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This easy Mississippi pot roast recipe is made by slow-cooking a beef chuck roast in a crockpot with ranch and au jus seasonings, a generous amount of butter, and whole pepperoncini peppers.
Mississippi roast is one of those rare recipes that took the internet by storm, not because it’s fancy, but because it’s incredibly simple, ridiculously flavorful, and deeply satisfying.
Its fame originated in Ripley, Mississippi, where a home cook named Robin Chapman sought a milder alternative to a traditional roast recipe.
She famously swapped out the original spice mix for a packet of ranch seasoning, unintentionally stumbling upon what would become a viral sensation.
This slow cooker Mississippi pot roast recipe serves eight and is perfect for Sunday dinners, holiday meals like Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, or anytime you’re craving something without spending hours in the kitchen.
The success of this dish relies on specific timing and temperature controls, particularly the long braising duration that breaks down the tough connective tissue in the chuck roast.
✅ Take a moment to read through the whole post for the ingredient list, expert tips, and equipment suggestions. The full recipe is right below.
Key Ingredients of This Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe
This Mississippi pot roast recipe is famous for its short list of ingredients, each playing a crucial and irreplaceable role in achieving the dish’s signature rich, tender, and tangy flavor:
1. Beef Chuck Roast
- Chuck roast is the preferred cut due to its high connective tissue and marbling, which makes it perfect for the long, slow braising for tender results.
- It is rich in fat and collagen, and when slowly cooked, it converts to gelatin, guaranteeing the meat becomes fork-tender, juicy, and shreddable.
2. Ranch Seasoning Mix
- This dry seasoning packet adds a subtle herby flavor that balances the richness of the beef and butter.
- The ranch blend contributes hints of garlic, onion, and dill that tie the whole dish together, giving the pot roast its signature savory undertone without overpowering the meat.
- For health-conscious preparation, use only two-thirds of the packet or opt for a homemade low-sodium seasoning blend to control the final salt level.
3. Au Jus Gravy Mix
- This packet provides the core salty, umami beef flavor and helps thicken the cooking sauce slightly into a rich gravy base.
- You can use a low-sodium beef bouillon or broth base in combination with this packet to balance the richness without adding unnecessary salt.
4. Unsalted Butter
- The addition of butter, often placed right on top of the roast, is essential for the dish’s decadent mouthfeel.
- As the butter melts and renders into the cooking liquid alongside the beef’s own rendered fat, it creates a rich, creamy sauce that permeates the meat, carrying the fat-soluble flavors deep into the roast.
- Unsalted butter is preferred to manage the sodium already contributed by the seasoning packets.
5. Whole Pepperoncini Peppers & Brine
- These pickled Italian peppers are the “secret weapon” that prevents the dish from becoming overwhelmingly rich.
- The pepperoncini themselves add a mild, manageable heat, but the brine (the pickling liquid poured over the meat) provides the necessary acidity (vinegar) and salt to cut through the heavy fat and butter.
- This balance of fat, salt, and acid is the culinary genius behind the Mississippi roast’s addictive flavor.
Essential Tools for Making This Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipe
While this Mississippi roast is simple to make, having the right kitchen tools ensures you achieve that perfect, shreddable texture and maximum flavor.
- 10-Quart Slow Cooker (Crockpot): This crockpot provides the consistent, low heat necessary to convert the chuck roast’s tough collagen into smooth, tenderizing gelatin.
- Large, Heavy-Bottomed Skillet or Dutch Oven: This equipment is crucial for the advanced technique of searing the chuck roast, ensuring even, high-heat distribution.
- Kitchen Tongs: Essential for safely maneuvering and flipping the heavy, hot chuck roast during the high-heat searing process without piercing the meat and losing precious juices.
- Digital Meat Thermometer (Probe): The most reliable way to know your roast is done is when the internal temperature reaches between 200°F and 205°F.
- Fat Separator: Once the meat is shredded, the sauce can be strained into this tool, allowing the layer of rendered fat and butter to rise to the top.
- Two Forks: You’ll need these to shred the beef once it’s tender. Alternatively, meat shredding claws work great too.
Why You’ll Fall in Love with This Mississippi Roast
This particular slow cooker pot roast iteration has achieved global fame for good reason. It consistently delivers an incredible meal with minimal fuss, making it a guaranteed addition to your regular cooking rotation:
- Effortless Preparation: The active prep time for the entire dish is often under 15 minutes, even when including the recommended searing step.
