water, mix well. I try and use 2. Then you put the lid on! Boom! I try and let it go for 8+ hours on LOW. Sometimes, It is not ready.
 Not what I look like cooking. |
I have let it go overnight before. Not ideal, but wow, does the house smell amazing!
Before you decide to serve, Get your rolls. You will want like Francos? Friscos? I grab them at Costco. split in half. Butter them up and cook them facedown. I use The Blackstone or a Cast Iron Grill. I have no idea if it matters. I just like to feel like I am doing something masculine. So brown the rolls.
Then, grab your meat and place it in a bowl. You can slice if you like, but I prefer to do it up like pulled pork. Take two forks and just tear them to each side. Then place a pile of meat in the bun. You can add cheese if your family likes. Many people serve with Horseradish. I serve mine with fries.
Enjoy!
