French Dip Sandwich and Homemade Au Ju

You have arrived!  Where?  You have arrived at the best French Dip Sandwich Recipe with Homemade Au Jus.  No need to look any further.  I've been making this exact recipe since 2013!  Talk about time-tested and loved.

I make the chuck roast in the slow cooker.  It cooks all day until it shreds and falls apart easily. The flavorful au jus (sauce) comes together easily and quickly with just a little Dijon mustard, beef drippings, and hot water.

Serve the dipping sauce au jus in a small bowl with each sandwich.  

In our first year of marriage, I bought sliced roast beef from the deli.  I would buy the McCormick packet of Au Jus gravy mix to make at home.  Then I would heat the meat, make the sandwiches, and dip it in the reconstituted powder for Au Jus.  It was just fine....but it is NOTHING compared to the goodness of homemade Au Jus with a tender roast beef sandwich.

Homemade Au Jus is not just a thin gravy, it is a delicious broth using pan drippings from the roast.  This recipe is a great way to use leftover roast beef. 

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on my site, I may earn a commission

These were amazing and my husband had seconds.  My girls are calling them pot roast sandwiches, and Verity wants one in her lunch tomorrow.  This French Dip Recipe is a quick and easy recipe that so much flavor and tender roast beef.  

When you are choosing a roast at the store, make sure you pick a really ugly chuck roast.  The uglier (the more white fat strations), the more tender it will be.   I served the tender meat on Demi French Baguettes.  Top these with provolone cheese and you are all set.  The Au Ju is so easy to make and has an ingredient you wouldn't guess.  I make my Au Ju after taking the meat out of the crock pot and just let it sit in the crock and heat.  This is a very fast dinner to put together since the roast cooks all day.  Just 15 minutes to get it all on the table.

Ingredient List

• boneless chuck roast
• brown gravy mix
• worschestersire sauce
• garlic powder
• salt and pepper
• Dijon mustard
• Demi French Baguettes or Hoaggie Rolls
• Provolone cheese

Substitutions (and Additions)

• Use hoagie buns and skip toasting them if kids are eating them.  I have found my kids like a soft sandwich.
• Use beef bouillon in place of the beef broth.  Just follow bouillon preparation instructions and use a 1 to 1 ratio in the recipe. 
• Get fancy and add caramelized onions to each sandwich as well. 
• Provolone is the traditional cheese here, but my family prefers baby Swiss cheese.

I like to lightly butter the inside of the hoagie rolls and just lightly toast them in the oven.  Buttery goodness that is just hard to resist. Melted cheese and toasted French rolls or hoagie rolls are the finishing touches.  I like baby Swiss cheese and provolone melts well too.

Having a go-to French dip sandwich recipe makes for a well-rounded selection of easy dinners.  This serves well in the summer or the winter.  My family loves to dip the tender beef sandwiches in the hot au jus on a cold winter day.  And in the summer, the smell of the beef roast slow cooking all day has us excited for sandwiches for dinner. 

Freezer Meal

This recipe makes a great freezer meal.  Place your roast, seasonings, broth, gravy powder, and water in a freezer-safe container.  When ready to cook, add frozen ingredients to your slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours until the roast falls apart.  Assemble sandwiches and enjoy!  

Au Jus is a French term for "with juice" meaning served with the juice of the meat (broth or gravy).  Don't let the term fool you into thinking this is difficult or fussy.  After you cook the roast, the easy au jus recipe comes together with just added liquid and a dash of Dijon mustard.

French Dip Sandwich and Homemade Au Jus

By Alexis

Tender roast beef sandwich, melted cheese, and an easy homemade Au Jus for dipping

Servings 6 sandwiches

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4-6 lb bonesless chuck roast
• 1 cup of cold water
• ⅓ cup powdered brown gravy mix about 2 packets
• ¼ cup worschestersire sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup hot or boiling water
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 6 hoagie rolls or sandwich rolls
• sliced cheese Swiss, Provolone, or Havarti
• Butter for toasting the rolls

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

 

1. Place your roast in the bottom of your crock pot or slow cooker.
2. In a bowl, mix 1 cup cold water, brown gravy mix, worschestersire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk until combined.
3. Pour mixture over roast and place lid on slow cooker. Set to cook on low.
4. Let roast cook 6-8 hours until it falls apart easily with a fork.
5. Remove roast to a cutting board to shred.
6. With remaining drippings and gravy in the slow cooker, add 1 cup hot or boiling water and Dijon mustard. Whisk to combine well. Set slow cooker to high to keep nice and hot.
7. Toast your sandwich rolls with a bit of butter under the broiler in the oven or on a hot skillet. Fill each roll with meat, a slice of cheese, and place top bun on to allow the cheese to melt. You can also melt the cheese in the oven for a few minutes.
8. Serve the hot Au Jus in a small bowl with each sandwich for dipping.

Did You Make This Recipe?Share it on IG or Facebook and tag me @joyfulmomma

Liked the French Dip? Try my Make ahead breakfast sandwiches.