Fleur de Lolly: Slow Cooker Roast Beef Po'Boy

For this year's Mardi Gras meal, I didn't have the extensive menu and I didn't cook for days. After just returning home from a busy weekend in NYC, I just didn't have the time or energy to prepare a huge meal.

So, I searched the Blue Plate mayo website and found a recipe for a slow cooker roast beef po'boy! Exactly what I needed, a recipe that would allow me to get prep done early, let the roast cook all day, and be melt in your mouth tender.

Blue Plate Mayonnaise is a New Orleans staple being "born" there in 1927.

1 boneless beef chuck roast (3 to 4 pounds)

10 cloves garlic, cut in half lengthwise

2 t. salt

1 t. freshly ground black pepper

2 T. vegetable oil

2 cups beef stock, plus more if necessary

6 (6-inch) lengths po'boy bread (or Italian or French bread)

1 cup Blue Plate® Mayonnaise

6 slices provolone cheese

Thinly shredded iceberg lettuce

Sliced tomato

Sliced dill pickles

Louisiana-style hot sauce

Make 20 evenly spaced small cuts, about 1 ½ inches deep, all over pot roast, using the tip of a sharp paring knife. Insert garlic cloves as deep into the cuts as possible.

Season the roast on all sides with salt and pepper.

Heat a 6-quart Dutch oven over high heat. Add oil, and when it is hot, sear the roast until it is very well browned on all sides, 4 to 6 minutes per side (don’t be afraid to let the roast get very brown – this is where a lot of the flavor comes from).

Transfer roast to a slow cooker, then carefully add stock and close lid. Set slow cooker to high and cook for 4 hours (and up to 6 hours depending on your machine). When roast is done, it should be fork tender.

If you're not ready to eat, set the slow cooker to low or keep warm setting.

Pull meat apart into thin shreds, using two forks, and mix with accumulated drippings in bottom of pot. Allow meat to cool slightly and absorb juices before assembling poboys. (Roast can be cooked and shredded up to 1 week in advance and refrigerated until ready to serve; if prepared in advance, it will need to be rewarmed, covered and in a low oven, before assembling po'boys.)

Preheat broiler.

Halve each bread piece lengthwise and spread top and bottom halves liberally with mayonnaise. Place bottom halves on a baking sheet and spoon shredded meat over them, drizzling it with extra drippings. Top meat with cheese slices.