Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches

This slow cooker Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches recipe is flavored with a rich homemade onion gravy. Serve it over mashed potatoes and buttery garlic Texas Toast for a homestyle feast at home. Oven instructions included!

Ingredients to Make Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches Recipe

This kind of open faced hot beef sandwich with gravy is comfort food that reminds me of a roadside diner. My pot roast recipe uses a carefully crafted seasoning blend that doesn’t require any canned soups or packages of gravy mix to make. My preference is to make hot beef using a chuck roast as it cooks super tender and shreds easily with a fork. Top round roast is terrific too, especially if you want to slice the beef. Either way, the tender roast beef and homemade gravy is pure Southern comfort food. Ingredients to make open faced Hot Roast Beef Sandwich with gravy recipe: (Scroll down for full printable recipe card.)

• Meat – One four pound chuck roast will result in tender succulent beef.
• Seasonings – Salt, granulated garlic, black pepper, onion powder, dried rosemary, dry thyme and bay leaves.
• Onion and Garlic – One sweet onion or yellow onion, plus fresh garlic enhance the beef and season the gravy.
• Liquid – Beef stock and Worcestershire sauce enhances the flavor and adds moisture.
• Gravy – Butter and all purpose flour form the roux for the gravy.
• Liquid for the Gravy – Three cups reserved juices from cooking roast plus heavy cream to add a creamy texture.
• Kitchen Bouquet Browning Sauce – This lends depth of flavor and adds color to the gravy.
• Serve – Texas toast and mashed potatoes for serving.
• Garnish – Fresh Italian parsley.

How to Make the Best Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches Recipe

• Season Roast – Pat dry chuck roast. In a small bowl, mix together salt, granulated garlic, black pepper, onion powder, rosemary and thyme. Rub on all sides of roast, reserving 1 teaspoon for the beef stock.
• Brown Roast – Heat a couple of drizzles of olive oil in a large skillet. Sear the seasoned roast over medium-high heat on all sides for 2-3 minutes per side. Pour beef stock into the pan just to deglaze scraping brown bits from bottom, add reserved seasoning.
• Transfer to Crockpot – Spray the crock of a 6 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Arrange chopped onion, minced garlic and bay leaves on bottom. Center roast on top. Pour seasoned beef stock and Worcestershire sauce over roast. Cover and cook per the recipe.
• Sauce – Once done, Remove bay leaves and pour liquid with onions (strain if you don’t want the onion) from slow cooker reserving about one cup in the slow cooker. Use 2 forks to shred beef, stir back into liquid. Let stand uncovered while you make the gravy.
• Gravy – In a saucepan on the stovetop, melt butter. Add flour whisking over medium heat until absorbed. Gradually whisk in 3 cups cooking liquid mixture and heavy cream. Increase heat and bring to a boil them immediately lower the heat. Let simmer on low for 5 minutes. Ladle half over shredded roast beef serve the rest on the side, keep warm.
• Serve Hot Beef Sandwiches – Butter and toast Texas toast. Top with mashed potatoes, roast beef and gravy. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

Tips for Making Roast Beef Sandwiches

• Kitchen Equipment You’ll Need: A 6 quart or similar size slow cooker, a skillet, sharp knife and chopping board, small bowl, measuring cups and spoons, forks to shred the beef and a small saucepan and whisk to make the gravy.
• Add Salt and Pepper to Taste: The seasonings used in this recipe impart flavor to both the beef roast and the stock. The stock creates the flavor of the rich gravy. When making the gravy, taste and adjust the salt and pepper to your personal taste.
• Serving Suggestions: You may like serving this roast beef and gravy over my Buttermilk Ranch Mashed Potatoes or make ahead Cheesy Mashed Potato Casserole.

Recipe Variations

• Protein Variations: You can use a top round roast in place of chuck for this recipe. Top round can be thinly sliced instead of shredding. You can also make this recipe using a rump roast (bottom round beef roast) or a pork roast. Top round or bottom round won’t shred like a chuck roast but they both slice beautifully and they’re all delicious with the gravy.
• Garlic Substitution: You can use one or two teaspoons garlic powder in place of fresh garlic.
• Herbs: You could add chives, use fresh rosemary or fresh thyme to the roast in place of dried seasonings.

Storage and Leftovers

• Leftovers: Store the slow cooked beef for Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches in an airtight container chilled in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Reheating Hot Beef Sandwiches: Reheat tender roast beef gently in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat with the gravy. You may need to add additional stock to thin.
• Freezer Tips: Store hot roast beef and gravy frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat before serving over a slice of white bread with mashed potatoes, gravy and corn, green beans or your favorite side dish.

How to Make Roast Beef in the Oven

You can also make this hot roast beef in the oven! This is what you do:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Move middle rack down one notch.
• Follow the recipe seasoning and searing the beef over medium high heat in a 6 quart Dutch oven or similar size oven safe pot. Remove roast to a platter.
• Add the onion to the pot, cooking just until it begins to soften and brown. Scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven.
• Add garlic to the onions, then deglaze the pan with beef stock. Add bay leaves.
• Center roast over onions with bay leaves. Drizzle with Worcestershire sauce and cover.
• Cook for 3 – 3 1/2 hours (depending on the size of the roast) The beef should easily shred when done.
• Follow the recipe for shredding beef , removing it to a platter.
• Make the gravy per the recipe, removing the bay leaves.
• Add shredded beef back to gravy.
• Serve over Texas toast with mashed potatoes and enjoy.

More Easy Beef Recipes to Make

• This Oven Braised Beef Stew is comfort food perfected.
• Instant Pot Vegetable Beef Soup is a quick way to make this homestyle classic.
• Slow Cooked Beef Stroganoff has a bonus recipe included for horseradish cream that takes it over the top.
• Slow Cooked Braised Beef Short Ribs are fall apart tender cooked smothered in a sensational sauce.
• Slow Cooked Dr Pepper Barbecue Beef is packed with flavor.
• Slow Cooked Italian Beef Hoagies feature a rich and flavorful tomato sauce for drizzling on top.
• Slow Cooker Beef Brisket from Life in the Lofthouse.

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

• Slow Cooker
• Kitchen Utensils
• Knives and Chopping Board
• Measuring Set