This Mississippi pot roast recipe is the famous chuck roast cooked low and slow in a crock pot with pepperoncinis and seasonings until fork tender, so good! Make it tonight!
Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast is So Good!
We're cooking up a big crock pot full of Mississippi Pot Roast in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen today, my friends. This is an update from the recipe I did years ago.
I originally made it for the now defunct "Chile Pepper Magazine" when they asked me for ideas for their "One-Pot" cooking issue, I knew I had to make Mississippi Pot Roast. You’ve probably seen a recipe for Mississippi Pot Roast when it almost broke the Internet a few years back.
It has spread like digital wildfire, finding its way onto blogs of every type and published pages galore.
By the time everyone knew about it, I still hadn't tried it. I make slow cooker beef roast all the time. My thought was, how could this recipe be so special? Does it really taste THAT good?
I had to know for myself.
And just so you know, the answer is a resounding YES.
Where Did Mississippi Pot Roast Come From?
It's an interesting story, really. It started when a couple of Mississippi natives put the recipe in their church cookbook and it eventually took off, mostly because it’s so darned tasty.
So, full disclosure - this is NOT my recipe. I didn't invent it, but after making it and trying it for myself, I can certainly say - YES! I really like Mississippi Pot Roast in the crock pot!
Good stuff, my friends. The combination of ingredients truly melds with beef that is slow cooked until it is deliciously fork tender. Patty and I were practically eating the roast out of the pot.
I won't say it's the absolute BEST crock pot beef roast I've ever made, but DANG if it isn't up there, which is sort of surprising because of the ingredients list. I think I want to make this with a pork roast next. Where's my pork shoulder?
Seriously, I'd eat this any time, all day long. Want to watch me eat a whole pot roast? Make this for me.
Let's talk about how to make Mississippi pot roast, shall we?
Mississippi Pot Roast Ingredients
- Chuck Roast. You can make this with other cuts of meat, but chuck roast is by far the best.
- Seasonings. Salt and black pepper. You can use others, but this is the traditional recipe.
- Flour. For coating the beef.
- Vegetable Oil. To brown the meat. Olive oil is good.
- Butter. I use unsalted butter and add salt to taste.
- Pepperoncini Peppers. Pepperoncini peppers and their juices are key to this recipe, making it quite unique. You won't get a lot of heat from them, but delicious flavor. I applaud the use of them!
- Beef Broth. You can use other broths or stock, or just use water. If needed.
- Homemade Ranch Dressing. Mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, dried dill, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and buttermilk.
- Cornstarch Slurry. For the gravy. Use cornstarch and water or milk.
How to Make Mississippi Pot Roast - the Recipe Steps
FOR THE MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST
Season the Roast. Season roast with salt, pepper and flour. Be sure to coat all sides. I like to cut the meat into chunks for faster cooking, but you can cook the roast whole if you prefer.
Brown the Meat. Heat the oil to medium heat in a pan and sear the cubed roast on one side for about 5 minutes, then flip and sear another 5 minutes. Sear the sides of the roast a couple minutes each as well. Once you've seared the roast, add it to a crock pot or slow cooker or Instant pot.
Make the Ranch Dressing. In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, dill, paprika, Worcestershire, hot sauce and buttermilk. Pour into the crock pot and stir.
Butter and Pepperoncini Peppers. Add the butter, pepperoncinis and beef broth. Just toss them in. Use a whole stick of butter, and scatter the peppers.
Cook Low and Slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or on HIGH for 5-6 hours, or until the meat is fork tender. Low is recommended for this recipe.
Look at how tender the meat gets. So tender and juicy!
Shred the Meat. Transfer the tender meat to a bowl with 1 cup of the cooking liquid and shred with forks.
MAKE GRAVY
Strain the Cooking Liquid. Strain the remaining cooking liquid and add to a sauce pan. Heat to medium heat.
Reserve the Pepperoncinis. Most recipes toss out the pepperoncini peppers, but I like to cut them up and stir them into the dish. More flavor for me!
