This Mississippi Pot Roast recipe makes one mouthwatering meal! An easy dinner idea made with slow-cooked chuck roast, ranch seasoning and pepperoncini peppers.
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The Best Mississippi Pot Roast
If you’re a fan of fall-apart tender chuck roast, then you have to try this Mississippi Pot Roast recipe. Made with only 5 ingredients, it is seriously the most delicious pot roast you will ever eat! And best of all, your crock pot does all the work for you.
This is one of those dinner ideas where you can just put all the ingredients in your slow cooker and walk away. Get your pot roast started in the morning, then come home to a hot dinner and a kitchen that smells like cozy comfort food.
What is Mississippi Pot Roast?
Mississippi Pot Roast is a simple crock pot recipe that’s made with chuck roast. This cut of meat is inexpensive and easy to find at the grocery store. So not only is this recipe super easy, but it’s also super affordable!
This pot roast recipe has a meaty, garlicky flavor with a bit of tang from the ranch dressing and a touch of crisp sweetness from the peperoncini peppers.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s a closer look at those ingredients, with a bit more detail about each one. (Note: for the full recipe card with amounts and other info, scroll down to the bottom of this post.)
- Chuck Roast: Hearty chuck roast is my go-to cut of beef for pot roast. It has a ton of flavor, and with a long cooking time, it becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender. Other good choices include brisket and round.
- Ranch Dressing Mix: Dry ranch seasoning is a versatile seasoning blend that packs a punch, without being “spicy” or “hot.”
- Au Jus Mix: For a really meaty gravy taste, a package of au jus mix can’t be beat!
- Butter: Real butter, salted or unsalted. Keep in mind that with two different gravy mixes, the dish can get a bit salty. You can always add a little water halfway through cooking if it’s too salty for your taste.
- Pepperoncini: These pickled peppers are easy to find in the section of your grocery store with the pickles and olives.
Can I use beef broth instead of au jus?
I wouldn’t use beef broth because it will add a significant amount of liquid to the dish. But a good substitute for the au jus mix is brown gravy mix. You could also use onion soup mix.
How to Make Mississippi Pot Roast
One of the best things about this recipe is how easy it is to make! It truly is a “set it and forget it” dinner. Here’s how to make it:
- Combine the Beef and Seasonings. Place the roast in a slow cooker liner (or directly into your Crock Pot insert, if you don’t use a liner). Sprinkle with the ranch seasoning and au jus seasoning.
- Add Butter and Pepperoncini. Cut the butter into pats, and scatter them over the beef. Add the pepperoncini as well.
- Add Brine. Pour in 1/2 cup (or more) of the pepperoncini liquid. At this point, you can tightly close the liner (I use a big clip to keep it closed) and freeze the mixture until you’re ready to cook it.
- Slow Cook. Place the bag of ingredients in your slow cooker, and spread the edges of the liner over the upper edges of the Crock Pot insert. Cook the pot roast on LOW for 8 hours.
- Shred and Enjoy! Once the beef is tender, shred it with two forks, and serve.
Can I Meal Prep This Recipe?
100%. If you use a slow cooker liner you can prep all the ingredients a few days ahead and then store them in the fridge. This way you can just pop everything in the slow cooker the morning of. If you don’t use a slow cooker liner, you can use a large ziploc bag and then just dump everything into your crock pot when you’re ready to make this meal.
You can also freeze the ingredients after they are prepped in your liner or ziploc bag. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using, or adjust the cooking time by adding about 30 min to account for the ingredients being so cold when they start cooking.
Tips for Success
Here are a few of my favorite tricks for the best pot roast:
- Use a Slow Cooker Liner. I know, I know, I’ve mentioned these already, but seriously, slow cooker liners are my favorite things ever, because you have almost zero clean-up after (just the plates and utensils). When dinner is over, you just take the bag out and toss it in the garbage.
- Watch the Salt! I recommend tasting the sauce halfway through cooking (when the meat is done but not yet tender) for salt. If it’s too salty, and add water as needed. Then the meat can finish cooking in the less-salty sauce and you’ll have a tastier result.
- Tender = Well Cooked. When it comes to chuck roast, the more you cook, the more tender the beef will get. Until it’s falling apart… and then you need to stop cooking it, or it will dry out! So test the meat at about 4 hours and see if it’s tender. From there, check at least every hour. Once the meat is falling apart, turn off the slow cooker, and shred the meat in the sauce.
Serving Suggestions
You can do all kinds of things with Mississippi pot roast! It’s wonderful with smashed potatoes, corn on the cob, etc. Or you can pile it onto buns with some Pepper Jack or Swiss cheese, for a fantastic sandwich. I’ve even seen people make nachos with it!
Here are some easy sides that go perfectly with this mouthwatering roast:
- Mashed Potatoes: Guys, these are not just any mashed potatoes. Amish Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes take the beloved classic to a whole new level! You’ll love the sweet-salty flavor of browned butter in these creamy, dreamy potatoes.
- Homemade Rolls: Set out a basket of these easy Homemade Whole Wheat Rolls, and watch them disappear! The gentle sweetness of homemade rolls is perfect with tangy Mississippi pot roast.
- Popovers: Believe it or not, popovers are not just for breakfast! These go really well with a tender roast and are perfect for sopping up every last bit of gravy.
- Glazed Carrots: Carrots are a no-brainer with pot roast, but I particularly like the way the honey in these Easy Honey Glazed Carrots sets off the pepperoncini in the Mississippi roast!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- To refrigerate leftover pot roast, store the meat and the sauce in an airtight container and place in the fridge. It will keep for up to 4 days.
- To freeze, pack the meat with the sauce into freezer containers or bags. Freeze for up to two months. Thaw before reheating.
- To reheat, just place the desired portion in a covered skillet or saucepan over low heat. Allow to heat until the meat is piping hot all the way through and the sauce has come to a boil.
FAQs
This recipe was originally developed by Robin Chapman of Ripley, Mississippi, which is where the name comes from. But she didn’t call it “Mississippi Pot Roast,” she just called it a roast. Chapman was trying to tweak a family recipe that was too spicy for her kids, when she hit on the magic combination of ranch dressing mix, au jus gravy mix, butter, and pepperoncini peppers.
This recipe takes 5 minutes of prep, then the pot roast cooks in your slow cooker on low for 8 hours. Don’t rush it – the low and slow cooking method is what makes the meat so tender.
Mississippi Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chuck roast
- 1 packet ranch dressing mix
- 1 packet au jus mix
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 6-8 pepperoncini pickled hot peppers
Instructions
- Place the roast in a slow cooker liner.
- Sprinkle over the ranch mix and the au jus mix.
- Place pats of the butter, and the Peperoncino over the roast.
- Pour in 1/2 cup (or more) Peperoncino brine. (At this point, you can tightly close the liner, and freeze for up to 3 months.)
- Place the liner in a slow cooker, and open up the liner to fit over the edges.
- Cook on LOW for 8 hours.
- When the roast is falling-apart tender, shred it with two forks in the sauce. Serve.
Last Step:
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- 1 slow cooker liner
Nutrition