- Incredible for Meal Prep: A standard 3 to 4-pound roast easily yields up to 8 generous servings, and leftovers store wonderfully in the refrigerator for up to five days.
- Easily Customizable: This Mississippi roast recipe can easily be made gluten-free or dairy-free by using certified gluten-free seasoning packets and substituting the butter with a quality dairy-free alternative.
- High in Protein: Beef chuck is rich in protein, providing over 40 grams per serving to help support muscle repair, promote fullness, and maintain overall body strength.
- Rich in Essential Micronutrients: Beef is naturally rich in B vitamins such as Niacin, B6, and B12, and it also provides about 4.7 mg of iron per serving, which is essential for healthy oxygen transport in the blood.
- Keto and Low-Carb Compatibility: Beef, butter, and seasonings are naturally low in carbohydrates, making this recipe an excellent choice for keto and low-carb diets, with only about 2 grams of carbs per serving.
What to Serve with Crockpot Mississippi Pot Roast
Because the Mississippi roast is intensely rich, savory, and tangy, the best side dishes serve to either absorb the decadent gravy or provide a sharp, cool contrast to balance the palate.
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes: A classic pairing, creamy mashed potatoes serve as the perfect base to soak up every drop of the rich, zesty gravy (jus).
- Rice or Egg Noodles: These make great alternatives to mashed potatoes, providing a mild, comforting base that balances the bold, savory flavors of the Mississippi pot roast.
- Light, Fresh Salads: Light, refreshing salads such as a crisp coleslaw or a Shirazi salad made with cucumber, tomato, onion, and a zesty lemon dressing provide the perfect contrast to the roast’s richness.
- Honey Glazed Carrots: The subtle sweetness and tender crunch of honey-glazed carrots, which only take about 20 minutes to prepare, provide a delightful counterbalance to the savory beef.
- Sandwiches (French Dip Style): For a delicious twist, shred the Mississippi roast and layer it on toasted hoagie rolls, then serve with a small bowl of the reserved jus for dipping.
- Cauliflower Mash: For those following a low-carb or keto diet, cauliflower mash is the perfect substitute for mashed potatoes without the extra carbs.
Tips for Making the Best Mississippi Pot Roast
To elevate your crock pot roast from simple to extraordinary, a few professional techniques make all the difference, focusing primarily on flavor development and proper cooking mechanics:
1. Sear for Maximum Flavor
Never skip the sear as it’s one of the most important steps for building flavor.
Browning the chuck roast in a hot skillet for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side creates a rich, caramelized crust that adds incredible depth to the final dish.
For even better results, consider cutting a large 4-pound roast into two thick pieces before searing to ensure more surface area for that beautiful crust to form.
2. Capture the Fond (Deglazing)
After searing the beef, don’t let those flavorful brown bits (fond) go to waste, as they hold a deep, rich flavor that can take your roast to the next level.
To capture the fond, pour in a bit of low-sodium beef broth while the pan is still hot and gently scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon.
This process, known as deglazing, releases all that caramelized goodness and infuses it directly into your cooking liquid for a richer, more flavorful sauce.
3. Cook to Temperature (205°F) Not Time
One of the most common mistakes when making Mississippi pot roast is taking it out of the slow cooker too early.
While it might look done on the outside, the interior fibers and connective tissue need more time to break down for that signature tenderness.
For truly effortless shredding, the collagen in the beef must fully melt into gelatin, and this transformation happens when the internal temperature reaches between 200°F and 205°F.
Always use a meat thermometer to check, and if the roast still feels firm or resists a fork, continue cooking until it becomes fall-apart tender.
4. Control Sodium
Traditional ranch mix and au jus packets are often quite high in salt, which can easily make the dish overly seasoned if not balanced properly.
To keep the flavors in check, use unsalted butter and low-sodium beef broth, and try adding only about two-thirds of each seasoning packet.
The roast naturally develops a rich, bold flavor as it cooks, so there’s rarely a need for any extra salt.
5. Refine the Gravy
During the long cooking process, a good amount of fat and butter naturally melts into the cooking sauce, creating a flavorful but sometimes heavy jus.
After shredding the beef, pour the liquid or sauce through a strainer into a fat separator or let it rest so the fat rises to the top.
Skimming the excess grease leaves you with a cleaner, richer, and healthier sauce that you can pour back over the shredded meat before serving.