Thicken the Gravy. Stir the cornstarch and water together to form a slurry. Pour into the pan and stir, heating, until the mixture thickens into a gravy. Should take a few minutes.
Serve the Roast. Serve with your favorite mashed potatoes with gravy. Add extra pepperoncinis if you'd like. My mom always served pot roast with mashed potatoes and carrots. YUM.
Boom! Done! Your melt-in-your-mouth, juicy Mississippi pot roast is ready to serve. So easy to make in the crock pot, isn't it? I love this recipe. This version is very easy and incredibly delicious. Such great flavor. Extra pepperoncinis for me, please!
I hope your family loves it.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Original Mississippi Pot Roast. The original recipe calls for beef, butter, au jus gravy mix and a package of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (dry ranch dressing and au jus), along with pepperoncini peppers. I like to stay away from the dry packet stuff, so am sharing a slightly altered version that is just as tasty.
- Oven Cooking. You can also make this in a Dutch oven or large pot. Simply brown the meat and make the ranch dressing per the recipe, add everything to a Dutch oven or oven safe pot, then cook in the oven at 250 degrees F for 5-6 hours, or until the meat is fork tender. I should do a pressure cooker version. Cook it up quick!
- Heat Factor. Mississippi pot roast isn't meant to be spicy. The only real spiciness comes from the inclusion of pepperoncini peppers, which have a little bit of a kick, but not much for the seasoned chilihead. I added extra pepperoncinis to my recipe, though feel free to adapt and include as many as you'd like. The recipe can stand up easily to more of them. Feel free to slip in a few hotter peppers, too, for a nice adaptation.
Let me know what you think! You've probably made this by now already! Send your thoughts! If not, give it a go, asap, and send word. I hope you enjoy it.
Adapted from: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017937-mississippi-roast
Try Some of My Other Popular Related Recipes
- Feisty Italian Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Chili Rubbed Prime Rib Roast with Horseradish Cream Sauce
- Chili Rubbed Rump Roast with Chipotle Gravy
- Slow Cooker Corned Beef - How To
- Slow Cooker Corned Beef with Guinness Gravy
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.
Crock Pot Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 boneless chuck roast cubed/cut into large chunks, about 3 pounds
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 stick butter
- 8 ounces pepperoncini peppers or more to your preference
- 1/2 cup beef broth (or use water)
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon your favorite Louisiana style hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon buttermilk optional
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons water
Instructions
FOR THE MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST
- Season roast with salt, pepper and flour. Be sure to coat all sides.
- Heat the oil to medium heat in a pan and sear the cubed roast on one side for about 5 minutes, then flip and sear another 5 minutes. Sear the sides of the roast a couple minutes each as well. Add to a crock pot or slow cooker.
- Homemade Ranch Dressing. In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, dill, paprika, Worcestershire, hot sauce and buttermilk. Pour into the crock pot and stir.
- Add the butter, pepperoncinis, and beef broth.
- Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or on HIGH for 5-6 hours, or until the meat is fork tender. Low is recommended for this recipe.
- Transfer the tender meat to a bowl with 1 cup of the cooking liquid and shred with forks.
MAKE GRAVY
- Strain the remaining cooking liquid and add to a sauce pan. Heat to medium heat.
- Stir the corn starch and water together to form a slurry. Pour into the pan and stir, heating, until the mixture thickens into a gravy. Should take a few minutes.
- Serve with your favorite mashed potatoes with gravy.
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 2/21/22 to include new information and photos. It was originally published on 2/19/18.
Ian M says
Hello again Mike, first off the dish came out fantastically, my friends loved it and even after convincing them to try the peppers, which they did like. Now I think I got the scaling worked out, you start with the roughly 3 lb roast and the numbers in the front related to how much of that 3 lbs gets used, at least that is how I read it now, but the main thing is it is a fantastic recipe
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks for letting me know, Ian. Very happy you all enjoyed it. I appreciate it.
Ian M says
Hi Mike, I enjoy your recipes and am making the pot roast this weekend, my comment is in regards to the scaling, it does not matter how many servings I enter, the amount of chuck stays at 3 lbs, but the number at the beginning does change, and not sure what that front relates to.
