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Slow Cooker Beef Brisket French Dip Sandwiches

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I know…four days in and I’ve already jumped the healthy bandwagon. Will you forgive me for taking a one day break? Because these Slow Cooker Beef Brisket French Dip Sandwiches just can’t wait until February.

Slow Cooker Beef Brisket French Dip Sandwiches | Neighborfoodblog.com

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. This was supposed to be a nice simple beef brisket served with a pile of carrots, onions, and potatoes. Sure, it wasn’t exactly the picture of health, but it was a complete meal made right in your crockpot.

I blame the brisket for this mess. It was just so darn tender. And the broth? The wine made it so rich, so perfectly dunkable.

The brisket literally fell apart. It was like a love struck school girl–I barely looked at it and it fell to pieces.

I took one bite of the stuff and some instinct in my brain just took over. It was yelling, “Cheeeeeese, woman! This needs cheese!”

And before you know it, I was slathering buns with butter and smothering that brisket in gooey melted Swiss.

Slow Cooker Beef Brisket French Dip Sandwiches | Neighborfoodblog.com

It was an accident. The really happy kind.

Guys? These sandwiches are really, really good. And the whole process is made so easy by the trusty slow cooker. I did brown the beef in a skillet for a short time before throwing it in the crockpot, but other than that, this is a dump and go recipe. The brisket cooks low and slow in a beef and wine broth seasoned with rosemary and bay leaf.

Once the beef is done, you just pile it onto the sandwiches, add your cheese, and give it a quick turn under the broiler.

Slow Cooker Beef Brisket French Dip Sandwiches | Neighborfoodblog.com

I’ve never really  had a french dip sandwich before, but now I can say with confidence that you haven’t really lived until you’ve dunked your sandwich in savory, beefy liquid. It’s an entirely new experience. One I insist you try as soon as possible.

If you’re not interested in cooking the carrots and potatoes with the beef, feel free to leave them out. I do suggest you keep the onions though. They really put the sandwiches over the top. Or, if you really must, I supppoooose you could skip the sandwich thing and serve this dinner as it was originally intended-on a pile of slow cooked veggies. Either way, you’re gonna love this beef!

Slow Cooker Beef Brisket French Dip Sandwiches | Neighborfoodblog.com

The #SundaySupper team is easing into the New Year with a whole line up of slow cooker recipes. If you’re looking to simplify your evening dinner routine, this is the post for you! Check them all out below the recipe!

P.S. Because it’s January and I know you all are trying to eat healthier, I also made you a salad to go with the brisket. You’re welcome.

P.P.S. If you’re looking for a good slow cooker, this is the one I use. It handles roasts like a boss and turns pork into fall apart tender, sandwich-ready BBQ. Five years and still going strong, this is a work horse in my kitchen.

Slow Cooker Beef Brisket French Dip Sandwiches

Prep Time 20 mins Prep Time
Cook Time 9 hours Cook Time
Total Time 9 hrs 20 mins Total Time
Serves 6-8


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Ingredients

  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2-3 lbs. beef brisket
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • 1 yellow onion, quartered
  • 4 medium potatoes, quartered (optional)
  • 4 carrots, chopped into bite sized pieces (optional)
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 2 cups dry red wine
  • Enough water to cover

For the sandwiches

  • Buns
  • Butter
  • Swiss Cheese

Directions

  1. Add oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Cut any large hunks of fat off the brisket then season it generously with salt and pepper on all sides. Add the brisket to the hot oil and cook until browned on all sides, 2-4 minutes per side.
  2. Place the onion, carrots and potatoes in the bottom of the crockpot followed by the brisket. Sprinkle with garlic cloves, rosemary, and bay leaves. Add the broth and wine then fill with enough water to cover all of the beef and vegetables.
  3. Cook on low for 8 hours, then high for an additional hour.** Remove the bay leaves before serving.

For the Sandwiches:

  1. Remove the brisket from the crockpot and shred it. Butter both sides of the buns then place them under the broiler on low for 2 minutes or until browned and toasted. Pile the bottom half of the buns with the briskets and a few onions followed by 1-2 slices Swiss cheese. Place that half of the sandwich back under the broiler for another 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Top with the other half of the sandwich bun. Use the remaining broth from the crockpot as the "dip" for the sandwiches. Dunk and enjoy!

**Note: Since I work during the day, I can't really set my crockpot to high, but if I didn't I would probably cook this on high for 6 hours then turn it down to low for another 2-4 hours. It wasn't quite fall apart tender after 8 hours on low. I think it benefits from the high cooking time.

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Recipe Notes

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Thanks for cooking with me today!


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Recipe for brisket adapted from Stir It Up

Looking for more crock pot recipes? Check these out!

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork

Spicy Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Soup

Note: Neighborfoodblog.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

This Slow Cooker Beef Brisket makes the most incredible French Dip sandwiches! A great crock pot meal to feed a crowd!

Comments

  3. I’m drooling over your pictures and recipe! French Dip is always such a fun dish. Definitely pinning to try later!

    Reply

  4. Are you kidding me? The photos in this post have me *swooning* over your sandwich. Not fair I tell you. Not fair at all! LOL CRAZY GOOD recipe!!!
    Renee – Kudos Kitchen

    Reply

  6. My stomach literally started growling when I looked through your pictures. I love brisket!! This looks divine. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  7. I”m SUPER jealous of this brisket. My hubby smoked some brisket in his new smoker yesterday, and it turned out…. a little dry. It wasn’t really his fault – it’s so cold here that I think temp control was a problem. But needless to say, after a dinner of dry, not-so-great brisket last night…..seeing this this morning is making me super jealous. Drooling!

