Crock Pot Phillies
The Way They Were Meant to Be.
A deeply seasoned beef roast slow-cooked in a garlic-loaded au jus, rainbow peppers dissolved into the broth for depth, sautéed fresh on top for texture, and sharp provolone on a sturdy Portuguese roll. No shortcuts. No tweaks needed.
30 min
Prep Time
8–10 hrs
Cook Time
~10.5 hrs
Total Time
6–8
Servings
Ingredients
- 11 beef roast (round, chuck, or any roast — 3 to 4 lbs)
- 2Heavy seasoning blend of your choice — coat and pack generously on all sides
- 31 lb tub wet beef soup base (paste, not dry mix)
- 48 to 12 oz minced garlic
- 5Water to build the au jus stock (over-concentrate for deep flavor)
- 6Rainbow bell peppers — all 4 colors (green, red, yellow, orange), julienned — divided
- 72 large Vidalia onions, julienned — divided
- 8Sharp provolone cheese, sliced slightly thicker than standard
- 9Hearty Portuguese rolls or thick sturdy hoagie rolls
Instructions
- 1
Season the meat
Take your beef roast and season it extremely heavily on all sides — coat and pack the seasoning on. Do not just sprinkle it. The seasoning will come off into the au jus during cooking and become a huge part of the sandwich's flavor.
- 2
Build the au jus
Mix the 1 lb tub of wet beef soup base with water, but over-concentrate it — use less water than the package calls for to get a thicker, deeper, more robust beef broth. You want a very strong beef flavor as the base.
- 3
Add garlic
Add 8 to 12 ounces of minced garlic directly into the au jus. This is not a typo — you want a lot of garlic. It rounds out the flavor profile beautifully as it slow cooks.
- 4
Add peppers and onions to the pot
Julienne half of your rainbow peppers and Vidalia onions and place them directly into the crock pot with the meat and au jus. These will slow cook down and essentially liquefy, melting their flavor into the broth. After cooking you can sift or strain out any remaining skins.
- 5
Slow cook low and slow
Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until the meat is completely tender and falls apart easily with a fork. The peppers and onions in the pot should have liquefied into the broth by the end.
- 6
Sauté the remaining peppers and onions
While the meat finishes, sauté the remaining julienned rainbow peppers and Vidalia onions in a pan until al dente — cooked through but still holding their shape and color. Set aside for topping.
- 7
Assemble the sandwich
Slice the Portuguese roll lengthwise but do not cut all the way through — leave the back intact so it holds like a taco shell. Lay two slices of sharp provolone on the bottom. Pile on the pulled beef with the broth-cooked peppers and onions. Top with the sautéed peppers and onions. Serve immediately.
Jarrod's Notes
Three things that make this recipe what it is — don't skip them.
Season like you mean it
The seasoning doesn't stay on the meat — it washes into the au jus and becomes the flavor backbone of the whole sandwich. Under-season here and the whole dish suffers.
Over-concentrate your au jus
Ignore the water ratio on the soup base package. Use significantly less water. You want an intensely beefy, almost paste-like broth before cooking — it thins naturally as the roast releases its juices.
Peppers two ways is the move
Half the peppers and onions dissolve into the broth for depth. The other half gets sautéed fresh and piled on top for texture and color. Don't skip either step — they do completely different jobs.
From the kitchen to the closing table
Jarrod Manley — Mortgage Advisor.
When he's not helping Alabama families buy homes with FHA, VA, USDA, and Non-QM loans, Jarrod is in the kitchen. Questions about the recipe — or about getting pre-approved?
Jarrod Manley NMLS ID 1953199 | Success Mortgage Partners, Inc. NMLS ID 130562 | Licensed in AL, FL, WA. This is not an offer of credit or commitment to lend.