Mike Hultquist says
Sorry, Ian. I'm not sure why the scaling mechanism isn't working properly, but I will look into that.
JoAnn V says
I made this on Memorial Day with a pot roast I had in the freezer. I used 1 C of my homemade chicken stock from the freezer, layered the bottom of the crock with whole pepperocinis, and put the browned meat on top of the pepperocinis. I then added another layer of pepperocinis on top of the meat and the entire stick of butter. I cooked on low heat for hours until the meat just fell apart. It was delicious. I strained the liquid and made gravy. I served it over baked potatoes. The only problem is that this was way too salty. I think I won't salt the meat next time and I will only use half the butter and will make sure it is unsalted butter. Today, I made up some horseradish sauce and we are having the meat on rolls with horseradish sauce. This is one easy and fabulous recipe. I guess if I didn't add so many pepperocinis it might not have been so salty but OMG, thank you for this easy and wonderful recipe.
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome!! Glad you enjoyed it, JoAnn! Thanks for sharing!
Jeanette Dibbens says
Do you add any liquid? I hat to put some beef broth in it.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Jeanette, yes, you can add 1/2 to 1 cup, as desired. I updated the recipe to make that clearer.
Bill Krumbein says
Michael,
You do know your stuff! I’m really enjoying your site.
Your mention of Chile Pepper Magazine brought back fond memories. Was sad to see it go.
The good news, your blog here is just as good.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks a lot, Bill. I greatly appreciate it. Man, I do miss Chile Pepper Magazine. What an inspiration for me for so many years. It was a THRILL when I got to write/work for them, which lasted a few good years. Sad to see them go, but I'll keep crankin' here, doing what I love. Thanks for your comments. =)
Rob A says
I'm a little unsure about the meaning of 'cubed' for the roast. Sounds like you're browning the top, bottom and edges of the entire roast initially in the recipe, but then there's a mention of cubed. I take 'cubed' to mean cut up into cubes of some dimension. Can you clarify? Thanks. I love the chili pepper focus of your recipes and trying them out. Never disappointing.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hey, Rob. Really try to cut the roast into roughly square-ish chunks about 3 inches wide. They won't all be perfect, but will help with even cooking. I hope this helps! I made a clarification in the post.
Dave C says
I recently discovered Mississippi pot roast. Gotta say, it's that best pot roast recipe I've ever eaten. The last time I made this I added a few Italian sweet peppers out of a jar. They added another dimension of flavor without adding much heat. Definitely worth trying.
Love your addition of a homemade ranch dressing, and the detailed meat prep instructions, thanks.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Dave. I appreciate it. Yes, such an interesting recipe! Simple, too. I love the extra focus on the pepperoncinis. Quite delicious!
Mary L Johnson says
Not a big fan of ranch dressing. If left out, would it make a lrg. difference in the taste? Any other substitutes that one can use?
TU
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Mary. The original recipe calls for a packet of ranch dressing mix, so it's really a part of the recipe and the flavor would be affected without it. That said, of course you can substitute it and still make it delicious. Try the equivalent amount of sour cream mixed with water to thin, maybe a bit of milk, or even just a bit of stock. Let me know how it goes for you.
Pauline says
I am from Australia, just a little unsure of ingredients in the Pot roast. What is a “stick of butter”. Please tell me in ounces or grams.
Thanks.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Pauline, 1 stick of butter = 4 ounces or 8 tablespoons. I hope this helps!
My Name says
How many pepperoncinis are in 8oz? They come in a jar with liquid. Do I use 8 fl oz of liquid or do i drain the liquid and use half of pound of peppers by weight?
REPLY: Just use the whole 8 ounce jar, or to your own preference. You can drain the liquid. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
RisaG says
I've made this a couple of times in my Instant Pot. 90 min done and shredded. It's fabulousI. It's not spicy like ppl think. Just flavorful.
Yvonne says
Wow this looks so good must try I'll let you all know how it comes out