When I saw the idea for this sandwich on Pinterest, it felt like I had met my soulmate sandwich. This might sound ridiculous but if you love sandwiches as much as I do, you’ll understand what I mean. I clicked through to the site and all I can say is that Robyn from Add a Pinch is a genius! Who wouldn’t drool at the thought of slow roasted beef flavoured with Balsamic vinegar?
I decided to give my own twist to the recipe and made it up as I went a long and I have to say that this is one of the most phenomenal ways to cook a beef roast. It results in beef that is meltingly tender and intensely flavoured which works so incredibly well on a fresh baguette with horseradish cream and quick-pickled onions. It would also be fantastic wrapped in a warm wrap/taco like I did with my shortrib tacos.
I served our sandwiches in the same way Robyn did by serving it with the gravy the beef was cooked in. This is called ‘French Dip’ and as you eat, you dip the sandwich in this gravy. My knees went weak at the thought of this and I can guarantee you that you will NOT be disappointed!

Slow-roasted Balsamic beef sandwiches with horseradish cream
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg beef roast chuck or brisket work best
- 2 red onions peeled and roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves peeled
- 125 ml 1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
- 500 ml 2 cups beef stock
- 1 tablespoon sugar optional
- salt to taste
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
for the horseradish cream
- 2 tablespoons creamed horseradish
- 4 tablespoons crème fraîche
for the quick pickled onions
- 2 red onions finely sliced
- 125 ml white wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
to serve
- fresh baguette warmed
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°c.
- Place the beef, onions and garlic in a roasting tin with a lid.
- Combine the Balsamic vinegar, beef stock, sugar and salt and pour over the beef roast.
- Add the rosemary and bay leaf and cover with a lid/foil.
- Place in the oven and allow to roast for 1 hour at 200°c. After an hour, turn it down to 150°c and allow to roast for 3-4 hours until the beef shreds easily.
- When the beef is soft, shred it with a pair of tongs or two forks and mix into the cooking liquid.
- Place back in the oven and allow to cook for another 30 minutes. (at this point you can switch the oven off and let the beef rest until you're ready to serve)
- To make the horseradish cream, combine the ingredients and set aside.
- For the quick pickled onions, heat the vinegar in the microwave, add the salt and sugar and pour over the red onions. Stir to coat the onions in the vinegar and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- To serve, spread some of the horseradish cream over the warmed baguette. Add a generous amount of the shredded beef and top with the pickled onions.
- Serve immediately with some of the gravy the beef was cooked in.
Nutrition
Hi I’ve made this recipe multiple times and it always turned out fabulous!!! Seriously it’s one of my favorites. I was hoping to adapt to a crockpot recipe for a Christmas dinner. Do you have any suggestions on how to do that?
I’ve never made in a slow cooker but I think you might just need to use a bit more liquid if you’re going to be cooking it for a longer time?
The pics look like you seared the edges first? Is that the case for getting crisy edges like your pic?
No I didn’t, I think it’s just due to the roasting process.
I can’t wait to give this recipe a try! It’s so simple yet looks delicious.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. Made it last week and I have to admit that – it was amazing 🙂
This was super awesome!!!!!!
We loved it!
This looks awesome.
I am having trouble pinning your recipes..neither my pin nor yours works to pin your recipes and I am not having this problem with any other blog site…has anyone else reported difficulty??
Amy, no one has notified me of having problems. My pinning worked and I see there are others who also pinned this recipe so I’m not sure? Perhaps clear your cache and try again?
This looks amazing! I also want to dip my sarmies in gravy!
Do it Jess. You won’t regret it!
I am going to make this for dinner tonite!
Let me know what you think, Sur!