In 2019 my husband and I celebrated our 25th anniversary with a trip to Maui. Prior to the trip I did a lot of research to on what to do and where to eat to make the most of our 7 days in Hawaii. I didn't want to come back to Illinois saying "I wish would have done...". So I booked the Luau tickets a month in advance, we booked a trail ride through the upcountry and planned out restaurants to feed our craving for pokè and shaved ice.
One of the things we had planned was the Pineapple Tour; 3 hours of a bumpy ride on a short bus through pineapple fields. You get to sample fresh pineapple and then they send you home with your a pineapple (one per customer) in a TSA-approved box. We got up early to drive to the tour location so when we returned to the parking lot in Makawao, we were ready to eat the box, much less the pineapple. Wanting to save the pineapple for the trip back home and not feeling a hankering for cardboard, we went across the street to the Hali'imaile General Store.
Have you ever ordered a meal that you remember months or years later?
Well, this day in Makawao, I did not. I think I forgot what I ordered by the time we drove back to our AirBNB. However, my husband ordered the French Dip and it gave me some serious lunch envy. It was so darn good we BOTH fantasized about that sandwich for months when we got back. This French Dip was not made with the traditional beef, this delectable sandwich was made with lamb; thinly sliced and topped with caramelized onions and fennel on a fluffy toasted bun.
When we returned I emailed the restaurant and asked for the recipe. The restaurant's general manager said "Chef Bev says you roast a lamb or buy one precooked, slice it very thin and caramelize the onion and fennel. Purchase lamb stock from Amazon and make it stronger then the directions say."
Really??? That's it?
I was determined to replicate the sandwich, but adding my own twist with a nod to the smokers in the backyard. Turns out I absolutely nailed it ... and not in the way you see in all those memes.
Making A Perfect French Dip
First, get a boneless lamb roast. I usually get mine at Costco. The quality and price is great, and it's a good size to feed 6 people a couple of sandwiches each.
This next part of the recipe I have to credit to my friend Pat; an Italian woman that loved to cook for everyone and anyone she would meet. Pat's a fantastic cook! She would make a lamb for my church group every Easter and we all loved it. Pat taught me her trick on how to make a perfect lamb roast for my family and I used this method the years before I owned a smoker. Now, I use Pat's seasoning but I add it to the smoker instead of cooking it in the oven.
Pat's Lamb
Slice 4-5 cloves of garlic lengthwise as thinly as possible. Take a small sharp knife and make a a small slits in the meat just big enough to place one of those garlic slices inside. Repeat this process until you have placed a slice of garlic about every inch around this meat as shown in the picture below.
Then take your 1/2 onion and 1/2 lemon rub it all over the meat with the cut side to the meat.
Once covered with the lemon and onion, drizzle enough olive oil on all sides of the meat to just make it moist. Take dried oregano leaves and cover... and I mean COVER the meat with the leaves. If you think it's too much oregano, it probably isn't enough.
Adding the Smoke
Place the seasoned lamb a disposable pan with the 1/2 onion and 1/2 lemon in a preheated 250 degree smoker. Because this is a relatively short smoke, I tend to use my pellet smoker since it heats up quickly and maintains that heat for a short smoke easily. I prefer Hickory or Maple pellets for lamb. Smoke for about 2 hours or until the meat thermometer indicates it has reached an internal temperature of 145 degree (Pat would cook hers to 135). Don't worry if that is more rare than your personal preference. This meat will cook a little bit more in the au jus after you slice it.
When it's done I take it out of the disposable pan and save the 1/2 onion and 1/2 lemon and tent it for about an hour. After it rests, wrap it up really tight in aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. I usually do all of this the night before I want to serve it and let that lamb chill out in the fridge overnight.
Assembling the Sandwiches
About an hour before you are ready to serve, take the roast out of the refrigerator and slice. I have a professional grade meat slicer that does an amazing job getting that meat very thin. You could also use a very sharp knife. With the heavy duty slicer, I like to leave the netting on the meat and peel it back back out of the way of the blade while I slice it. I find it holds the roast together and I don't get weird slices. MAKE SURE YOU TURN OFF THE MACHINE WHEN YOU ADJUST THE NETTING. Nobody wants a finger in their sandwich, plus sandwiches taste better when you have all the digits to hold onto them.
