Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches

This is a crock pot recipe I’ve been making for years, and love it. I don’t remember where I originally got it, but I believe a friend gave it to me. I’ve made plenty of adjustments to it over the years to get it pretty much perfect.

I usually get a 3lb roast, as that feeds 4 easily and gives me a couple of days of lunch left overs. It reheats great, and sometimes is even a little bit better.

Prepare time: 10 – 15 minutes
Cook time: Approximately 8 hours

Ingredients
2 1/2 – 3 1/2 lb beef roast
Olive Oil
3 cups Au Jus
2 cloves minced garlic
Salt and Pepper
1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper flakes
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1 tbsp Basil Leaves
1 tbsp Parsley Flakes
1 tbsp Oregano Leaves
2 Bay Leaves
1 jar (12 – 18oz) Pepperoncinis
Rolls (I prefer French style rolls)

Optional Ingredients
Cheese (I prefer chedder or pepper jack)
Hot Giardiniera
Mushrooms (sometimes I slice up mushrooms and add them to the crock pot. They’re pretty tasty on the sandwich)

Directions
Turn the crock pot on low
Coat the bottom of the crock pot with olive oil
Place the roast in to the crock pot
Cover the roast with all the dry ingredients (salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, parsley, and oregano)
Pour the Au Jus around the roast (Usually a 1/3 to 1/2 of the roast will still be exposed and that is ok)
Add the garlic to the juice around the roast
Add the 2 bay leaves to the juice

Put the cover on the crock pot and just let it cook. In about an hour your house will start smelling awesome!
A couple of hours before it’s done (usually around the 6 hour mark) I then pour in the entire jar of pepperoncini’s, juice and all. Be sure to remove the stems of the peppers if you plan to eat them,
After around 8 hours the roast should be done and will just pull apart using some tongs.

Sandwiches
I love to split the rolls in half and butter the insides, then I throw them under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Then just load a bunch of beef on the roll and serve. Of course be sure to add some additional toppings. Cheeses that work well are cheddar or pepper jack. Don’t forget some hot giardiniera to get that authentic hot italian beef taste.

Photos

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The dry ingredients I use.

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This is the Au Jus I use. It is 1 cup, but gets mixed with 2 parts water (for a total of 3 cups)

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These were the pepperoncinis I used for the last beef I made.

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By far my favorite rolls for the beef sandwiches. They can take a good soak’n of Au Jus without falling apart.

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The raw roast covered in the dry seasonings.

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After 4-6 hours I add the jar of pepperoncinis.

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Beef on the toasted rolls. (Under the broiler just a tough too long)

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Finished sandwich with some pepper jack cheese.