Braised Beef Sandwiches

This is a delectable sandwich. I had a chuck roast I needed to use so I made a version of Julia Child's beef a la mode. You can make this with red wine but I was out of it so I substituted beer.

Start by pouring 6 tablespoons of a combination of olive oil and bacon grease. Saute' 3 anchovies in the oil until they disintegrate. I know I keep saying this but please try using the anchovies. They leave no anchovy flavor but rather add a deep caramelized flavor to the dish.

Finely dice a head of garlic. The garlic cooks through and caramelizes as it cooks so this dish does not end up with a pungent garlic flavor.

Use 4 or 5 large onions. These cook down a lot while cooking so don't be afraid to use a lot of them.

Sprinkle the roast liberally with salt and cracked black pepper on all sides.

Cover with a dusting of flour.

Sear on both sides in the hot oil until a crisp brown crust forms. Remove the roast from the pan and place on a plate.

Slice all of the onions.

Saute' them in the hot oil scraping up the drippings on the bottom of the pan.

Add the garlic.

Stir around and continue to cook over medium-high heat for a couple minutes. The onions will still be crisp.

Add 2 bottles of beer.

I save my rosemary stems for recipes like this. I dry them and then when I have a piece of meat to braise or a stew or soup that needs to be simmered, I add the stems and they give me plenty of flavor.

Return the roast and any drippings to the pot. Add beef broth to almost cover the roast.

Add 3 tablespoons of beef demi glace.

Add 2 tablespoons of Maggi.

I also added a few fresh stems of rosemary.

Cover the pot and braise in a 275 degrees oven for about 4 hours.

The meat is ready when it is falling apart. Shred the entire roast.

Return the shredded beef to the juice in the pot.

I like to let this sit in the frig overnight to soak up all the flavors.

Use hearty rolls. I used mini chiabattas. I spread them with garlic butter and placed them under the broiler until they just turned golden.

Pile on the beef and add some of the juice.

If you know any beef lovers they will be in beef heaven eating these. Another good, cheap, easy recipe for the masses.

This would also be wonderful serves over mashed potatoes or pasta!