My boys love French dip and Italian Beef sammiches cooked in a crock pot. Pulled pork too. The meat gets shredded or sliced very thinly - so it doesn't have that "gray, been boiling in my own juices or cream soup all day" look and the sauces are tangy enough so it doesn't taste like crock pot meat. Recipes are super easy:
Both the Italian Beef and the French Dip call for a 4-6 lb "cheaper cut" beef roast. I've used a chuck roast, a pot roast, a tip roast, a rump roast - whatever is on sale. If you buy a smaller one or bigger roast - adjust the cooking time and liquid amounts.
For french dip - throw it in the crock pot with 2 cans of condensed french onion soup, a can of beef gravy and a bottle of beer. Add some garlic and fresh pepper. (If you don't have those things on hand - use some sort of "clear" - preferably beef soup - or liquid. Broth, consomme, prepared buillion, lipton onion soup + water etc. In a pinch, I've subbed in a can of chicken broth for a can of french onion soup. NO CREAM SOUPS.) Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. Slice or shred, serve on buttered toasted rolls with melted cheese and sauce on the side to "dip" I keep the canned items in my pantry and a roast or two & rolls in the freezer so I can make it at any time. Use any cheese you wish. Traditionally, it is provolone - but we like swiss or pepper jack.
For Italian Beef, throw the roast in the crock pot, add a jar of pepperocini peppers with- their juice (hot or mild, your choice - sometimes called "vinegar peppers", Jarred banana peppers work too. Or Cherry peppers- just a jar of pickled peppers-not jalapenos - in juice) and sprinkle the roast with a packet of "italian dressing mix" like good seasons. If you don't have that - use garlic salt, oregano etc. You can add some bell pepper slices too. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred and serve on Italian rolls or sliced italian bread-like a sub roll.
Pulled Pork:
2 onions, sliced thin
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs paprika
2 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 (4-6 lb) boneless pork butt or shoulder
¾ cup cider vinegar
4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 ½tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 ½tsp sugar
½ tsp dry mustard
½ tsp garlic salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Place onions in crock-pot. Combine brown sugar, paprika, salt and pepper;
rub over roast. Place roast on top of onions.
Combine vinegar, Worcestershire, red pepper flakes, sugar, mustard, garlic
salt and cayenne; stir to mix well. Drizzle about 1/3 of vinegar mixture
over roast. Cover and refrigerate remaining vinegar mixture.
Cover crock-pot; cook on low 12-14 hours. Drizzle about 1/3 of reserved
vinegar mixture over roast during last ½ hour of cooking.
Remove meat and onions; drain. Chop or shred meat and onions. Serve with on hamburger buns with
remaining vinegar mixture.
My family loves pulled pork. I made pans of it for easy child's grad party this year and it was gobbled up. PC18 likes his mixed with a little bbq sauce. It also freezes really well.