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.
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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.
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.
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!
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
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 cloves garlic (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
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- Cook on low for 8 hours, then high for an additional hour.** Remove the bay leaves before serving.
For the Sandwiches:
- 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!
Notes
- **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.
Nutrition
Recipe for brisket adapted from Stir It Up
Looking for more crock pot recipes? Check these out!
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Spicy Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Soup
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Have you made this is a dutch oven? If so, what temperature and how long do you bake for?
My daughter sent me this recipe in 2016. We were planning a 75th birthday party for my mother. There were too many people invited then but I saved the recipe and made it for Christmas that year. We have made it every year since. It’s now our traditional Christmas dinner. Some years as sandwiches and some with mashed potatoes and gravy. Depends on sons work schedule. It is so delicious!
Yay! This comment made my day. Merry Christmas!
I made this last night, the broth/au juis was not as flavorful as some recipes I have made before. I wouldn’t add the water going forward as that didn’t help. I was hoping the fat would break down and blend with the wine. I had to add soy sauce and worcestershire sauce to make up for the lack of broth flavor.
I can’t wait to make this on Sat for the football game. My boys are going to love this. Whats the best rolls to use? I always have a hard time making sure a have the best bread for that meal🙆🏻🙅
Great question! It depends on what you like best. If you like a softer roll, onion rolls are really great with this. But if you prefer something crustier that can soak up more juices, I absolutely LOVE these La Brea Telera rolls or any kind of baguette! https://www.labreabakery.com/breads/telera-roll
I put this in my crockpot at 8:30 this am on high. At about 12:30 it smelled so good. I then turned the heat down to low, and by 4:00, it was pull-apart tender, so I turned it back to warm.
I’m not real fond of wine, so I only used 1/2 cup dry red wine and made up the difference with beef broth.
This was THE most delicious French Dip I’ve ever had/made! It was incredible. I give it an A++++. I served it to my family in honor of my daughter’s 32nd birthday tonight. Everyone loved it!
Thanks so much for the recipe.
Wonderful! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed it!
Do you think I could substitute red wine vinegar instead of actual red wine?
I wouldn’t recommend it. You’ll likely end up with really sour beef!
So which is the preferred method to cook… low or high in the crockpot?
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!
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!
This recipe is delicious! I’ve made it several times. I hope you don’t mind, I put a link to your recipe in our blog!
I’m so glad you like it. Thank you for sharing on your blog. I really appreciate it!
Here’s the link if you’re interested Courtney. I didn’t have it ready yesterday! https://openspacemeats.com/life-on-off-the-ranch-back-to-school-edition/
Mica
This sounds amazing. thanks for putting up this recipe.
Simon
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. 🙂
How many servings did this yeild?
It will make about 8 sandwiches.
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.
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! The garlic toasted buns sound amazing!
What kind of dry red wine did you use?
I don’t remember the exact brand I used, but a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Pinot Noir would all be good options.
i used red cooking wine…i really hoping it turns out.
How did the cooking wine go?
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.