Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe
Mississippi pot roast is the ultimate excuse to bust out your slow cooker. Also, in case you were wondering, the Mississippi pot roast does, in fact, claim origins in the state of Mississippi.
Recipe developer and dedicated food blogger Laura Sampson of Little House Big Alaska got rave reviews for this Mississippi post roast recipe from fans and family alike. She tells us, "This is very popular roast recipe, until I made it, I was unsure of the flavor. When my son, who doesn't care for meat, ate four servings I realized why this recipe is so popular!"
Sampson gives a super simple play-by-play of how to make this roast in a slow cooker. The results speak for themselves and the recipe does not require a lot of time or ingredients. Read on for more details than you could ever need about how to perfect this Mississippi pot roast in your own kitchen.
Gather the ingredients for the Mississippi pot roast
Any time you cook a huge hunk of meat, it feels like it's going to be a massive undertaking but we're happy to report that this slow cooker Mississippi pot roast recipe does not involve a lot of fancy tools or an excessive amount of ingredients.
You'll need a 3 to 4-pound chuck roast, 2 tablespoons of oil (vegetable, canola, olive, coconut — it's going to be used for browning the roast so the type of oil isn't super important), a packet of powdered ranch dressing, a packet of au jus gravy powder, 4 tablespoons of butter, and 1/2 cup of sliced pepperoncini peppers (or six whole peppers).
You'll also need a Dutch oven large enough to hold the roast since the first step requires you to brown it on the stove prior to putting it in the slow cooker. If you don't have a slow cooker, keep reading, because you do have the option to make this bad boy in a regular oven too.
Brown the Mississippi pot roast in a Dutch oven before transferring to the slow cooker
In a heavy Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium. When the Dutch oven is hot, add the meat. Sear the roast on all sides. You might wonder why this step is necessary, if the meat is about to go into a slow cooker for several hours. This step isn't about cooking the meat, it's about taste and texture down the line. "I like to brown meats before putting them in the Crockpot because it gives them a nice deep brown finish. It also makes the finished product tastier by caramelizing the exterior a bit," explains Sampson.
Just to reiterate for the oil component in this step, Sampson confirms, "I use light olive oil but any cooking oil can be used." The important part is to make sure the meat is evenly browned so no need to overthink the type of oil you're using.
Season the Mississippi pot roast with ranch and au jus
After you've transferred the roast to the slow cooker, it's time to add the powdered seasonings. Sprinkle the top with a layer of ranch dressing seasoning, followed by the au jus powder. This is a pretty big piece of meat so that's why this Mississippi pot roast recipe does call for using the entire packet for each of these ingredients.
Keep in mind if you're planning to make this roast as a form of meal prep for yourself for the week, three to four days is probably as long as you want to keep the leftovers in the fridge.
Add pats of butter to the top of the Mississippi pot roast
Once the seasoning has been sprinkled in all its glory, place the four tablespoon pats of butter on top of the roast. It seems like there should be more to this step but as you can see, it's pretty straightforward. Cut slabs of butter then put them on top of meat — it doesn't get much easier (or more delicious) than that. You can use salted or unsalted butter for this Mississippi pot roast recipe.
At this point you might be wondering what to serve alongside this roast. While it slow cooks, you can work on accompaniments. We asked Sampson for suggestions. "Mashed potatoes, a huge chunk of bread, or a baked winter squash all make a nice side. A fresh green salad is never wrong though!" This meat might also be great in a stew for leftovers if you've got any type of veggie or beef broth on hand.
Put peppers on top of the Mississippi pot roast
The peppers are the final addition to the Mississippi pot roast, before moving to the slow cookin' phase. You can either use half a cup of sliced pepperoncini peppers or six whole peppers. Does someone in your house have an aversion to peppers? First of all, we are so sorry. A household of both non-spicy and spicy people is often a household that's bitterly divided.
We checked with Sampson on whether the pepperoncini peppers are a non-negotiable requirement for this Mississippi pot roast recipe. She informed us that technically you don't have to use the peppers but "they're kind of a tasty addition and they're not too spicy." We think they add a necessary tanginess and kick to the recipe so you'd be wise to leave them in, and ensure the spice-avoider that pepperoncini peppers are pretty low-key when it comes to fire burning spice levels.
Cover and cook the Mississippi pot roast
Now comes the best part, when you get to do nothing, for the most part. Cook the pot roast covered on the low heat setting for eight hours, or until the meat is tender. Two or three times over the course of the eight hours, you will need to baste the roast.
How do you baste something in a slow cooker and do you need one of those giant rubber syringe looking tools? The short answer is, no. "In this context, it [basting] means spooning juice over the roast. Although turning it works too," ensures Sampson. So you can either spoon the juice from the bottom of the cooker onto the top of the roast two or three times, or you can actually turn the entire hunk of meat, which is probably a little more work, and will become even trickier as the meat gets more tender.
How long do you have to wait to serve this roast after pulling it out of the slow cooker? "I think letting it rest for about ten minutes is great. Then I slice and serve," says Sampson.
You can also cook the Mississippi pot roast in the oven
Good news, you can bust out this Mississippi pot roast with a traditional oven to. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. After browning the roast, remove it from heat but keep it in the Dutch oven. Then add the seasoning, butter, and peppers, as the recipe instructs. Then place the Dutch oven in the real oven and bake the roast for three to four hours, also basting occasionally throughout cooking time.
There isn't really an advantage either way, except the slow cooker is easier if you need to go anywhere while it cooks. Sampson says, "I think the slow cooker is so easy and hands-off you can drop it in early and not worry about it again." This is a perfect example of making dinner in the morning when you might have more energy, then coming home at night and being so grateful that all the cooking was already done (by you).
- 3-4 pound chuck roast
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 packet ranch dressing/seasoning mix
- 1 packet au jus mix
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup sliced pepperoncini peppers or 6 whole peppers
- In a heavy Dutch oven on the stove, heat the oil over medium. When the oil is hot, brown the roast on all sides.
- Transfer the roast to the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle the roast with the ranch seasoning and au jus powder.
- Add pats of butter to the top of the roast and place your peppers over the top as well.
- Cover and cook on low 8 hours or until tender. Baste 2 to 3 times while cooking.
- To cook in the oven: preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and leave the roast in heavy-duty Dutch oven after browning. Proceed with the layering directions and bake for 3-4 hours, basting occasionally.