Mississippi pot roast is just maybe the best pot roast ever created! It’s a delicious, fall-apart-tender, fix it and forget it, crockpot wonder that only uses 5 ingredients. It’s so much more flavorful than a standard pot roast and just as easy, if not easier, to put together.
Mississippi Pot Roast
Looking for more dump crockpot recipes?
Try my crockpot pulled pork, my crock pot pork tenderloin when you want a delicious slow-cooked meal and have limited time to prep. My crock pot pork chops are smothered in an amazing gravy and happen to be one of my all-time favorite meals. My slow cooker beef stew is one of the all-time most popular recipes on my site, so I hope you give it a try too!
What is Mississippi Pot Roast?
Mississippi pot roast is a recipe created by a mom named Robin Chapman from Ripley, Mississippi. Her goal was to recreate a less spicy version of her aunt’s pot roast for her kids.
It’s a crockpot cooked beef chuck roast that is seasoned with a packet of dry Au Jus Gravy mix, ranch seasoning mix, whole pepperoncini peppers, and a stick of butter.
The recipe became a huge internet sensation, making regular appearances on Facebook, Instagram and even the New York Times published a version of it.
Why is it called Mississippi Pot Roast? Because the recipe originated in Mississippi!
What does Mississippi Pot Roast Taste Like? A little bit zesty and tangy and wonderfully beefy.
Crockpot Mississippi Pot Roast Video Tutorial
What You Need To Make This Recipe
- a large crockpot-mine is a 6 quart
- a chuck roast
- ranch dressing mix
- au jus gravy mix
- butter
- jarred pepperoncini peppers
Ingredient Notes
The Best Cut of Beef to Use:
- The best cut of meat for this recipe is a chuck roast. The slow, extended cooking time melts the collagen and fat within the roast and produces a delicious melt in your mouth piece of meat. You might see other recipes call for a bottom-round roast. I don’t like to use it because it’s a lot leaner than a chuck roast and can easily come out a bit dry. Stick with a chuck roast!
- Chuck Roast– Use a 3-5 pound well-marbled roast for this recipe. I try to use a 5 pounder because this dish is so popular in my house.
- Peppers – Make sure you use the whole peppers in this recipe rather than the slices because the slices will fall apart too much in the long cooking process.
- Unsalted Butter – This dish tends to be a bit salty because of the au jus and ranch packets. Using unsalted butter, rather than regular, helps to reduce the overall saltiness.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Do you have to sear a pot roast before slow cooking? Nope! In this recipe, there is no need to sear the meat before placing it in the slow cooker. It’s one of those amazing dump and cook recipes!
Is this spicy? No. The pepperoncini peppers add a lot of flavor without adding heat to the roast and gravy. The pepperoncini will of course be hot and spicy if you eat them.
Can you cook this on high? You can also cook this on high in your slow cooker for about four hours.
Can you add potatoes and carrots to this? Yes absolutely. Add potatoes and carrots that have been cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces at step #2 in the recipe instructions below
Can you make a Mississippi pot roast without pepperoncini? Well sure but you’ll miss out on a key flavor element of this recipe. The acidity from the peppers also helps cut through the richness of the meat and gravy.
Can you make a Mississippi pot roast with pork? Yes, and it’s absolutely delicious. Choose a 3 1/2–4-pound boneless pork shoulder roast instead of the roast beef. This pork roast version is a wonderful change to add to your dinner rotation.
How to thicken Mississippi pot roast gravy? The gravy is on the thin side when the roast is finished cooking. To thicken, remove the roast to a platter, turn the crockpot on “high,” and make a simple cornstarch slurry. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 4 tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Slowly stir the slurry into the crockpot, adding just enough of the slurry to achieve the desired thickness. You may not add all of it.
Is this keto-friendly? Yes, if made as written below without thickening the gravy or adding any optional carrots and potato carbs. To serve it as a low-carb meal, serve over cauliflower rice or mashed cauliflower.
How To Make Mississippi Roast In The Oven?
- Preheat oven to 275°F.
- Place the roast in a Dutch oven.
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Sprinkle the Au Jus Gravy mix and ranch seasoning mix over the roast.
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Place the stick of butter and Peppercinis on top and pour 1/2 water around the roast.
- Bake in preheated oven for 4-5 hours, or until roast is fork-tender and falling apart. Turn roast halfway through cooking.
How to Make Mississippi Roast in an Instant Pot:
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Place roast in the bottom of your instant pot.
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Sprinkle the Au Jus Gravy mix and ranch seasoning mix over the roast.
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Place the stick of butter and Peppercinis on top and pour 1/2 water around the roast.
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Close the lid and set the steam release knob to the sealing position.
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Press the manual button then the +/- button to select 60 minutes. High Pressure. It will take several minutes to build pressure.
