French Dip Sandwiches

~French Dip Sandwich Beef from Betty Crocker Cooking Basics

When my parents visited in late December and early January, I really wanted to cook something for them while they were here.  I really was not sure what to make because my mom has issues with things with too much fat in it and I sure did not want to make a bad first impression with my cooking.  So I pulled out my most trusted cookbook and decided on the French Dip Sandwiches.  It was an excellent choice.  The french dip sandwiches that resulted would beat Arby’s sandwiches in a taste test any day of the week.  My homemade au jus was unbeatable.  Both my mom and dad stated that it was good and if anyone would tell me that something was not good it would be them.  The recipe took a ton of patience though and required a large amount of time to sit and wait for the meat to cook properly.  I have to post this recipe below because it is really something that you MUST try on a Sunday or holiday.  Trust me your family will love you for it.  The above picture was of the finished finely cooked beef before it was cut and placed on the sandwich bread.  For taste I would have to give this one a 10/10 and for preparation I would give it a 7/10 because of the long wait times and not really the complexity.  Additionally, it should be mentioned that if you are going to save the beef for a later date the au jus does not save well in the fridge because the fat all settles at the top so be aware of that situation.  It may be a better idea to try the freezer possibly or not save any in the first place.

Ingredients:  1 boneless beef chuck roast (3 lbs.), 1 clove garlic, 1 can (14 oz.) beef broth, 1.5 cups water, 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, 1 dried bay leaf, 3 or 4 peppercorns, 2 loaves of French bread.

Recipe:  1)  Heat the oven to 325 F.  Place the beef in an ovenproof 4 quart dutch oven.  2)  Peel and finely chop the garlic.  In a medium bowl, mix garlic and remaining ingredients except bread (duh : )).  Pour the garlic mixture over beef.  3)  Cover Dutch Oven with lid; bake 2 to 3 hours or until beef is very tender.  4)  Carefully remove Dutch oven from the oven.  Remove beef from Dutch oven and place on cutting board.  Cover with foil to keep warm.  Skim any fat from the surface of the cooking juices, using a spoon.  Remove the bay leaf and peppercorns.  Cut beef, across the grain, into thin slices.  Heat cooking juices to boiling.  Spoon juices from Dutch oven into individual bowls for dipping.  5)  Cut each loaf of bread into 5 pieces, each about 4 inches long; cut bread pieces horizontally in half.  Fill bread with beef.  Serve sandwiches with broth for dipping.