Au Jus

When I was a very young girl I wasn’t a picky eater, but I certainly had my favorites. Whenever we went to a deli I ALWAYS ordered a ham sandwich with mayo on white bread. Yeah I was pretty adventurous. One day my dad took me to an Italian deli and I was devastated when they told me they didn’t have ham or white bread. I know what you are thinking, a deli with no ham or white bread?!? I looked at my dad with big eyes and I was at a complete loss as to what I should order. My dad made a decision and ordered me a French dip. I ate the whole thing in record speed and it was delicious! From that day on I had a new favorite sandwich.

If you have never had a French dip then you are missing out! A French dip is a hot sandwich made up of tender thinly sliced roasted beef on a roll and served with a cup of flavorful juice called au jus. You dip each bite of the sandwich in the au jus and take a bite of the juicy flavor packed beefy sandwich. Oh my goodness, my mouth is watering as I write this! This recipe takes my favorite popular sandwich and makes it cheap, easy, and convenient by cooking it in the crock-pot. The meat is incredibly flavorful and tender. It was a huge hit with my family. My hubby actually went back for seconds and then tried to snag our toddlers leftovers too. And I will say, my son was not having it. I only wish I made more because I would have loved to have some leftovers the next day.

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2–3 lb chuck roast
garlic powder
Kosher salt and pepper
3 c beef broth
1 (10.5 oz) can condensed French onion soup
3/4 c red wine
French rolls
sliced provolone cheese (optional)

STEPS

Trim any excess fat from the meat.
Season the roast with garlic powder, kosher salt, and pepper.
Spray crock-pot with non-stick cooking spray. (This makes clean up a breeze!)
In the crock-pot stir together broth, French onion soup, and red wine.
Add the seasoned roast to crock-pot.
Cook on low heat for 7–8 hours.
Remove roast from crock-pot and place on a cutting board.
Allow roast to sit for 10 minutes.
Using a ladle transfer half of the liquid (au jus) to a small saucepan.
Slice the roast (mine was falling apart tender so I ended up shredding it with a large fork) and return meat to crock-pot.
Continue to cook on low heat for an additional 30 minutes while the meat soaks up some of the flavor packed juices.
Heat the au jus you removed from the crock-pot in the saucepan over low heat.
Lightly toast your rolls in the oven while meat is soaking and au jus is heating.
Using tongs squeeze excess juice from the meat and place on toasted rolls.
Top with cheese if desired.
Serve sandwich with a side of the au jus in a small bowl or ramekin for dipping.
Enjoy while hot and juicy!