Italian Beef Sandwiches

Heat olive oil in a large heavy pan or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Season roast with Lawry’s Seasoned Salt and add it into the hot oil. Allow it to brown on all sides (doesn’t have to be cooked through—you just want it seared on all sides).

In the meantime, mix remaining ingredients in the crock of a large slow cooker. After browning meat, add it with the olive oil from the pan into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low or medium for 6-8 hours or until meat shreds easily with a fork.

Remove meat from the crock, but leave cooking stock in the slow cooker. Cool roast and shred it with a fork. Return shredded meat to the stock in the slow cooker and keep warm until serving.

Toast sub rolls in oven or using your desired method. Fill the toasted rolls with meat and serve with more pepperoncini and small bowls of stock for dipping, if desired. Toasting the rolls makes them hold up better to the delicious juices, but this is a wonderfully messy eating experience!

Note #1: Make this ahead of time and refrigerate for a 1-2 days before serving to enhance flavors. Reheat meat, toast buns and serve with more pepperoncini and stock for dipping, if desired.

Note #2: The rich, flavorful leftover stock and bits of beef can be turned into a big pot of minestrone soup by adding more stock, cooked pasta (short spaghetti pieces or macaroni), carrots, onions, potatoes, green beans, spinach, cannellini or red kidney beans and canned diced tomatoes along with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Heat to just a boil, reduce heat and simmer for a while to marry the flavors. Serve with hot, crusty rolls and additional Parmesan.