For good reason, Mississippi pot roast has grown in popularity as comfort food. It is effortless to prepare, only uses a few ingredients, and provides unbelievably tender and tasty meat as if you had devoted an entire day to cooking.
My version uses a slow cooker, which is the ultimate in prepare-it-and-forget-it meals, and it turns a tough, inexpensive roast into a tender and flavorful dish with almost no effort required from you.
Tools & staples that make these recipes faster;
- A programmable slow cooker lets the Mississippi pot roast cook tenderly with minimal effort
- A pair of tongs makes handling the roast easy without breaking it apart
- A sharp chef’s knife helps chop vegetables quickly and safely
- Beef broth keeps the roast juicy and flavorful throughout cooking
- Dijon mustard adds a tangy depth that elevates the classic Mississippi flavor
Ingredients
For the Pot Roast
- 3-4 pound beef chuck roast
- 1 packet ranch seasoning mix (about 1 ounce)
- 1 packet au jus gravy mix (about 1 ounce)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 8-10 pepperoncini peppers
- 1/4 cup pepperoncini juice from the jar
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Optional for serving:
- Fresh parsley, chopped
- Mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice
- Crusty bread for soaking up the gravy
Instructions
Prepare the roast
Pat the chuck roast completely dry with paper towels.
This step is important because any surface moisture will prevent proper browning if you choose to sear it first.
If your roast came tied with butcher’s twine, leave it on to help the meat hold its shape during the long cooking time.
Season both sides of the roast generously with black pepper and garlic powder, pressing the seasonings into the meat with your hands so they adhere well.
Prepare the slow cooker
The chuck roast goes into the slow cooker as is; there’s no need for any added liquid, as the roast will provide plenty of juice while cooking.
Plus, the butter and juice from the pepperoncini will be more than enough.
For especially large roasts, you may find it helpful to cut them in half to get them to fit.
Season the meat
Start with the ranch seasoning mix, and then add the au jus gravy mix as well.
There’s no need to mix them thoroughly first.
Just sprinkle them over the meat.
You will ensure the blend of flavors as they cook.
Some ranch seasoning may be more or less to personal preference, and adjusting one will likely require an adjustment to the other to get a balanced flavor.
Gently rub the seasoning into the meat’s surface to ensure it sticks to the roast.
Add the butter with the pepperoncini.
The butter is melted and helps to coat the roast and adds flavor as well, and a lovely gravy is formed with the butter and roast beef juice.
The pepperoncini will be tangy and slightly spicy and will provide a lovely balance to the rich butter and beef.
Cook low and slow
Cover the slow cooker and set it to low for 8 hours, or high for 4 to 5 hours.
The roast is done when it becomes easy to pull apart with two forks.
The meat should fall apart with little pressure, and the thickest part should be 190 to 200°F.
Avoid peeking to maintain the internal heat; otherwise, the cooking time extends.
Shred and serve
After the time is up, carefully move the roast to a large cutting board.
Use two forks to shred the meat apart and discard large fatty pieces you feel.
The roast should be tender enough to fall apart.
Return the shredded beef to the slow cooker and stir it into the cooking liquid.
Let it sit, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes for the meat to absorb the sauce.
Once you’re done, you can taste and check if anything needs more black pepper.
The ranch dressing and au jus gravy mixes are usually pretty salty, so you probably won’t need to worry about them being too salty.
Mississippi pot roast can be served over creamy mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or plain white rice, and don’t forget to drizzle plenty of buttery pepper gravy.
For a touch of freshness, you can add freshly chopped parsley as a garnish.
Recipe Notes
It is important to choose the right cut of meat. For this specific recipe, the best choice will be a chuck roast.
It is because it will be cut and cooked with a good amount of connective tissue and fat, so it will become tender and juicy after it has been fully cooked and will become even more tender after it has been left to cook slowly.
Do not use cuts such as a round roast or sirloin, as those will dry out.
Be sure to include the pepperoncini juice. It may be tempting to use only the peppers, but the brine provides a necessary tang to the sauce and lightens the dish a bit.
