The Dinner My Family Asks for Every WeekAnd the Secret Ingredient That Makes It Even Better - Yahoo Life

This small tweak takes it from yum to best ever.

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I love my slow cooker. I used it sporadically before I had children, but once my sons outgrew the infant-food stage, it became a trusted tool in my getting-dinner-on-the-table arsenal. Using the slow cooker meant dinner would cook while I helped them with homework. On other days it meant dinner would be hot and ready to eat when the family got home from sports practices or games.

I particularly like using the slow cooker for beef dishes. Beef stew, beef barley soup, and beef roasts always turn out well when cooked low and slow. There’s one beef recipe that my sons ask me to make all the time and is easily in our family’s top five favorite dinners of all time: Easy Slow Cooker French Dip.

About 15 years ago, the second time I made it, I made one small tweak that took the sandwich from yum to the best French dip sandwich ever.

The Secret Ingredient I Always Add to the Easy Slow Cooker French Dip Recipe

This recipe isn’t making false promises when it uses the word “easy” in the title. This is a dump-and-go slow-cooker masterpiece with just four ingredients (five with my addition), plus the rolls and butter for serving.

Add a 4-pound rump roast (trimmed of excess fat) to the slow cooker and pour a can of condensed French onion soup (I use Campbell’s), a can of beef broth, and a bottle of beer over the roast. Cook on Low for about seven hours. The most time-consuming part of this recipe is slicing the roast when it’s done. A good sharp knife makes the task easier.

The first time I made the French dip recipe, it was good, but I wanted the jus to have a deeper flavor. The next time I made it, I added a 1/4 cup of low-sodium soy sauce along with the soup, beef broth, and beer. That did the trick, and I’ve been adding soy sauce ever since. It ups the savory umami factor in the juices that go straight from the slow cooker into a bowl for dipping.

Other Tips for the Best French Dip Sandwich Ever

Here are a few other things I’ve learned over the years while making this recipe:

• Dark beer is a better choice than light beer or India Pale Ale (IPA). The recipe calls for a 12-ounce bottle of beer. I always use stout because it adds additional richness to the jus. I usually use Guinness.

• The rolls matter. Use crusty rolls. The recipe calls for French rolls. I like to use Portuguese rolls when I can find them. Kaiser rolls work in a pinch. But soft burger rolls won’t hold up to the jus.

• Add your favorite cheese. The recipe calls for buttered bread, but we like to add cheese. I prefer Swiss cheese. My son likes American (but I think American gives the sandwich a cheesesteak vibe that I don’t always want).

• Leftovers freeze really well. Freeze the beef in the jus for up to three months. Defrost in the fridge. Heat on the stovetop.

One final thing: my boys aren’t the only family members who love it when I make this French dip recipe. Buddy, my border collie, enjoys a small drizzle of jus on his dry food. Once, and only once, each time I make this recipe, I let him have just a little after I run it through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any onion pieces. It's hard to beat this delicious meal when it makes the whole family happy—even Buddy.

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The Dinner My Family Asks for Every Week—And the Secret Ingredient That Makes It Even Better - Yahoo Life
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