Final Remarks
This Mississippi pot roast is very simple to make, yet it still delivers tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef infused with buttery, tangy, and mildly spicy flavors that make every bite pure comfort.
Use less butter for a lighter version, add a few carrots or baby potatoes for a heartier one, or turn the leftovers into incredible sandwiches or sliders the next day.
Pair it with creamy mashed potatoes, fluffy rice, or cauliflower mash for a delicious meal that suits any occasion, from cozy weeknight dinners to laid-back Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
If you give this slow cooker Mississippi pot roast a try, we’d love to know how yours turns out.
Share your take, swap a few tips, or drop your thoughts in the comments.
Scroll down for the full recipe and cooking instructions just below.
Best Crockpot Mississippi Pot Roast
This Mississippi pot roast recipe serves eight and is made by slow-cooking a beef chuck roast in a crockpot with ranch and au jus seasonings, a generous amount of butter, and pepperoncini peppers.
Ingredients
How to Make Mississippi Pot Roast (Step-By-Step Instructions)
Prepare the Beef
- Start by trimming any excess fat from the beef chuck roast.
- You want a nice balance, enough fat to keep the roast juicy, but not so much that it makes the sauce greasy.
- Pat the beef dry with paper towels to help it brown slightly in the slow cooker.
Sear the Chuck Roast
- Season the beef chunk lightly with freshly ground black pepper.
- Heat the neutral oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering and almost smoking.
- If the roast is very large, cut it into two or three thick, large pieces before searing.
- Carefully place the roast (or pieces) into the hot oil.
- Sear undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until a deep brown crust forms.
- Once seared on all sides, immediately transfer the roast to the bottom of your crockpot.
Build the Flavor Liquid
- Reduce the heat on the skillet to low.
- Pour the low-sodium beef broth into the hot skillet.
- Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the flavorful browned bits (fond) stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the dry au Jus gravy mix and ranch seasoning mix into the deglazing liquid and stir slightly.
- Let the mixture simmer briefly until bubbling.
- Then pour this highly concentrated, flavorful liquid over the seared roast in the crockpot.
Layer the Ingredients in the Crockpot
- Pour the pepperoncini pickling juice (brine) over the roast.
- This acidic component is crucial for balancing the richness and assisting in the meat’s tenderization.
- Scatter the 12 whole pepperoncini peppers around and on top of the roast.
- Place the 4 to 6 pieces of unsalted butter directly on top of the roast.
- The butter will slowly melt and permeate the meat, contributing to the dish's signature richness.
Slow Cook the Chuck Roast
- Cover the crockpot tightly with its lid.
- Cook on the low setting for 8 to 10 hours.
- If you are short on time is short, cook on high setting for 4 to 6 hours.
- Resist the urge to lift the lid too often.
- The roast is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 200°F to 205°F.
Shred the Meat
- Once fully cooked, carefully remove the roast to a clean cutting board.
- Shred the meat thoroughly with two forks, discarding any large, un-rendered pieces of fat or gristle.
- Strain the sauce from the slow cooker into a tall measuring cup.
- Let the fat to separate and rise to the top, then use a fat separator or spoon to skim off the excess grease.
- Return the shredded meat to the crockpot and pour the de-fatted sauce back over the meat.
- Toss the shredded meat gently into the sauce so it soaks up every drop of flavor.
Serve & Enjoy
- Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if needed. (It’s usually perfect as-is.)
- Garnish with fresh parsley for a pop of color, and serve warm with your favorite sides.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 8
Serving Size Approximately 4 ounces (112g) of shredded beef with gravy
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 470kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 31g48%
- Saturated Fat 15g75%
- Cholesterol 165mg56%
- Sodium 890mg38%
- Potassium 765mg22%
- Total Carbohydrate 2g1%
- Dietary Fiber 1g4%
- Sugars 0.5g
- Protein 43g86%
- Vitamin A 450 IU
- Vitamin C 8 mg
- Calcium 40 mg
- Iron 3.8 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
- The slow cooker lid should not be lifted during the cooking process until at least the 8-hour mark (when cooking on low).
- If using full seasoning packets, avoid adding any extra salt to the meat or the broth, as the packets provide sufficient salinity.
- Do not add excessive liquid as the chuck roast and butter naturally release significant moisture as they cook, providing more than enough liquid for the braise.
- The beef chuck roast is ready only when it is truly fork-tender, confirmed by an internal temperature of 200°F to 205°F.