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When the cooking cycle ends, let the pot sit undisturbed for up to 15 minutes, until the pressure naturally releases and goes back to normal.
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After the natural pressure release, turn off the pot and manually release the remaining pressure by turning the steam release knob to the venting position.
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When the pin in the lid drops back down, carefully open the lid away from you.
Serving Recommendations
I like to serve this slow-cooker dish over mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles to soak up the gravy. A few of my favorite pot roast sides are my roasted broccoli and brown sugar carrots. They round out the meal nicely.
How to Store and Make Ahead
Storing/Freezing Tips, Serving Recommendations Faqs
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Your roast will stay fresh and delicious in the fridge for up to 3-4 days but don’t expect it to sit around that long. All you have to do is cover it tightly with aluminum foil or cling wrap….or you could transfer to an airtight container. The thing is this pot roast is so tasty people will come looking for it and it makes some fantastic sandwiches!
- Can You Freeze This? Yes! You can freeze your cooked pot roast or just the leftovers for 2-3 months. Let it cool completely before preparing it for the freezer (but not more than 2 hours). Store it in a freezer-safe bag with the juices to prevent the meat from drying out. Slow thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Make-Ahead Tips: You can toss everything in the crockpot, cover it up and leave it in the fridge overnight. That way the next day all you have to do is grab the insert and turn it on. Of course, you can always go the freezer route but it’s just so good fresh!
- Leftovers: Any leftover shredded Mississippi roast also makes great sandwiches. Pile some on top of your favorite toasted hamburger bun or hoagie roll, along with some homemade buttermilk ranch dressing and extra sliced pepperoncini, or maybe some melted mozzarella and thin-sliced, sweet onion.
More Favorite Crockpot Comfort Meals:
- French Dip Sandwich
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Crockpot Chicken Chili
- Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings
- Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops
Mississippi Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 1 (3-5 pounds) chuck roast
- 1 package Au Jus Gravy mix
- 1 package dry ranch dressing mix
- 5-6 whole pepperoncini peppers
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Place the chuck roast (1 (3-5 pounds)) in a large crockpot.
- Sprinkle the au jus mix (1 package) and the dry ranch mix (1 package) evenly over the roast. Top with pepperoncini peppers (5-6) and stick of butter. Cover.
- Cook on low for 8 hours or until roast is fork-tender. Using 2 forks, shred the meat. Remove meat and pepperoncini to a platter. Whisk all the cooking liquids together and spoon over the meat. Sprinkle meat with chopped parsley (2 tablespoons) and serve.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- The best cut of meat for this recipe is a chuck roast. You might see other recipes call for a bottom-round roast. I don't like to use it because it's a lot leaner than a chuck roast and can easily come out a bit dry. Stick with a chuck roast!
- Chuck Roast- Use a 3-5 pound well-marbled roast for this recipe. I try to use a 5 pounder because this dish is so popular in my house.
- Peppers - Make sure you use the whole peppers in this recipe rather than the slices because the slices will fall apart too much in the long cooking process.
- Unsalted Butter - This dish tends to be a bit salty because of the au jus and ranch packets. Using unsalted butter, rather than regular, helps to reduce the overall saltiness.
- Do you have to sear a pot roast before slow cooking? Nope! In this recipe, there is no need to sear the meat before placing it in the slow cooker. It's one of those amazing dump and cook recipes!
- Is this spicy? No. The pepperoncini peppers add a lot of flavor without adding heat to the roast and gravy. The pepperoncini will of course be hot and spicy if you eat them.
- Can you cook this on high? You can also cook this on high in your slow cooker for about four hours.
- Can you add potatoes and carrots? Yes absolutely. Add potatoes and carrots that have been cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces at step #2 in the recipe instructions below
- Can you make this without pepperoncini? Well sure but you'll miss out on a key flavor element of this recipe. The acidity from the peppers also helps cut through the richness of the meat and gravy.
- Can you make this with pork? Yes, and it's absolutely delicious. Choose a 3 1/2--4-pound boneless pork shoulder roast instead of the roast beef. This pork roast version is a wonderful change to add to your dinner rotation.
- How to thicken the gravy? The gravy is on the thin side when the roast is finished cooking. To thicken, remove the roast to a platter, turn the crockpot on "high," and make a simple cornstarch slurry. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 4 tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Slowly stir the slurry into the crockpot, adding just enough of the slurry to achieve the desired thickness. You may not add all of it.
- Is this keto-friendly? Yes, if made as written without thickening the gravy or adding any optional carrots and potato carbs. To serve it as a low-carb meal, serve over cauliflower rice or mashed cauliflower.
