Mississippi Pot Roast

Mississippi Pot Roast is an easy midweek dinner option or Sunday lunch meal that can be dressed up or dressed down with various side dishes to soak up all that meaty juice.

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Mississippi Pot Roast is an easy midweek dinner option or Sunday lunch meal that can be dressed up or dressed down with various side dishes, like mashed potatoes, to soak up all that meaty juice. Ranch seasoning and pepperoncinis add an unbelievable punch of flavor to this crockpot roast. You can even go a step further and make a flavorful gravy from the juices to slather over roasted veggies alongside your fork-tender pot roast!

Apart from tasting so good, another great thing about this Mississippi Pot Roast is the fact that leftovers can easily be used in sandwiches, wraps, or thrown in to a casserole as this easy Cottage Pie for quick and simple meals, saving you time and money! 

What is Mississippi Pot Roast?

If you’re wondering why this beef roast recipe is named after the state of Mississippi, this variation of pot roast is said to be named after a mom from Riley, Mississippi, who decided to make a pot roast during the 90s with the sweet and mild flavors offered by pepperoncini peppers that wouldn’t be too spicy for her children to enjoy. 

The flavor combinations soon became an instant hit among the locals and are now enjoyed even more so by Southern Cuisine lovers, especially since the advent of the internet and the millions of food blogs sharing it still to this day!

Ingredients for a Mississippi Pot Roast

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 teaspoon each sea salt and black pepper (more or less to taste)
• 2-3 pound boneless beef chuck roast (you can also use a cross-rib roast)
• 1 tablespoon minced onion flakes
• ½-1 packet Ranch seasoning mix
• ½-1 packet Au Jus seasoning
• 6-10 pepperoncinis, whole

How to Make the Pot Roast

Making this roast is quite simple, especially since the crockpot does the heavy lifting! Add some salt and pepper to the roast and sear it in a hot skillet with a couple tablespoons of butter. This will lock in those juices and give it some extra flavor.

Transfer the roast over to the crockpot and then it’s simply a matter of adding all your flavorings – onion flakes, au jus and ranch seasoning, pepperoncinis and more butter!

Now, program your slow cooker on LOW for 8 hours. When the meat is done, it should fall apart easily just by shredding it with two forks. Stir everything together and it’s time to eat!

Variations and Substitutions

• If you don’t have a crock pot or prefer cooking Mississippi roast the traditional way using a dutch oven, then check out my classic Pot Roast recipe for full instructions on how to do so. You can also make an instant pot pot roast – it takes about 1 hour 20 minutes.
• If you’d like a kick of spicy heat to this Mississippi pot roast recipe, then add some Ancho chili sauce or sliced Ancho chilies into the slow cooker.
• If you love gravy with your pot roast, consider adding some of the juice from the slow cooker to a saucepan. Whisk in a cornstarch slurry (mix a teaspoon or two of cornstarch with equal parts water). Simmer the mixture on the stovetop for a few minutes until you get the thickness of the gravy that you desire.
• If you don’t want to use beef, consider making a pork roast instead.

Tips For Making Mississippi Pot Roast

• If you’d like an extra boost of flavor to your pot roast, consider adding in more pepperoncini peppers from the jar.
• You can use any brand of roast labeled as chuck or cross-rib.
• I’ve cooked this pot roast slowly on low heat to get that fork-tender meat texture. You can cook it on high pressure setting of your slow cooker for a reduced time although you won’t achieve the same level of tenderness in your meat. 
• I don’t recommend that you skip the browning of your pot roast in the skillet first before adding it to the slow cooker. Browning the meat over medium-high heat really locks in the juices of the meat and creates additional flavor to the dish overall.
• Be careful of the level of salt that you add to your slow cooker. There is already a healthy dose of sodium from the various ingredients . If you’d like to use salted butter then don’t add salt to the meat when it browns in the skillet. You should also consider low-sodium options for the ingredients listed in the recipe, especially if you are trying to reduce your sodium intake for health reasons. Look for low-sodium options for seasoning and au jus packets are potentially available in stores or online.

5 from 48 votes

Created by: Stefanie

Mississippi Pot Roast

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 hours hours

6

Mississippi Pot Roast is an easy midweek dinner option or Sunday lunch meal that can be dressed up or dressed down with various side dishes to soak up all that meaty juice.

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Ingredients

• ▢ 6 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 2-3 pound boneless beef chuck roast
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced onion flakes
• ▢ ½-1 packet Ranch seasoning mix
• ▢ ½-1 packet Au Jus seasoning
• ▢ 6-10 pepperoncinis whole

Instructions

• Heat 1-2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium high heat.
• Lightly salt and pepper each side of the pot roast (see note about salt). Add the meat to the skillet and sear each side of the roast until browned.
  
• Transfer the browned roast to the crockpot and pour all the excess butter and browned bits from the skillet into the crockpot.
• Sprinkle minced onions over the meat.
• Add contents of ranch seasoning and au jus packets. (Using the full packets of these was too salty and strong for my taste buds, so I prefer using ½ packet each – you'll get plenty of flavor!)
• Top with remaining butter, cut into pieces. Add pepperoncinis to the pot and place the lid on top.
  
• Cook on low heat for 8 hours or until meat falls apart easily when pulled with a fork.
• Shred the meat into large chunks and stir everything together.
  
• Serve with chopped parsley for garnish, if desired.
• Storage:
• Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in a sealed container or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

• This is cooked slowly and on low heat for a nice tender pot roast. Cooking it on the high setting will take less time, but the pot roast will not be as tender.
• If you are pressed on time, skip the step of browning the pot roast before adding it to the slow cooker. However, the browning step adds additional flavor and also helps lock in the juices.
• Be aware of the salt content you’re adding to the slow cooker. If you want to use salted butter, don’t add salt to the meat before browning it. Choose low sodium options for the ranch seasoning and/or au jus packets if available to have more control over the salt level in the finished dish or use just ½ packet each of these seasonings.

Nutrition

Calories: 379kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 134mg | Sodium: 526mg | Potassium: 549mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 405IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 3mg

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