French Dip with Au Jus

Ingredients

• 3 lb beef chuck roast
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 4 cups low-sodium beef stock
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 hoagie rolls, split
• 6 slices provolone cheese

Method

1. Season the roast all over with the salt and pepper and let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
2. Sear it hard in the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, about 4 minutes a side, until a dark crust forms. Move it to a plate.
3. Soften the onion in the same pot for 6 minutes, then add the garlic for one minute more.
4. Pour in the stock and Worcestershire, scrape the bottom clean, and add the thyme and bay leaf. Return the roast and any juices.
5. Cover and cook at a bare simmer, or in a 325°F oven, until the meat pulls apart under a fork and reads about 200°F at its centre, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
6. Lift the roast out and rest it 15 minutes, then slice it thin against the grain or pull it into shreds.
7. Strain the cooking liquid, skim the fat and keep it hot — that is the au jus.
8. Toast the cut rolls, lay the beef inside, top with provolone and slide them under the broiler until the cheese melts. Serve each with a small bowl of jus.

Notes