    Reply

  8. You did the right thing! It looks yummy on a bun, smothered in cheese! My mouth is watering. Send me one through ciberspace! Oh wait, you can’t. Bummer. I bet they’re all gone anyway. Thanks for sharing & HUGS!

    Reply

  15. Yeah, so glad you didn’t wait until February to share this one! I love french dip sandwiches but sometimes the meat can be tough. Not yours, I can clearly tell this is a melt in your mouth sandwich.

    Reply

  16. You need calcium, right? Cheese is totally necessary for these yummy sammies. I love a good French dip

    Reply

  18. This is one of my absolute favorite ways to use the slow cooker. It makes such an amazing sandwich!!! Your recipe looks fantastic!!

    Reply

  19. I wants it, I wants it right now. Already printed the recipe and adding the ingredients to my shopping list. Freaking excellent recipe.

    Reply

  23. I made this recipe for dinner tonight and IT WAS AMAZING. I’ve never even been a fan of au jus, but man…..awesome recipe!

    Reply

  25. These look wonderful I can’t wait to try. Do you remember what kind of wine you used or is there one you would recommend?

    Reply

    • Red wine isn’t really like white in the sense that it can be classified as “dry”. “Dry” red wine would be one with a low alcohol content. I would guess that medium priced Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir would be a good match for this cut of meat since it can be a little “fatty”. I use about a $12-$15 Pinot when making Beef Bourguignon and will use the same for this. Remember, if you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it!

      Reply

  26. I was looking for an easy french dip recipe and stumbled upon this one on pinterest. looks delicious, easy and I’m excited to try it tonight.. I just turned on my crockpot! thanks for the recipe:)

    Reply

  27. I am making this tomorrow I am wondering do I really need all the veggies I am just making the sandwiches and I will use the onions but I don’t really need all the others?

    Reply

  28. For a 2 lb. brisket, if you were home all day you would cook on high for 4 hours then on low for … How long is “the remaining time”?

    Reply

  29. Pretty sad, working on the brisket right now but I don’t think I realized just how small my crock pot actually is… There is no room for the veggies. I think I need to buy a bigger crock pot!

    Reply

  30. just made this and is was so amazing…. but now I don’t know what to do with all the extra sauce and veggies. any good to make anther meal out of these?

    Reply

  31. just made this and is was so amazing…. but now I don’t know what to do with all the extra sauce and veggies. any good to make anther meal out of these?

    Reply

    • So glad you liked it! The broth and veggies could make an excellent base for a soup. You may need to add a little more beef broth, but you could add rice, noodles, lentils, or other meat. You could probably also thicken it by adding a cornstarch slurry and use it as a sauce over egg noodles. Good luck!

      Reply

  33. I haven’t made this recipe….. yet (it’s on Tuesday nights menu)…. but when I cook a roast in the crockpot, I never cover the entire thing with water (or other liquid) it seems to dry it out. I cover about half of it, cooked on low all day while I’m at work, and they are always fall apart and tender. I will most likely do the same when I make this.

    Reply

  36. I made this tonight and found the broth a little watery tasting and added another bouillon cube a couple hours prior to serving. I also found (and maybe it was just my slow cooker) that it was not very tender after 9 hours and would perhaps turn it on high a little earlier. Otherwise, very tasty and my boyfriend loved it.

    Reply

  38. I made this two nights ago, after putting it off for months, it was seriously so good! I made it exactly by the recipe, carrots, potatoes and all. It was fantastic. The husband and son raved about it. It’s almost like I got two meals out of it, we did sandwiches one day and had the meat and veggies the next. It was so flavorful and moist after 4hrs high, 4hrs low. Definitely a major keeper.Thank you! The only thing I did was pass on the swiss to use up our muenster, it was good, but a nice stinky swiss would have been even better. Awesome recipe, I’m already planning on making it again when the whole family is here to show off lol!

    Reply

  39. This sounds wonderful. I do have one question – did you make it with a fresh brisket or was it the cured ones (vacuum sealed pkg) that can be found in abundance around St Patrick’s Day.

    Reply

  40. It’s on right now. If you were doubling the recipe, what ratio of high/low heat would you use? Also, the very top 5% is uncovered, Is that okay?

    Thank you!

    Reply

    • I would cook on high for 6 and then low for an additional 2-4. It’s fine for a bit of it to be uncovered, but I would maybe it flip it halfway through so that part doesn’t get dry. I hope it turns out wonderfully for you!

      Reply

          • I used cooking wine and it came out really good. I ended up using the whole bottle because my brisket was a bit larger than the recipe called for. This dish was amazing, we made it on the 4th of July with friends coming over so I wouldn’t be in the kitchen the whole time and they raved about it for days afterwards.

  42. I made this a few nights ago and it was absolutely delicious. We had this for leftovers 3 nights in a row! When we buttered our buns I used a garlic butter because we love garlic and it made it even more tastier.

    Reply

  44. It almost seems like sacrilege to treat a brisket this way. I guess I just can’t bring myself to not smoke a brisket for 18-20 hours in a smoker, but that’s just me. I would think a good pot roast would be just as good here and especially on some good onion rolls with mozzarella. Thanks for the great idea, my wife and I have been looking for something like this. 🙂

    Reply

  47. I’m curious about the type of buns you used. I imagine it’d have to be something fairly sturdy to hold up to the dipping — not regular hamburger buns. The ones in your picture look almost like a brioche bun. At any rate, I have the brisket in the crockpot and will grab some kaiser rolls or similar later. Can’t wait! Thanks!

    Reply

    • Yes! Sturdy buns are definitely needed. I can’t remember what these exact buns were, but I usually scout something out in the bakery section of our grocery store. An onion roll is really good, too! I hope you enjoyed the recipe!

      Reply

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