I’ve you’ve never had Mississippi Pot Roast, you’re in for a surprise!
What Is Mississippi Pot Roast?
Think — your favorite pot roast, but with a unique twist! This roast begins (like most others) with a beef chuck roast and is then seasoned with two seasoning packets — ranch and au jus. We add a little butter on top, some pepperoncini peppers, and a little liquid from the jar. And that’s it!
How To Make Mississippi Pot Roast (Video)
Set the slow cooker to cook and before you know it you’ll be rewarded with deeply flavorful and ridiculously tender meat. This may just be your new favorite meal!
By the way: when we use the term ‘crockpot,’ we’re referring generically to slow cookers. Crock-pot is a registered trademark of the Rival Corporation, but has entered into our language as a word that describes any and all slow cookers.
How To Make Mississippi Pot Roast
The full recipe card is below; here are our top tips for this recipe:
- Don’t skip searing the beef. This adds a nice crust which will create a much deeper flavor and yield a better texture of meat.
- In our humble opinion, a beef chuck roast — especially a well-marbled one–is the best roast for this recipe! The beef cooks to be so tender, it literally falls apart.
- Use good seasoning mixes. We like Hidden Valley Ranch®’s seasoning mix best (not sponsored) and have found other ranch packets to lack flavor or be too salty. McCormick® makes our favorite au jus seasoning packet.
What To Serve With Mississippi Pot Roast
- Potatoes. Probably the most traditional way is with Mashed Potatoes (or try these Crockpot Mashed Potatoes), but you can’t go wrong with potatoes in any form — these Smashed Potatoes and these Roasted Potatoes are excellent sides. Or whip up a Baked Potato, mash the insides a little, and spoon the meat and juices right on top!
- Roasted veggies. The meat is very rich, so it’s nice to offset that a bit with some color and crunch. Try one of the following on the side: Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Carrots, Roasted Asparagus, Roasted Green Beans, or Roasted Cauliflower.
- Salad. Some crunchy lettuce with fresh veggies is another welcome side to offset the meat’s richness. Try our favorite Caesar salad, Italian Salad, Garden Salad, or Olive Garden Salad.
- Crusty buttered bread. Crusty bread or warmed Dinner Rolls are the best to sop up the extra sauce from this Mississippi Pot Roast recipe!
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (3 lbs.) boneless beef chuck roast
- 1 (1 oz) Ranch salad dressing & seasoning mix (Note 1)
- 1 (1 oz) Au Jus gravy mix
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 10 pepperoncini peppers (plus 1/2 cup of brine/surrounding liquid)
- For serving: mashed potatoes or crusty sandwich rolls and Provolone cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
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PREP BEEF: Remove beef from packaging and pat all over with a paper towel to thoroughly dry. We don’t need to season the meat here because there is so much salt in the seasoning mixes!
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CHAR BEEF: See Note 2. Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven (or oven-safe, heavy-bottomed pot) over medium-high heat. Once you can feel the heat when you hold your hand 6 inches above the pot, load in the beef. Brown for about 5 minutes or until you get a nice crust and it releases easily from the pan when lifted. Flip and brown for another 5 minutes. Don’t skip this step– we are adding layers of flavor here. Once the beef is nicely seared with a good crust, remove it from the Dutch oven and place it in the slow cooker. Reduce heat to low and pour 1/2 cup pepperoncini brine into the Dutch oven. Stir and scrape off any browned bits left behind (loads of flavor!), and then scrape every bit into the slow cooker.
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SEASON: In the slow cooker, sprinkle the entire packages of ranch and au jus seasoning mixes right over the beef.
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FINISH: Add the 4 tablespoons butter (cut into 1 tablespoon pieces) and 10-12 pepperoncini peppers. No need to add any extra liquid beyond this.
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COOK: Cover and cook on LOW for 7-9 hours or until beef is very tender and succulent. Alternatively, cook on high for 5-7 hours. (we don’t find the beef as tender when cooked on high, but it works.)
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SHRED: Use tongs to remove the roast to a plate. Shred with two forks, discarding any fatty bits, and then return shredded meat to the liquid. Mix through. Serve the pot roast over mashed potatoes or pile onto rolls and top with Provolone cheese. (Note 3)
RECIPE NOTES
Note 1: Seasoning packets. We like Hidden Valley Ranch®’s seasoning mix best in this recipe — be sure to get the “salad dressing and seasoning mix,” not their other varieties. We’ve found other brands to lack flavor or be too salty. McCormick® makes our favorite au jus seasoning packet.
Note 2: Slow cooker with sauté function. If you have a slow cooker with a sauté function, brown the chuck roast right in that base. After browning, remove the chuck roast to a separate plate and deglaze the bottom of the slow cooker with the 1/2 cup pepperoncini brine. Then return the chuck roast and continue on with the recipe.
Note 3: Pot roast sandwiches. We love piling the leftover meat on a buttered bun, topping it with Provolone cheese, and broiling it in the oven until toasty and cheese is melted. Dip the sandwich in the juices left behind in the crockpot.
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