Mississippi Pot Roast

A chuck roast, ranch, gravy mix, butter, and a few pepperoncini — five things in the crock pot, and eight hours later the most tender roast you have had.

I had heard of a Mississippi Pot Roast before but I never had the pleasure of actually tasting one before. Good Heavens this roast is delicious.

In the past I have always used gravy mix as a part of my chuck roast crock pot recipes. But, I had never used ranch dressing – this among a couple other ingredients make this roast absolutely fantastic!

Let me tell you all about how I make this delicious dinner.

The Roast That Made Me a Believer

It’s officially fall in Iowa and I for one am loving it. I’m loving the crisp mornings, the leaves crunching underneath my toes, and of course I’m loving the delicious & hearty fall food.

The roasts, the soups, the creamy side dishes, the ciders and the red wines.

Needless to say, I love everything about fall. And, that might have a bit to do with the fact that I love my crock pot.

You guys, I am not lying when I say that I am a lazy cook. Lazy, lazy, lazy and I love my crock pot for that reason.

The slow cooker literally does all of the work for you in this chuck roast crock pot recipe. It’s dump and go and I love that (don’t you too?!).

I had to do a quick search on where the term Mississippi Pot Roast came from – you guys, it originally made its print debut in a church cookbook.

If you have a church cookbook, go get it and dig through it — the BEST recipes are in the church cookbooks! Partly because they’re timeless classics and partly because no one would submit a gross recipe right?!

The hardest part of this meal will be working on and figuring out what to serve on the side. I know it’s not hard to believe, but I almost always pair a chuck roast or brisket with mashed potatoes.

My Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes are my go-to side dish for these. It’s just like peanut butter and jelly. They go together perfectly. The fact that mashed potatoes are one of our son’s favorite foods makes them even easier to muster up, of course!

OK, first things first. This Mississippi pot roast slow cooker recipe uses Kerrygold Butter and I’m pretty sure that is something that you’re going to want to take special note of.

The butter does matter in this roast simply for the fact that there’s only five ingredients, so their quality is pretty important. And, Kerrygold butter is so, so creamy.

From deciding the brands of ingredients, that’s about all there is to it – this is a dump and go recipe.

Here’s how you whip this delicious crock pot dinner up:

The Five Ingredients (That’s the Whole List)

This is a whole new world of delicious from the get go – absolutely divine!

1 (3-4 pounds) chuck roast

1 packet ranch dressing mix

1 packet beef gravy mix

4 oz. butter

4-5 pepperoncini peppers

How to Make Mississippi Pot Roast:

Place chuck roast in the crock pot and sprinkle meat with ranch dressing mix and gravy packet. Place pads of butter on top of roast, and next add the peppers to the top of the roast.

When your roast is done you can choose to keep the peppers with the roast, or toss them. If your family likes spice, keep them – and you can even add more in the assembly process.

Or, toss them after baking (but don’t leave them out altogether, they add so much flavor!)

Cook over low heat for 8 hours. Serve with mashed potatoes, noodles or rice.

Enjoy!

What is Mississippi Pot Roast?

Mississippi Pot Roast, as you can likely tell is a chuck roast with all sorts of amazing flavors. They seem a little odd at first, but I can guarantee that once you whip this roast up, you’ll be impressed!

Can You Cook Mississippi Pot Roast on High?

You sure can! In the crock pot decide whether you’ll cook the roast on high for four hours or cook on low for eight hours.

When I have the time I prefer to cook on low, but high will get the job done, too.

Can you Freeze Mississippi Pot Roast?

Yes! Want to prepare this to put in the crock pot at a later time? I recommend keeping all of the ingredients in their original packaging, freezing the roast.

When you’re ready to prepare the roast, simply thaw the roast in the fridge, and pour in all other ingredients. The preparation for this dinner is so, so simple.

Is Mississippi Pot Roast Spicy?

Depending on how many pepperoncini peppers you use it can get spicy. But you can control the heat by adding less and/or taking the peppers out before serving.

What Each of the Five Ingredients Does

The chuck roast

A three to four pound chuck roast is the right cut, and I would not swap it. Chuck has the fat and connective tissue that melt over eight hours into meat you can shred with a fork.

Leaner roasts like round or sirloin tip dry out in the crock pot no matter how long they cook. Chuck gets better the longer it goes.

Ranch dressing mix

One packet of ranch seasoning brings the herbs, the garlic and onion powder, and the buttermilk tang. It sounds odd on beef until you taste it.

