Can I make this recipe without beer?

Yes! Substitute beef stock for the beer in this crockpot French dip recipe, or use your favorite root beer or nonalcoholic beer.

What's the best beer for French Dips?

We always recommend cooking with beer that you also like to drink! With a rich meat like beef, we love using a stout or porter (just make sure you don't accidentally grab a flavored beer, like a vanilla porter or peanut butter stout, as they can affect the flavor!) You can also use a red ale, a hoppy IPA, or a pale ale in this recipe, although the au jus won't be quite as rich. This recipe is also delicious with a hearty red wine instead of the beer!

Au jus - French for "with juice" - is pronounced "ah ZHOO" and refers to the light, brothy sauce left behind after meat has been cooked. It's basically a richer, more delicious version of plain beef broth (and it's perfect as a dipping sauce for French dips!)

Can I make French dips in the oven?

Yes - you can braise the meat for French dip sandwiches in a Dutch oven at low heat (~250-325° F) for 4-8 hours. We recommend loosely following the directions for our red wine braised short ribs if you'd like to cook the meat for these boozy slow cooker French dips in the oven instead.

Slow Cooker Beer French Dips

Description

These easy crockpot french dips feature caramelized onions and a hearty au jus dipping sauce made with your favorite beer!

Ingredients

Scale

2 pound beef roast (we used a boneless sirloin roast)
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
kosher salt, to taste
1/2 large yellow onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, lightly smashed and peeled
1 cup beef stock
16 ounces beer (we recommend a stout or porter) (about 2 cups)
1-2 large baguettes, sliced horizontally and then cut into sandwich-size portions (use more or less bread depending on how many sandwiches you want and how full you'd like them to be!)

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Instructions

Brush Dijon mustard over all sides of your roast, then season with a bit of kosher salt.
Place beef, onion, garlic, beef stock, and beer in the bowl of a large slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, until beef is fork tender and onions have darkened in color. Optional: Flip roast over and give onions a stir halfway through cooking for more even coloring.
Use two forks to lightly shred the beef, then add a few forkfuls of the meat to each baguette sandwich. Ladle a bit of the broth into small bowls for dipping. Serve immediately.

Notes

This recipe makes quite a bit of beef: Big meat-eaters may get just 4-5 sandwiches out of this recipe, although we often add an extra baguette and stretch the beef to make 6+ servings. Save any cooled, leftover beef in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It's great reheated for tacos, sandwiches, pizza, or pasta!

What cut of beef should I use? We like using a sirloin roast, chuck roast, or rump roast here. Because the beef will cook for such a long time, you can get away with using a relatively tough cut of meat (no need to opt for more expensive, tender cuts like short ribs - unless you want to!) We use a boneless beef cut; if you use a bone-in cut, you may need to extend the cook time.

Skim any excess fat off the surface of the au jus before serving if you like (different cuts of meat will release more fat into the broth - just use a spoon to skim off any pockets of grease when you're ready to serve!)

What kind of beer should I use? Our general rule of thumb: Use a beer you like to drink! Stouts and porters are our favorite choices here - their rich, creamy profile plays really well with the beef in this recipe - although you can also use IPAs, Pale Ales, Red Ales, Bocks, or your favorite nonalcoholic beer (we love Athletic Brewing NA beers!) You can also swap the beer for additional beef stock, root beer, Dr. Pepper, or even red wine.

Additions and Substitutions. This is a pretty flexible recipe: Adjust it to suit your own tastes! Add additional onion, garlic, or mustard if you like, or increase the amount of liquid if you like to have extra au jus for dipping (as written, this recipe makes about 3-4 cups of au jus). Skip the sandwiches and turn this meal into a stew by adding baby red potatoes and chopped carrots to the slow cooker along with the onions. Swap the baguettes for a softer sandwich roll if you prefer. Add a slice of cheese or a handful of greens (or your other favorite toppings!) to each sandwich if you like.