So easy. Yum
Thanks, Averie! 😀
I recently made this for the first time. It tasted delicious but the meat didn’t fall apart like I expected it to. I have a family of 6 so I used a 5lb chuck roast and cooked it on low for 8 hours. What would you suggest to get the meat fall apart tender next time? Longer cook time on low or higher cool time for the first hour then low for 8 hours?
Hi Lisa. It just sounds like your roast was a large one and needed more cooking. If you run into that again, just extended the cooking time until it’s fork tender <3
I dint have the au jus gravy. Would lipton onion mix be alright for an alternative?
Hi Kim! I haven’t done that yet before but I think you can give it a try!
I actually ran into this same issue and used lipton onion soup mix. It was still awesome! I made it again last night and decided to use beef gravy mix and it was incredible as well.
I made my au jus seasoning from scratch and it’s amazing. Pinterest has the dry au jus seasoning recipe.
I put the whole jar of pepperoncinis in. Very tasty!
Ooooh glad to hear you enjoyed it, Marie! 😀
This was absolutely fantastic!! This time im trying in in my ninja foodi ill let you know how it comes out!
So happy you enjoyed, Jacquelin <3 Look forward to hearing back from you about the Ninja!!
Marie, did you put in the liquid as well? I’ve done this before, because I love the vinegary bite!
I was told to add aclarge peeled potato to anything that’s too salty to draw the salt out….
SO GOOD! I pan seared and used the oven method. Meat was tender and flavor was delicious! Will make this again. Thank you for sharing
You’re welcome, Heather! 😀
This is the BEST pot roast ever. I make no other because it is not only easy but the flavors are so good. Served with mashed potatoes, real comfort food made simple.
Thanks, James! So happy you enjoyed it! 😀
I can’t wait to try this. Have you tried with veggies such as carrots and potatoes? I am wondering if I add those if I should add some broth?
Hi, Hogg! No, I haven’t tried adding veggies yet but you could definitely add them, with or without some broth. Hope this helps! 😀
The roast was extremely tender and tasty but a little salty. I definitely want to make it again but Is there anything I can do to cut the salt?
Hi Donna! You could try cutting down on the au jus gravy mix. Hope this helps!
Unsalted butter.
I add baby carrots and baby yellow potatoes in the last 1 -1 1/2 hours of cooking and it’s delicious. The baby potatoes are so good with this that I don’t add anything to them. I eat them whole. I also don’t add any liquid and it’s still perfect.
This was INCREDIBLY salty! Even my boyfriend who is a salt addict said it was too much. I was really bummed because it smelled amazing and would’ve been great if it wasn’t so salty. I think next time I’ll only use half of the au jus packet.
Did you use salted butter? I always use unsalted. I have never found it too salty, and I usually add a whole jar of pepperoncinis, along with the liquid. I also usually use about a 4 lb roast.
Can I add bacon ends to this?
Hi Mack! Yes, you can 🙂
Would this come out ok if I put my roast in partially frozen?
Yes, you will just need to extend the cooking time a bit <3
Hi! I am using a 1.5 lb chuck roast because it’s just my boyfriend and I. Should I use half the packets and half a stick of butter? Thank you!
I’d just use the rest of the ingredients as written <3
Am I supposed to put all the juices of the pepperochis in with the roast?
Hi Desiree. I don’t usually add any extra pepperoncini juice, that said, I know a lot of my readers add a bit (not a lot) of it before cooking.
I am cooking this recipe. Now but forgot the pepperonicini
Have you made this recipe with potatoes, carrots & onions?
Hi Marilyn. No, I haven’t. 🙂
I made this tonight and 2 hours before cooking time was up I added in baby carrots and onion slices. It was so good! I also added salt/pepper to the meat before adding the other ingredients 🙂
Hey Elizabeth. Thanks for responding about adding the veggies. So glad you enjoyed!! <3
This was so good, it was the best roast beef I’ve ever eaten, so tender and delicious!!! This is going to become a staple at our household. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this roast Angela! <3
Hi there! Is the nutrition at bottom per serving or for the whole dish?
Thanks
Hi, Vicky! Thanks for asking. I now corrected the data, and it reflects the amount per serving. Enjoy! <3
Best pot roast I’ve ever had. It was absolutely delicious, and my whole family loved it. Thank you!
Thank you, Michelle! ? It’s so great to hear that you and your fam enjoyed it!
Hi, I not a fan of the peppers in this recipe,, what other types of peppers could I use?
Thanks ?
Hi Corrin!
Good question. You could try some traditional bell peppers, sweet baby bells or some poblano peppers. They are all mild (no heat) and great flavor for pot roast. Would one of those work for you? Hope this helps.
I can’t use slow cooker I have to use the oven ,what temp and hours will i have to use to cook in the oven ?
Hi Anna. Add all the ingredients in a large baking dish cover tightly with foil. Bake at 325°F for about 1 hour per pound.