Use the dry mix, not bottled dressing. The packet dissolves into the juices, and bottled ranch would just break in the heat.

Beef gravy mix

One packet of beef gravy mix adds the deep beefy flavor and thickens the juices as the roast cooks. Au jus mix is the swap most recipes use, and it works too.

The butter

Four ounces is one full stick, and it is not a typo. It bastes the roast as it melts and turns the juices into something you will want to spoon over everything.

This is where the Kerrygold comes in. With only five ingredients, a creamy butter is one of the few places you can actually taste the upgrade.

Pepperoncini

Four or five pepperoncini on top add a tang that cuts through all that butter. They are mild peppers, so the finished roast is not spicy with that amount.

A spoonful of the brine from the jar is a trick worth trying. It adds the same brightness without any extra pepper pieces.

Step by Step, With the Details That Matter

Pick the right size roast

A three to four pound roast fits a standard six quart crock pot with room for the juices. A bigger roast crowds the pot and cooks unevenly.

If your roast is tied with string, leave it on. It holds the shape during cooking and comes off easily when you shred.

To sear or not to sear

I do not sear this one, and it is still the most tender roast I make. Dump and go is the whole appeal.

If you have ten extra minutes and want a deeper crust, brown it in a hot skillet first. It adds flavor, but the roast is excellent without it.

No water, no broth

There is no liquid in the ingredient list on purpose. The roast releases a lot of juice as it cooks, and the butter adds more.

Adding broth or water thins out the ranch and gravy flavor. Trust the recipe and keep the lid on so nothing cooks off.

Low for eight hours

Set it on low, cover it, and walk away. There is no need to stir or flip the roast. Opening the lid lets heat out and adds time.

At eight hours a fork should slide in and twist with no resistance. If it still fights you, give it another thirty to sixty minutes.

Shred it in the juices

Pull the roast apart with two forks right in the crock pot and let the shredded meat sit in the juices for ten minutes before serving. It soaks the flavor back up.

The Gravy at the End

The juices left in the crock pot are the gravy, and they are the best part. Skim the fat off the top with a spoon if there is more than you like.

For a thicker gravy, whisk a tablespoon of cornstarch into two tablespoons of cold water and stir it into the hot juices. Cover and give it ten minutes on high.

Spoon it over the meat, the potatoes, and anything else on the plate. I have been known to save the leftover gravy on its own.

Ways to Serve It

Over mashed potatoes

This is the classic. My Instant Pot mashed potatoes are ready in fifteen minutes, which is about how long the roast takes to rest and shred.

On sandwiches

Pile the shredded beef on toasted hoagie rolls with a slice of provolone and a few of the pepperoncini. Serve the juices on the side for dipping, like a French dip.

Over egg noodles or rice

Wide egg noodles or plain white rice soak up the gravy just as well as potatoes do. Both are faster on a weeknight.

In tacos

Leftover roast in warm tortillas with a little shredded cheese and the chopped pepperoncini makes a second dinner nobody complains about.

Leftovers, Reheating and Freezing

In the refrigerator

Store the shredded meat in its juices in a covered container for up to four days. Keeping it in the liquid is what keeps it from drying out.

Reheating

Warm it in a covered pan over low heat with a spoonful of the juices, or in the microwave at half power. High heat makes shredded beef tough.

Freezing the cooked roast

Cooked roast freezes well for up to three months, again in its juices. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and reheat it gently.

Questions I Get About This Roast

Can I make it in the Instant Pot?

Yes. Use the same five ingredients with a cup of beef broth added for pressure, and cook on high pressure for about sixty minutes with a natural release. My Instant Pot pot roast post walks through the timing.

Is it salty?

The ranch and gravy packets carry a lot of salt, so do not add any. If your family is sensitive to it, use half of each packet the first time and adjust.

Can I add potatoes and carrots to the crock pot?

You can. Cut them in big chunks and tuck them around the roast at the start. They will be very soft at eight hours, which some people love.

Does it really need no water?

It really does not. If you are nervous, add a quarter cup of broth, but no more. The roast makes its own liquid.

Can I use a frozen roast?

A frozen roast will not reach a safe temperature fast enough in a crock pot. Thaw it in the refrigerator first, which takes a day or two for this size.

More Crock Pot Beef Dinners

• Crock Pot Beef and Noodles
• Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
• Crock Pot Shredded Beef Tacos
• Pulled Beef in the Slow Cooker
• Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

Make this, you won’t regret it!