Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches

This is another great one from Mel! http://www.melskitchencafe.com/slow...r-italian-beef/

I printed this recipe off several years ago, and we finally had it for dinner last night. It was really good! Even the boys ate it (with ketchup). I looked at the blog for comments last night and noticed she has altered the recipe to eliminate the Italian dressing mix, and simply increased the Italian seasonings. I am excited to try this recipe that way! I will post the version I made first, and also the updated one without the packet. 

Also, in the recipe it says serve on crusty rolls with cheese. Somewhere in the post she says they like Provolone. We didn't have that, so we tried mozzarella and cheddar. They were both fine, I imagine Provolone is the way to go for a nice flavor. We had these Brioche rolls we found at Costco.



We tried them with hamburgers a few days ago, and it was nothing special. The rolls were really good for these sandwiches. The flavor and texture was just right. That said, I will probably try her roll recipe that she recommends on the blog.

Slow Cooker Italian Beef

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper (I skipped)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon onion salt (I didn't have any, so I used 1/2 teaspoon onion powder and a dash of salt here)
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf
1 (.7 oz) package dry Italian style salad dressing mix (I used one from Aldi)
5 pounds chuck roast (I had a 3 lb rump roast that worked great)
DIRECTIONS

In a liquid measuring cup or bowl, combine water and beef broth with salt, ground black pepper, oregano, basil, onion salt, parsley, garlic powder, bay leaf, and salad dressing mix. Whisk to combine.
Place roast in slow cooker and pour seasoning mixture over the meat. Cover, and cook on low for 9-10 hours or on high for 5-6 hours. When done, remove bay leaf, and shred meat with a fork (keep the shredded meat in the slow cooker with the juices). Serve on crusty rolls with cheese, if desired.

New and improved version:

Slow Cooker Italian Beef
INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 cup water
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 bay leaves
5 pounds chuck roast
DIRECTIONS

In a liquid measuring cup or bowl, combine water and beef broth with salt, ground black pepper, oregano, basil, onion salt, parsley, garlic powder, and bay leaves. Whisk to combine.
Place roast in slow cooker and pour seasoning mixture over the meat. Cover, and cook on low for 9-10 hours or on high for 5-6 hours. When done, remove bay leaf, and shred meat with a fork (keep the shredded meat in the slow cooker with the juices). Serve on crusty rolls with cheese, if desired.