Shredded French Dip Sammiches

I've been sick this week. Very sick. Haven't-eaten-solid-food-since-the-weekend sick. This doesn't sit well with me for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that most of the foods I enjoy are, indeed, solid. And my puppies are pretty freaked out. They're not used to such a low-protein diet, or -- God forbid -- dog food.

But today, we're all hungry for normal people food, and I've been craving my shredded French dip sammiches. This is one of the easiest meals that I make -- it's another slow cooker delight -- and one of my favorite recipes of all time.

And it came about by accident because I don't always finish reading recipes while I'm making them. Apparenty the au jus part of the French dip was originally supposed to be far jus-ier, with the addition of several cups of water. Which you can certainly add, or use some beef broth, instead, if you want more jus for dipping.

I don't happen to like a lot of au jus with my sammiches. It's a soggy-bread thing. I like just enough to keep the meat moist, and to me, the more intense flavor of the sauce makes these sammiches heavenly. Along with the shredded meat, of course. I do so enjoy my shredded meat.

A few tips, based on many, many iterations of this recipe:

• You can use virtually any cut of roast here, but trim any fat around the edges.
• I recommending using straight ol' Kikkoman soy sauce here. I've tried using darker and thicker soy sauces with poor results.
• I don't recommend using fresh herbs. They don't withstand the long cooking process as well, and if you add them later, you miss out on the flavors getting fully infused.
• I put my peppercorns and bay leaf in a bit of cheesecloth in the slow cooker, but you can add them as is if you're willing to fish them out later. Or if you enjoy biting into peppercorns.

Shredded French Dip Sammiches
Serves 8-10

1 3-lb. boneless beef roast, trimmed
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 beef bouillion cube
1 bay leaf
3 whole black peppercorns
1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. garlic powder

1. Place roast in slow cooker. Top with remaining ingredients.

2. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours, or until meat is tender.

3. Remove roast and shred meat with two forks.

4. Return meat to broth and heat through. Serve on rolls.