Smoked French Dip Sandwich Recipe

Warm, thinly sliced Roast Beef piled high on a soft French Roll served with piping hot Au Jus gets my taste buds working – that’s why I’m making a Smoked French Dip Sandwich!

I’m going to share with you how I create this classic Smoked French Dip Sandwich using my smoker.

First you’ll need a good quality cut of beef to turn into mouth-watering, roast beef. I’m using a 4lb choice grade, Eye of the Round today.

Coat the outside of the roast with a little olive oil and season with a good dose of Kosher Salt and Coarse Ground Black Pepper. Let the roast hang out on the counter while the smoker comes up to temperature about 30 minutes.

Today I’m firing up my Gateway Drum smoker but you can use any grill/smoker set up for indirect cooking. You want to hold the temperature steady between 250-275⁰.

Once the coals are good and hot add a couple chunks of pecan to the fire and get the cooking grate in place. Set the roast on one side of the grate.

The Au Jus is just as important as the beef for this Smoked French Dip Sandwich, so in a half size aluminum pan, sweat down a thinly sliced Vidalia sweet onion. (Toss the onion in a little olive oil, salt and pepper for extra flavor)

This pan goes right on the grate – beside the roast. I want the onions to pick up some of the pecan smoke as well.

After about 20 minutes the onion are soft enough. Add 8oz of Johnny’s French Dip Au Jus base and 2 cups of water to the pan. (If you can’t find Johnny’s at your local store substitute 24oz of Beef Stock)

Stir this mixture and cover with a lid or aluminum foil to prevent it from reducing too much. This delicious broth will simmer on the pit until you’re ready to slice the roast.

Flip the Eye of Round after 20 minutes of smoking, and insert a probe thermometer into the center (I use the Smoke by Thermoworks). Set the alarm for 130⁰ – medium rare.

It should take in the neighborhood of 1 hour 15 minutes to reach desired doneness, but trust the thermometer, don’t go by time alone.

Once the alarm sounds, remove the roast from the pit and cover loosely with aluminum foil. It’ll need to rest for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Leave the pan of Au Jus on the pit until it’s time to carve.

For serving, slice the roast across the grain as thin as possible. Place that beautiful pile of smoked beef into the hot au jus.

To make this Smoked French Dip Sandwich, serve it up with some fresh French Rolls, thinly sliced provolone cheese, a touch of Creamy Horseradish Sauce, and of course you can’t forget the Au Jus for dipping.

Creamy Horseradish Sauce:
12oz Mayonnaise
4oz Kraft creamy Horseradish
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish from jar
1 teaspoon Frank’s Hot Sauce
Pinch of Salt and Pepper to taste

This is one classic Smoked French Dip Sandwich that your bbq pit takes to the next level!