Crockpot Italian Beef with Sirloin Tip Roast
Crockpot Italian Beef Sandwiches are a simple way to bring the flavors of a classic Chicago favorite to your own kitchen. Made with sirloin tip roast, the beef turns out tender, juicy, and packed with rich, savory flavor.
“I made this for a potluck and it was SO GOOD! Pretty easy, and everyone was so impressed with it. They DEVOURED IT. I had made a huge batch so I had extra, and froze some for later. It was even good after that!” -Kristie
People often want to know what food bloggers actually make for dinner. This is the answer! Crockpot Italian Beef Sandwiches are on my regular meal plan. I’ve made them for my family of four and I’ve made them for guests, and they get gobbled up every time.
Sirloin tip roast is the key to these sandwiches. It’s a tougher cut, so it’s ideal for the slow cooker, where it cooks low and slow with plenty of beef broth to keep it juicy. Once the meat is cooked and sliced thinly, it’s tender, flavorful, and perfect for piling into soft squishy rolls.
Giardiniera is a classic topping (you can purchase mild or spicy), or you can follow the instructions below for adding sliced green bell peppers.
However you serve them, get ready for compliments!
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Look for a sirloin tip roast in the meat department. A sirloin tip roast is a lean cut of beef. It’s flavorful, but due to its lean nature, it is best when braised (which is what we’re doing here). It also makes great kabobs (like these Italian Marinated Steak Kabobs).
- Soft and squishy French rolls are best for soaking up the au jus.
- Use green peppers if you like a mild sandwich, otherwise, use spicy giardiniera.
- Dried basil, dried oregano, and garlic powder flavor the roast and the au jus.
- Beef stock acts as the braising liquid, and it also ensures there’s lot of au jus for dipping.
How to Make Italian Beef with a Sirloin Tip Roast
- Combine the salt, dried basil, dried oregano, and garlic powder in a small bowl.
- Place the sirloin tip roast and beef stock in a slow cooker. Sprinkle the herb seasoning all over the roast.
- Cook on high for 3–4 hours or on low for 4–6 hours. Add slices of green pepper the last 30 minutes of cooking.
- Remove the roast, and let it sit for 10 minutes before cutting into thin slices. Add back to the slow cooker, stir, and pile into French rolls. Serve with a side of the au jus from the slow cooker.
Without a commercial deli slicer, it’ll be difficult to get it into paper thin slices like the restaurants do. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but get it as thin as you can using a sharp knife.
Serve the Crockpot Italian Beef Sandwiches with a leafy green salad, or french fries, if you’d like a Portillo’s-style experience.
📖 Recipe
Crockpot Italian Beef with Sirloin Tip Roast
Ingredients
- 2½–3 lb sirloin tip roast
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 green bell peppers
- 1 (10oz) jar hot giardiniera
- 6 French rolls, sliced in half
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the kosher salt, basil, oregano, and garlic powder.
- Unwrap the roast and sprinkle on all sides with the herb mixture. Place the roast and beef broth in a slow cooker.
- Set to low and cook for 3–4 hours on high or 4–6 hours on low. (I have a newer slow cooker, which cooks things quickly. Mine was done after 4 hours on low.)
- Meanwhile, seed the peppers. Cut each pepper into 6–8 slices vertically. 30 minutes before the roast is done, add the sliced bell peppers to the slow cooker.
- Remove the roast. Leave the bell peppers in the slow cooker and set the slow cooker to warm.
- Let the roast cool for 30 minutes, then slice the roast into ⅛ inch thin slices, or however thin you can cut it with a sharp knife.
- When ready to serve, remove the green bell peppers from the slow cooker. Strain the liquid into a bowl. Divide the liquid among ramekins or small dishes for dipping the sandwiches.
- Divide the beef evenly among the French rolls. Pour a tablespoon of the liquid (au jus) on top of each of the beef sandwiches.
- Top with either the green bell peppers (if you prefer it sweet) or the giardiniera (if you prefer it spicy). Serve immediately with extra au jus for dipping.
I made this for a potluck and it was SO GOOD! Pretty easy, and everyone was so impressed with it. They DEVOURED IT. I had made a huge batch so I had extra, and froze some for later. It was even good after that!
My parents were visiting this weekend, so I decided to try this recipe out for them. They loved it! My husband even requested it go on our weekly meal rotation!
That’s so great to hear, Stephanie! Thank you! It’s in our meal rotation, too. 🙂
Stephanie, if you don’t have 3-4 hours, you can always go to your local deli and get sliced Roast Beef.
I actually get shaved (like paper thin) RB.
You can still use slow cooker, justset on high for 30 mins, then keep on warm while serving.
Also, I don’t do “hot” very well these days.
Going to use sweet instead… Like ee did when I was a kid …in Chocago.