WOW, is all I can say! Because these dropped my JAW, and are hands down THE BEST beef sandwiches I’ve ever made and tasted yet!! My Slow Cooker Beef Rouladen Hoagies are what it’s all about. No fuss – no muss, all flavor, and nothing overpowers and steals the show from anything else. This all came together even better than I had hoped for!

I had high expectations of these babies, but..!! I mean, I knew that they were going to be good, as my Olde Worlde German Beef Rouladen Rolls are one of my most popular recipes on my website, and I designed these after the same, classic, German dish!

But I must’ve done something particularly well, because these were extra special in flavor! So, though I have used a few convenience items for this, don’t be fooled by a few packets. This all comes together superbly!

The only thing extra that they needed, was a hot summer day and an ice cold beer! 😉

And luckily….that’s exactly what happened. The beef sandwich gods must’ve approved, because they were definitely smiling down on me.

So let’s get this going!

Just like all slow-cooked chuck roasts, this one starts no differently. Season all sides, sear it well in a screaming hot pan with a little canola or vegetable oil on all sides, and place it into your slow cooker.

*If you happen to get one that has a layer of fat on top, it’s best to slice that off to keep the end result from being greasy.

Make sure that your pan is super hot, so that you can get a good caramelization and gorgeous color! That all equals extra flavor!

No need for any liquid, and you don’t even have to spray the inside of the crock. Just plop it right on in there.

Then spread the top and sides, (don’t worry about the bottom), with spicy brown mustard and horseradish to lightly coat.

*I used Gulden’s and Inglehoffer, but you can use whatever favorite brands you prefer. Just make sure to use regular horseradish, not creamed.

Next add your first packet, an envelope of Beefy Onion Soup Mix, sprinkling evenly over the top.

Then, over that, evenly sprinkle a packet of Brown Gravy Mix. (*These are the ones that I used, but feel free to use whatever brands you like. I can’t guarantee that it will turn out the same, though, of course.) Different brands can vary greatly.

Lastly, place a stick of real butter right on top. Yep. The whole stick.

(*I personally only use Minerva Dairy butter, because no other butters even come close in comparison.)

Pop the lid on it and cook this beast on High for at least 8 hours. Because mine was such a MONSTER in size, I actually had to cook this 5 pound, 6 ounce, Jurassic Park-sized roast for 12 hours plus to get it tender. So keep that in mind when planning on what time you’d like to eat. You can start this before you go to bed and let it go all night if yours is Fred Flintstone-sized, too.

So, anyways, cook yours until it’s fall apart tender, meaning, when the meat pulls apart easily with two forks with no effort. Then you know that you’re good to go. Do this right in the crock with the liquid in there, removing any of the unwanted fatty pieces as you go along.

Add the rest of the wonderful ingredients listed below in my recipe, give it a nice gentle stir to combine, and cook it for another 30 minutes or so, to let all of the flavors mingle and make friends. Once done, give it another good stir so that everything is now swimming in a rich gravy.

And during the last 30 minutes of cooking, (driving you CRAZY with the most wonderful smells that have completely wafted through the entire house!), slice up some mild red onion, and get out everything you’d like on your sandwich!

And please. Oh please do butter and broil the insides of your rolls!! Toasted rolls are a thing of beauty! And they say to everyone, that you think they’re special when you take that extra step!!

Then pile on that incredibly scrumptious beef! (Omg…is it ever good!!!!!)

*You can shred the beef into smaller pieces if you like. I do personally for myself, because then all of the flavors, juices, and gravy coats and permeates everything so much better! (Chunks don’t allow any of that goodness inside, and though tender, won’t be nearly as juicy and flavorful.)

But this particular one, (pictured below), was for the hubs, who insists on big chunks. Sooooo, leave some big, leave some smaller, and shred the rest at will! That way you can (try) to please everyone.

And now is a good time to move these babies over to whatever you’re serving them on. I placed ours onto small squares of waxed paper and folded over the bottom, so that when they’re picked up to be eaten, we wouldn’t be wearing the juices!

Next comes the mustard! I started with just this amount of spicy brown, but ended up adding a lot more after a few bites. So you can start off easy, and add more to your own taste later. Or just go whole hog wild right off the bat. You really can’t add too much if you’re a mustard lover like me!

Next, lay a whole garlic dill pickle spear right on the side, or even on top if that’s where you want it. The mustard and the pickle spears are just two of the traditional German Beef Rouladen ingredients added when making the classic recipe.

Next comes another important ingredient, the onion! If using a regular yellow onion, be careful!! They can be very strong! I always try to use mild onions such as the one I’ve used here, red onion, so that they don’t overpower everything else. (And I don’t end up with onion breath for hours!!)

Also make sure that you slice them VERY thinly, and they’ll be wonderful!! (I ended up DOUBLING the amount as shown here, and it was a wonderfully onion-y, yet still mild enough in flavor that they don’t burn your mouth!)

Lastly, to imitate the classic German dish, is that glorious bacon!!!

I used about 1 strip of peppered and crisp-cooked, thick-cut lean bacon per sandwich, but this is one of those personal things, too, that you can add a little or a lottle. 😉

You’ll be the one eating your own sandwich, so just make it according to how you personally prefer it.

And that’s all that there is to it! Tender, juicy, flavorful, slow-cooked beef that’s to die for, with just mustard, pickles, onion and bacon all piled onto a buttered and toasted hoagie roll! What other sandwiches are jealous of!!

So don’t let this easy, “simple” combo fool you!! The flavors all come together into an OUTSTANDING and mind-blowing taste experience! Honestly, no exaggeration, no lie, my favorite beef sandwich that I’ve ever made and tasted!

So, if you’re tired of the “same old same old” beef sandwiches, these Slow Cooker Beef Rouladen Hoagies are the answer to your beef sandwich dreams! And work extremely well on hot summer days when you want a terrific meal that doesn’t heat up the house! Enjoy!

*This recipe was inspired by own
Olde Worlde German Beef Rouladen Rolls (Rindsrouladen).

Slow Cooker Beef Rouladen Hoagies

Ingredients

) beef chuck roast well seasoned with a little salt, and lots of pepper and garlic powder on all sides (

3 Tbl. canola or vegetable oil
2 Tbl. spicy brown German mustard
2 Tbl. extra-hot prepared German horseradish
1 packet Beefy Onion Soup Mix (I used Lipton's)
1 packet Beef Gravy Mix (I used McCormick's)

Minerva Dairy Amish Butter

2 Tbl. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbl. Worcestershire sauce
soft hoagie rolls
more softened butter, about 1 Tbl. per sandwich

Toppings:

garlic dill pickle spears
spicy brown German mustard
thinly sliced or chopped red onion
snipped crisp-cooked and peppered bacon, (about 1 strip per sandwich or as you like)

Instructions

In large frying pan, heat oil over medium high heat, swirl pan to coat. Place seasoned chuck roast into pan and sear on all sides until browned, turning carefully with tongs. Place into crock pot.

Spread top and sides with spicy brown mustard to lightly coat, then do the same with the horseradish. Sprinkle mixes evenly over top of roast. Top with one stick of real butter.

Place on lid and cook on High for 8 - 12 hours depending on size, or until meat pulls apart easily with two forks.

Pull meat into small chunks or shreds, removing any large pieces of fat as you go along. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar. Stir, place lid back on and cook on High for another 30 minutes.

Pile beef chunks into split open, buttered and toasted, hoagie rolls. Top with a garlic dill pickle spear, drizzle with mustard, sprinkle with onion and bacon pieces.

Enjoy with fries, roasted potato wedges, or German potato salad, and an ice cold beer!