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Slow Cooker Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

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A three to four pound beef chuck roast — seared until deeply browned and the skillet deglazed — slow-cooked on LOW for seven to eight hours on a bed of thinly sliced yellow onions, green and red bell peppers, mushrooms, and garlic in a braising liquid of beef broth, Worcestershire, and soy sauce. The beef shredded into the vegetables, piled onto toasted hoagie rolls, covered with sharp provolone, and broiled until the cheese is melted and bubbling. The braising juices strained, skimmed, and served warm in individual cups alongside as the dipping broth. Not the Pat’s cheesesteak. Something different and specifically excellent.

  • Total Time: 8 hours 40 minutes
  • Yield: 6–8 sandwiches 1x

Ingredients

Scale

The Beef

  • 3–4 lbs (1.4–1.8kg) beef chuck roast
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper

The Vegetables

  • 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced into half-moons
  • 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 8 oz (225g) cremini mushrooms, sliced (optional)
  • 4–5 garlic cloves, minced

The Braising Liquid

  • 1 cup (240ml) beef broth
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

For the Sandwiches

 

  • 6–8 hoagie rolls or French rolls, split and toasted
  • 12–16 slices sharp provolone (2 slices per sandwich)
  • Banana peppers or pepperoncini for serving (optional)

Instructions

  • Season and sear the beef. Pat the chuck roast dry with paper towels. Season generously on all sides with salt and black pepper. Heat the neutral oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sear the roast on all sides until deeply browned — 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to the slow cooker.
  • Deglaze the skillet. Pour a splash of the beef broth (approximately ¼ cup) into the hot skillet and scrape up every browned bit from the bottom. Pour into the slow cooker.
  • Add the vegetables and liquid. Add the sliced onions, green and red bell peppers, mushrooms (if using), and minced garlic to the slow cooker around and over the beef. In a small bowl, combine the remaining beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Pour over the beef and vegetables.
  • Cook. Set the slow cooker to LOW and cook for 7 to 8 hours, until the beef is completely tender and falls apart when pressed with tongs. The onions and peppers should be completely collapsed and soft.
  • Shred the beef. Remove the beef to a cutting board and shred into generous pieces using two forks. Return the shredded beef to the slow cooker and stir to combine with the vegetables and juices. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  • Make the dipping broth. Using a ladle or large spoon, transfer the braising juices from the slow cooker — keeping the beef and vegetables separate — to a fine mesh strainer set over a small saucepan. Press the solids to extract all liquid. Skim the fat from the surface with a ladle or fat separator. Keep warm over very low heat or in the slow cooker on KEEP WARM.
  • Toast the rolls. Place the rolls cut-side up on a baking sheet. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes until the cut surfaces are golden and slightly crisp.
  • Assemble and broil. Pile the shredded beef and vegetables generously onto the bottom halves of the toasted rolls. Lay 2 slices of provolone over each sandwich. Return to the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and beginning to bubble and brown at the edges. Watch constantly.
  • Serve. Close the sandwiches and cut diagonally. Ladle the warm dipping broth into individual small cups or ramekins — one per sandwich. Serve immediately with banana peppers and hot sauce alongside.

Notes

  • Sear the beef — the dipping broth depends on it. The fond from the seared chuck roast, deglazed into the slow cooker, is what gives the dipping broth its dark color and concentrated beef flavor. An unseared roast produces a pale, thin braising liquid. Seared chuck produces a dark, savory dipping broth that elevates the entire sandwich experience.
  • Slice the onions and peppers thin — they need to collapse completely. Quarter-inch slices of onion and pepper will be soft and fully cooked after seven to eight hours. Thicker slices may retain some texture. Thin slices collapse into the beef and become part of the filling rather than distinct vegetable pieces — which is the correct result for a cheesesteak.
  • Shred while warm. Chuck roast is most easily shredded immediately from the slow cooker while still at cooking temperature. Once it cools, the beef firms and shredding requires considerably more effort. Use two forks or bear claws and shred while the slow cooker is still on.
  • The dipping broth is a choice — it is not optional for the full experience. The braising liquid from a seven-to-eight-hour chuck braise is one of the most flavorful things this slow cooker will produce. Straining it, skimming it, and serving it warm alongside the sandwich is the step that makes slow cooker cheesesteak something specifically worth making rather than just a cheesesteak filling produced without a griddle.
  • Toast the rolls every time. The bottom of the roll in contact with juicy braised beef becomes saturated and tears within sixty seconds if not toasted. Two minutes under the broiler produces the moisture barrier that keeps the sandwich intact through assembly and the first few bites.
  • Two slices of provolone per sandwich — not one. One slice of provolone on a fully loaded cheesesteak is insufficient coverage. Two slices — overlapping slightly — ensure complete cheese coverage across the full length of the sandwich. Under the broiler, the double layer melts into a single, thick, glossy layer that is visually and texturally correct.

 

  • The slow cooker cheesesteak is not the griddle cheesesteak. It is a braised version with different and specific qualities — more tender beef, more fully softened vegetables, a dipping broth component. The comparison is not useful. The slow cooker version is worth making on its own terms.
  • Author: Elle
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 7–8 hours (on LOW)
  • Category: Dinner, Main Dish, Sandwiches
  • Method: Slow Cooking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Dairy-Free

Find it online: https://slowcookerrecipes.us/slow-cooker-philly-cheesesteak-sandwiches/