Next; caramelize the onion. I cannot stress enough that caramelizing onions is a SLOW process. You need to cook these on low for about 30-40 minutes until they are literally the color of caramel. If you turn up the heat to get them cooked up, you will just have sautéed onions which isn't bad if you're eating a hamburger. But this is a French Dip and it's that sweet caramelized flavor that really makes this sandwich the bomb. Also, you will need an entire onion, the bigger the better. This cooking process will reduce the volume quite a bit. Don't skimp!
One whole onion pre-cook Onion completely caramelized
As those onions are caramelizing start your au jus. Bring 3 cups of water to a simmer in a very large pot. Use a condensed beef base but measure it out to 3 times the recommended strength for broth. I really like the one pictured below. It comes in the form of a paste and it isn't overwhelmingly salty like bouillon.
Add the 1/2 onion and 1/2 lemon you saved to the au jus pot. If you want to you can even add a little bit of the lamb drippings from your pan if you saved it. It will add more oregano flavor to the au jus. Once the beef base is dissolved, add the meat and simmer until the meat is warmed up.
While the au jus is coming to a simmer, spread a little bottled garlic aioli onto some French bread and toast it on your grill or pop it in the broiler. THIS IS IMPORTANT. Sure, you could just make a sandwich with a plain, room temperature French roll, but toasting it with that garlic aioli will take your sandwich to the next level. The next step is just assembling your sandwich and serving it up with a little cup of the au jus for dipping.
I have served this French Dip several times. I am often told by non-lamb eaters "This doesn't taste like lamb at all" (in a good way). I credit that to the fact that I use a condensed beef base instead of lamb and I smoke the lamb for about 2 hours giving it just a hint of "cow". If you like the taste of lamb I suggest you get a lamb broth base from Amazon as the general manager of the restaurant suggested. I have made it both ways and happen to prefer the beef base over the lamb (it's a lot less expensive too).
The Recipe
Here's what you will need:
3-4 lb. boneless lamb roast
4-5 cloves of garlic sliced thin
1/2 onion whole (plus one additional sliced thinly and reserved for caramelizing)
1/2 of a lemon
1/2 cup of dried oregano (or more if needed)
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup of butter
Condensed beef stock base
Kraft Garlic Aioli
French rolls
Directions:
Fill up your pellet smoker with maple or hickory pellets and heat the smoker to 250 degrees
Rinse lamb and pat dry. Take a sharp knife and slit small holes all over the lamb, just big enough to place a slice of garlic inside
Once all the garlic is inserted into the meat, rub the outside with the 1/2 onion and then repeat with the 1/2 lemon and reserve
Drizzle with the olive oil and COMPLETELY COVER the roast with oregano leaves
Place the meat, the 1/2 onion, 1/2 lemon in a disposable roasting pan and cook in the smoker until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees (this should take about 2-3 hours)
Remove the roast from the smoker reserving the onion and lemon. (optional: you can also reserve the drippings from the pan.)
Tent the lamb with aluminum foil for about an hour, then tightly cover the meat in foil and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. (this makes it easier to slice)
Using a meat slicer or a very sharp knife, slice the meat as thinly as possible
In a sauce pan melt the butter and add the slice onion. Turn the burner on low and cook 30-40 minutes until caramelized.
While the onion is cooking bring 3 cups of water to a simmer in a very large pot. Add beef stock base to 3xs the instructed strength and add the reserved 1/2 onion and 1/2 lemon and 2 tablespoons of the lamb drippings to the pot.
While the au just is coming to temperature, cut open each French roll and spread the garlic aioli inside. Broil, open faced, in the oven or on the grill until just toasted.
Once the stock base is dissolved add the sliced meat to the au jus and heat until the meat is completely warmed up.
Assemble sandwiches by placing a spoonful of caramelized onion in the roll and top with the lamb. Serve with a side of the au jus.
