Crock Pot French Dip Sandwiches

These were incredible!  I had pinned these a while back and always wanted to try making them, but they definitely exceeded my expectations.  The meat was so tender, the provolone was the perfect cheese melted over the top, and the sweet caramelized onions took it over the top.  I highly recommend using cibatta or a similar bun because they held up perfectly when dipping in the au jus, but were plenty soft enough.  I loved knowing this was cooking away in the crockpot all day and all I had to do was assemble the sandwhiches when I got home.  YUM!

French Dip Sandwiches

adapted from Our Best Bites

Serves approximately 6-8

1 2-3 lb. beef roast

2 Tbsp. olive oil

salt and pepper
2 1-ounce packages dry onion soup mix
2 c. water
2 cans beef broth
6-8 ciabatta buns

Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced.

1-2 large onions

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 tablespoon sugar

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and rub roast with salt and pepper.

When very hot, carefully place roast in pan and sear on all sides. You're not cooking the meat, you're just browning it quickly on all sides to add flavor and seal in the juices.

Place in crockpot and sprinkle with onion soup mixes. Pour water and beef broth over roast.

Cook 8-10 hours on low or cook 4-5 hours on high and another 3-4 hours on low. It's hard to screw this part up; basically, the longer it cooks, the more tender it will be. But you know it's done when you pop a fork in it and the meat just falls apart. When meat is ready, shred with a fork.  (I cooked this on low from about 7 am to 5:30 pm and it was perfect.)

Add sliced onions to pan with butter and sugar.  Cook over medium low heat until caramelized.

Place meat in crusty rolls. Top with cheese and broil open-faced in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, until bread is golden and cheese is melty.

Ladle juices into small cups for dipping and enjoy!