Without it, the sauce would be too rich and heavy, and the Mississippi pot roast would taste like a regular pot roast.
The brine also helps to break the meat down, making it fall-apart tender.
Think about searing the meat first. It’s not necessary, but it does make a difference.
It takes a mere 3-4 minutes on each side and adds a brown crust that helps deepen the dish.
It adds complexity to the flavors and is worth the extra 10 minutes to prep.
Just make sure the meat is as dry as possible, and the skillet is very hot to get that great caramelisation.
Adjusting heat level
Tolerance to spice varies from person to person.
For instance, kids tend to dislike most spices.
If this is a concern, it is best to cut down on the number of pepperoncini to about 4 or 5, or even just use the juice from the container.
The dish is mildly spicy, but if that is a concern, the heat can easily be adjusted.
For more heat, adding a few dashes of hot sauce or including some of the pepper seeds from the pepperoncini jar will do just fine.
Ingredient Swaps For Crockpot Mississippi Pot Roast
Slightly lightening the dish can be a possible alternative if one wants to reduce the butter.
This would mean only using 4 to 6 tablespoons, and the sauce wouldn’t be as rich or luxurious as the recipe intended.
Ghee is always a great alternative and will also add a usable nutty flavor.
Olive oil could also do the job.
Just be mindful that the dish will lack a great deal of the buttery richness that this dish is supposed to have. But it is there if you need it.
Making your own seasoning
If you need ranch or au jus packets and don’t have any on hand, improvisations can be made by creating a ranch seasoning of your own by combining 1 tablespoon of dried parsley, 2 teaspoons of dried dill, 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, 2 teaspoons of onion powder, 1 teaspoon of dried chives, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.
For the au jus seasoning, you can mix 2 tablespoons of beef bouillon granules, 1 tablespoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.
Pepper substitutes
If you don’t have pepperoncini or want to try a different twist, you can use banana peppers, which have the same tangy taste and mild heat.
For a different taste, you can use pickled jalapeños for extra heat or roasted red peppers for sweetness without heat.
Just know that switching out the peppers will lead to different taste results for your dish.
Using different proteins
The same technique will work wonderfully with pork shoulder or pork butt, which will also become tender and flavorful just like the beef and will take a similar amount of time to cook.
You can also use chicken thighs, though they will take only 4-5 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high, and the dish will have a lighter taste.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerator storage. Store leftovers of Mississippi pot roast in an airtight container for 4 days.
To keep the meat from drying out, keep it submerged in the cooking liquid.
When you’re ready to eat it again, the fat from the butter may have solidified on top, you can skim this off for a lighter dish or stir it in for all the heaviness.
Freezer storage
This recipe also freezes beautifully for 3 months.
Let the meat cool completely, then, along with plenty of the cooking liquid, transfer to freezer-safe containers or heavy-duty freezer bags.
Remove as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn.
Make sure to label with the date and contents.
Best to thaw overnight in the fridge before you reheat.
Conclusion
This is one of those recipes that proves simple ingredients can create magic.
When you eat that tender, tangy, buttery beef, Mississippi pot roast will become a staple in your dinner rotation.
Healthy Crockpot Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe
For good reason, Mississippi pot roast has grown in popularity as comfort food. It is effortless to prepare, only uses a few ingredients, and provides unbelievably tender and tasty meat as if you had devoted an entire day to cooking.
My version uses a slow cooker, which is the ultimate in prepare-it-and-forget-it meals, and it turns a tough, inexpensive roast into a tender and flavorful dish with almost no effort required from you.
Ingredients
- Ingredients
- For the Pot Roast
- 3-4 pound beef chuck roast
- 1 packet ranch seasoning mix (about 1 ounce)
- 1 packet au jus gravy mix (about 1 ounce)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 8-10 pepperoncini peppers
- 1/4 cup pepperoncini juice from the jar
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Optional for serving:
- Fresh parsley, chopped
- Mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice
- Crusty bread for soaking up the gravy
Instructions
Instructions
Prepare the roast
Pat the chuck roast completely dry with paper towels.
