Italian Beef Sandwiches

I saw a sign recently that stated “Cooking on low is for Sissies” and it made me laugh. I am sure if I took a show of hands many of you, me included, would say you have cranked the temperature up to get a dish done faster.  There are times when you need to cook food slow and longer to get the most taste and best texture. That is one reason we all cling to our crock-pots.

Over my break, I found several new recipes to try. One of the favorites was Italian Beef. I came across Italian Beef while looking for a new way to cook a chuck roast. The flavors in this were amazing.  What I really enjoyed was how juicy and tender the meat was not just the first night, but when we had leftovers.

So what does it taste like? Mildly spicy, but not a lot of heat, add in Italian spices and herbs. The meat is served on Italian bread rolls topped with your choice of sweet peppers, whole pepperoncinis, or giardiniera. The flavors burst in your mouth and your taste buds will think you have thrown them a party! We eat ours like a French dip, the broth or gravy that is left over is too amazing to leave in the pot.

Ingredients:

1 beef chuck roast, 3-5 pounds

4 cup water

4 beef bouillon cubes

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 envelope onion soup mix

1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix

1 garlic clove, minced

1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

Directions:

In microwave able bowl combine water, bouillon cubes and soup mix. Cook on high for eight minutes or until the bouillon cubes have completely dissolved.  Stir in Italian salad dressing mix, garlic, basil and oregano. Set broth aside

In a 5 quart crock-pot add roast, vinegar and broth. Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

 Remove roast. Shred or chop meat. Spoon shredded meat onto each roll, top with either sweet peppers, whole pepperoncinis, or giardiniera Serve juices as a dipping sauce. Yield: 10 servings.