One of the biggest advantages for us in moving to Indianapolis last summer, was that we’d be MUCH closer to family. Before our move here, we were never closer than a ten-hour drive, anywhere we lived over the years. We got to spend time with family a few times a year, and it seemed that every time I saw my nieces and nephews, they’d grown another foot. Now, we get to see everyone much more often! (Although, the kids still seem to be growing at an alarming rate…I’m talking to you, Connor.) It’s really special, and we truly appreciate it after being away for so long.
Not only do I appreciate our time together, but I also appreciate that my sister-in-law, Karin, loves to try new recipes like I do, and I think you will too, once you try this recipe. We were over at their house a while back, and Karin had a recipe for a slow cooked beef sandwich propped up on her counter. I commented on how good it sounded, and she told me to take the recipe. So I did!
It took me a while to actually make it, but I finally got around to it, and now it’s one of my family’s favorites. I’ve made it twice in the past few weeks, and when Aaron tucked Emily into bed last night, her last words to him before closing her eyes were, “Those sandwiches were soooo good.”
They really are.
You could easily do this in a slow cooker, in fact, Karin does. I’ve made mine in the oven, and either way, it’s pretty simple.
I start by placing a beef chuck roast in a large, heavy roasting pan. I add some chopped red onion, a few cloves of garlic, some fresh rosemary and a bay leaf.
Over the top of the beef I poured a mixture of beef stock, Balsamic vinegar, sugar, and salt. I made sure that the rosemary, bay leaf, and garlic were tucked in around the beef.
Once it was all in the pot, I put the lid on the pan, and popped it into the oven.
I cannot express to you how good this smells as it’s cooking. It’s a little bit of wonderful.
The roast cooks at 375* for an hour, and then I turned the temperature down to 300* for another 4 hours.
Once my timer went off, the beef, its juices, and all of those goodies I put int the pot had cooked down beautifully, and looked like this…
There’s so much flavor packed in there!
I removed the beef from the pot, shredded it, and then put the meat back into the pot.
Can you tell how tender that is? I’ll admit it…I swiped a few bites as I was shredding it up.
The meat went back into the pot and then back into the oven while I prepped the rest of the meal. I turned the oven off, but it was plenty warm enough to keep everything hot for a while.
I whipped together a quick horseradish sauce of sour cream and horseradish, and then made some quick pickled onions.
I just tossed some thinly sliced red onion with a mixture of white wine vinegar, sugar, and salt. They sat for about fifteen minutes, while I got the rest of our dinner together.
When we were ready to eat, I toasted up some crusty rolls under the broiler, and then spread on some of that zesty horseradish sauce, heaped on the beef and some of those cooked down onions, garlic, and herbs, and then piled some of the crisp, pickled onions on top. I served some of the juices alongside for dipping, but the sandwiches are so tender and flavorful, you really don’t need the juice!
Thank you for sharing not only your hospitality that night, Karin, but also this superstar recipe! It’s a keeper, and as Emily said, “Soooo good.”
SLOW ROASTED BALSAMIC BEEF SANDWICHES WITH HORSERADISH CREAM
Adapted from Simply Delicious
Slow Roasted Balsamic Beef Sandwiches with Horseradish Cream
Recipe Type: Sandwich
Author: Adapted from Simply Delicious
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6-8
- For the Beef:
- 3-4 lb. beef chuck roast
- 2 red onions, peeled and chopped into large pieces
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
- 1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- For the Horseradish Cream:
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/4-1/2 cup prepared horseradish, depending on how hot you like it
- For the Pickled Onions
- 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- Crusty rolls, for serving
**The beef could easily be cooked in a slow cooker instead of in the oven. If you choose the slow cooker option, I would suggest putting all of the beef ingredients in a 6 quart slow cooker and cooking it on HIGH for 4-5 hours, or LOW for 8-9. Shred the meat and then put it back in the cooker to cook for 20-30 minutes more.
Or, if you choose the oven…
- Preheat the oven to 375*F.
- Place the beef, onions and garlic in a large, heavy, oven-safe roasting pan or pot.
- Add the rosemary and bay leaf.
- Combine the Balsamic vinegar, beef stock, sugar, and salt, and pour the mixture over the beef.
- Put the lid on the pan, or cover tightly with foil, and place in the oven.
- Roast for 1 hour at 375*. After an hour, turn the heat down to 300*F, and allow to roast for 4-5 hours, until the beef shreds easily.
- When the beef is soft, shred it with two forks, and put the shredded meat back into the pot with all of the juices. Put the lid back on the pot and put it back in the warm oven while you get the rest of the recipe together.
For the Pickled Onions:
- Place the sliced onions in a small bowl.
- Heat the vinegar in the microwave for 40 seconds. Add the sugar and salt to the vinegar and stir until dissolved. Pour the mixture over the onions, toss, and allow to ‘pickle’ for 20-30 minutes, stirring every once in a while.
For the Horseradish Cream:
- Combine the sour cream and horseradish to taste. The sauce will be more than enough for the sandwiches, but it’s so tasty, I’m sure it’s good on a lot of other things, so save the leftovers for a bit!
Build the sandwiches:
- Slice the rolls, and toast them just a bit under the broiler.
- Spread some of the horseradish cream over both sides of the roll.
- Pile the beef into the roll, making sure to grab some of the roasted onions and garlicky bits.
- Top the beef with some of the pickled onions.
- ENJOY!
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