This step is important because any surface moisture will prevent proper browning if you choose to sear it first.
If your roast came tied with butcher's twine, leave it on to help the meat hold its shape during the long cooking time.
Season both sides of the roast generously with black pepper and garlic powder, pressing the seasonings into the meat with your hands so they adhere well.
Prepare the slow cooker
The chuck roast goes into the slow cooker as is; there's no need for any added liquid, as the roast will provide plenty of juice while cooking.
Plus, the butter and juice from the pepperoncini will be more than enough.
For especially large roasts, you may find it helpful to cut them in half to get them to fit.
Season the meat
Start with the ranch seasoning mix, and then add the au jus gravy mix as well.
There's no need to mix them thoroughly first.
Just sprinkle them over the meat.
You will ensure the blend of flavors as they cook.
Some ranch seasoning may be more or less to personal preference, and adjusting one will likely require an adjustment to the other to get a balanced flavor.
Gently rub the seasoning into the meat's surface to ensure it sticks to the roast.
Add the butter with the pepperoncini.
The butter is melted and helps to coat the roast and adds flavor as well, and a lovely gravy is formed with the butter and roast beef juice.
The pepperoncini will be tangy and slightly spicy and will provide a lovely balance to the rich butter and beef.
Cook low and slow
Cover the slow cooker and set it to low for 8 hours, or high for 4 to 5 hours.
The roast is done when it becomes easy to pull apart with two forks.
The meat should fall apart with little pressure, and the thickest part should be 190 to 200°F.
Avoid peeking to maintain the internal heat; otherwise, the cooking time extends.
Shred and serve
After the time is up, carefully move the roast to a large cutting board.
Use two forks to shred the meat apart and discard large fatty pieces you feel.
The roast should be tender enough to fall apart.
Return the shredded beef to the slow cooker and stir it into the cooking liquid.
Let it sit, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes for the meat to absorb the sauce.
Once you’re done, you can taste and check if anything needs more black pepper.
The ranch dressing and au jus gravy mixes are usually pretty salty, so you probably won’t need to worry about them being too salty.
Mississippi pot roast can be served over creamy mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or plain white rice, and don’t forget to drizzle plenty of buttery pepper gravy.
For a touch of freshness, you can add freshly chopped parsley as a garnish.
Notes
Recipe Notes
It is important to choose the right cut of meat. For this specific recipe, the best choice will be a chuck roast.
It is because it will be cut and cooked with a good amount of connective tissue and fat, so it will become tender and juicy after it has been fully cooked and will become even more tender after it has been left to cook slowly.
Do not use cuts such as a round roast or sirloin, as those will dry out.
Be sure to include the pepperoncini juice. It may be tempting to use only the peppers, but the brine provides a necessary tang to the sauce and lightens the dish a bit.
Without it, the sauce would be too rich and heavy, and the Mississippi pot roast would taste like a regular pot roast.
The brine also helps to break the meat down, making it fall-apart tender.
Think about searing the meat first. It’s not necessary, but it does make a difference.
It takes a mere 3-4 minutes on each side and adds a brown crust that helps deepen the dish.
It adds complexity to the flavors and is worth the extra 10 minutes to prep.
Just make sure the meat is as dry as possible, and the skillet is very hot to get that great caramelisation.
Adjusting heat level
Tolerance to spice varies from person to person.
For instance, kids tend to dislike most spices.
If this is a concern, it is best to cut down on the number of pepperoncini to about 4 or 5, or even just use the juice from the container.
The dish is mildly spicy, but if that is a concern, the heat can easily be adjusted.
For more heat, adding a few dashes of hot sauce or including some of the pepper seeds from the pepperoncini jar will do just fine.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8 servingsServing Size:
About 4-5 ounces of shredded beef with sauceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 420Total Fat: 28ggCholesterol: 135mgmgSodium: 980mgmgCarbohydrates: 4ggProtein: 38gg