These French Dip Sandwiches can be made in the Slow Cooker or the Instant Pot. Super easy to prepare and your whole family will love this delicious tender beef that will melt in your mouth.
It’s time for a slow cooker recipe, but the beauty of these French dip sandwiches is that the beef can be prepared in either the slow cooker or the Instant Pot. We’re talking serious comfort food with this delicious drippy sandwich consisting of super flavorful beef, onions, melted cheese and a yummy sauce to dip it in.
What’s not to love! I used a ribeye loin, but keep in mind that this piece of meat is quite expensive, however you can use a sirloin instead which is a bit more affordable.
WHAT IS A FRENCH DIP SANDWICH
A French Dip Sandwich is a hot sandwich, also knows as a beef dip sandwich, consisting of thinly sliced beef served on a crusty Baguette or a crusty roll and sometimes topped with Swiss cheese.
HOW TO MAKE FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES
These sandwiches are all about the au jus or the dunkable sauce. But to get that delectable sauce we need a good piece of beef such as a rib loin, a chuck roast or sirloin. You’ll need a simple dry rub of salt, pepper and oregano, which you generously want to rub all over the beef.
To lock in those flavors, I recommend searing the beef on all sides.
The sauce itself consists of onions, garlic, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves and a bit of white wine. You then slow cook the beef on low for 4 to 6 hours, take out the beef and cover it with foil and let it rest for about 15 minutes before slicing into it.
All that’s left to do is assemble your sandwiches. I love to add some Swiss cheese to mine and then place them under the broiler for a couple minutes, they get nice and crusty this way and perfect for dipping in that au jus.
LOOKING FOR MORE SLOW COOKER RECIPES? TRY THESE:
- Slow Cooker Pepper Steak
- Crockpot Pork Carnitas
- Hawaiian Cola Turkey Sandwiches
- Crockpot Brown Sugar Cola Glazed Ham
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!
These French Dip Sandwiches can be made in the Slow Cooker or the Instant Pot. Super easy to prepare and your whole family will love this delicious tender beef that will melt in your mouth.
- 4 lb ribeye loin boneless or chuck roast or sirloin
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large onions sliced
- 10 cloves garlic minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 3 cups beef broth low sodium
- 8 crusty rolls or French baguette
- 8 slices swiss cheese optional
Tie the meat with kitchen twine if needed. In a small bowl combine the salt, pepper and oregano together. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture liberally and generously over the beef on all sides.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and sear it on all sides until a nice brown crust has formed.
Add the remaining ingredients to your slow cooker and stir. Add the beef and pour some of the liquid over the meat.
Cook on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours or LOW for 4 to 6 hours. The meat will be done when the internal temperature reads 130-135 F degrees for medium-rare or 145 F degrees for medium. My beef was cooked to a medium, if you prefer more rare, check the meat after 2 hours on HIGH, or 4 hours on LOW.
Transfer the meat to a cutting board and cover with foil. Let it rest for about 10 to 15 minutes before slicing into it.
In the meantime, pour the remaining liquid from the slow cooker through a fine mesh strainer. Reserve both the liquid and the onions for sandwiches. Discard the bay leaf.
Slice the beef as thin as you can.
To assemble the sandwiches, slice the rolls in half then pile some beef on the rolls, then top with onions and a slice of Swiss cheese, if preferred. Place the rolls under the broiler, if preferred, for a couple minutes until the cheese melts.
Serve them immediately with the reserved liquid/au jus to dip the sandwiches into.
Recipe Video
Ask your butcher to tie your meat with kitchen twine, most butchers would love to help you out.
INSTANT POT FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES
Follow the steps exactly the same, the big difference is that you can actually sear the beef in the Instant Pot itself by setting it on Saute mode, then add the olive oil and when it's hot, add the beef to the IP and sear it on all sides. Remove the beef from the IP, then add the onion and garlic and saute them for about 3 minutes until soft. From then add the remaining ingredients, as in the slow cooker, close the lid and cook on high pressure for 100 minutes.
Nutritional information is per sandwich and includes Swiss cheese. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
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Is the time on the Instant Pot directions correct at 100 minutes?
Yes it is. You can start with 80 minutes if you prefer and add some more time if you think the roast needs it.
Hello, I made this recipe yesterday using Beef Chuck Tender Roast. The piece of chuck was 3 lbs. However, I followed your recipe and cooked it in the crock pot for 4 hours on low. Unfortunately it turned out really over cooked. I was hoping to have the finished roast medium rare. Not sure what I did wrong.
I have another piece of Beef Chuck Tender and would like to make this recipe again. So, I’m looking forward to your comments. Thank you.
I will make this again and take your suggestion of cooking it for less time. The meat was tasty and there was plenty of juice for dipping. We used our electric slicer so the meat was nice and thin. Thanks again for your replay.
Carol – this recipe is meant for slow cooking/braising the meat where the long cook time is meant to break down the muscle/fat/tissue of the protein you are cooking. In this recipe, you will never get medium rare because in order for the beef to cook to the point of being tender enough to shred, it is cooked well beyond medium rare. So in reality, you did nothing wrong when you did this recipe. The crockpot did exactly what it was supposed to do.
Carol – this recipe is meant for slow cooking/braising the meat where the long cook time is meant to break down the muscle/fat/tissue of the protein you are cooking. In this recipe, you will never get medium rare because in order for the beef to cook to the point of being tender enough to shred, it is cooked well beyond medium rare. So in reality, you did nothing wrong when you did this recipe. The crockpot did exactly what it was supposed to do.
Yours looks really good! I do mine the way my mom always did – a beef brisket and onion soup mix, lol. And, that’s is. Of course, getting away from packaged things is all the rage nowadays, so I’m going to try it your way. Thanks. Will let you know what we think of it (I won’t be able to try it for a while, but I won’t forget to come back).
I hope you try it!
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