Slow Cooker Balsamic Beef Dip Sandwiches

I hope everyone had a safe and beautiful 4th of July with family and friends! Kenneth and I thought we were going to have a quiet day all to ourselves; Kent was still at Adventure Camp (we picked him up this morning, he's been there since last Sunday) and we didn't have any plans. We would have gone up and joined Kenneth's family in Ellijay but they had a full house and there wasn't room for us to spend the night. We could have gone up for just the day, but with a 2 to 2 1/2 hour drive each way we figured we'd wait and see everyone when they were here for the baby shower tomorrow. 

We had a lazy start to the day, and had decided the night before to go see White House Down at 12:45, and were enjoying our morning until it was time to get ready to head out. Around 10:30 we got a phone call from 2 of our very good friends wanting to know what our plans were and if they could drop off some gifts for the baby shower since Sherry wasn't going to be able to make it due to her work schedule. They came by around 12:15 (with two diaper bags full of goodies, that I can't wait to open up tomorrow to see what's inside!) and we all went to the movie together. They had a party to go to afterwards, so we figured we'd run some errands when the movie was over and then head home. But as we came out of the theater they said we were coming with them to the party (it was with some friends of theirs whom we had met before at Sherry's Halloween Parties). We said ok, and headed on out! Our supposedly quiet and lazy afternoon had shifted gears a little, but I sure didn't mind! We spent the afternoon and evening at the party, and enjoyed lots of good food, good conversation, and had a great time. We set off some fireworks and played with sparklers, and watched the fireworks from the neighboring houses as well. It was really beautiful. Even though it was pretty wet, it wasn't so wet that we couldn't be outside for fireworks which was nice. Although I sure wouldn't have wanted to go sit on a lawn for an hour somewhere for an actual show - being able to duck back inside, and then watch from a covered porch helped! :) 

Kent is now home again, home again after his week at camp and he had a great time and had lots of adventures to tell us about white water rafting, sleeping in a cave, and many other fun moments he enjoyed. I'm so glad he was able to go again this year. I loved camp when I was little and am glad he gets to enjoy it too and meet new people and get away for a little bit of his summer. He's heading to Washington state to visit my family soon which is going to be quite an adventure! He's flying by himself and will be gone for 10 days - and he gets back a day before high school starts up!

In any event, on to the recipe below! This is a fantastically easy crock pot meal that cooks up tender and flavorful beef for sandwiches. I loved mine in the dipping sauce, though the boys preferred theirs with barbecue sauce, some cheese, and dill pickles. Any way you eat it, this is a great way to cook up a roast! Yumm!

Balsamic Roast Beef French Dip Sandwiches from Add A Pinch

Ingredients
1 3-4 pound boneless roast beef (chuck or round roast)
1 cup beef broth (we used 1 cup water with 1 tsp beef bouillon)
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4 buns or rolls for sandwiches

Directions

1. Place roast beef into the insert of your slow cooker. In a 2-cup measuring cup, mix together all remaining ingredients, except buns. Pour over roast beef and set the timer for your slow cooker. (4-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low)
2. Once roast beef has cooked, remove balsamic roast beef from slow cooker with tongs into a serving dish. Using two forks, pull roast beef apart.
3. Ladle ¼ – ½ cup of the juices over roast beef.
4. Using a fat separator, separate fat from juices made while cooking balsamic roast beef. Pour juice into individual dipping bowls.
5. Distribute desired amount of meat into buns, serve with dipping juices on the side.
6. Serve warm.