If you’ve ever been nervous about cooking an entire chuck roast, this delicious crock pot Mississippi Pot Roast recipe is seriously fail-proof and perfect for beginners! I use 5 simple ingredients to create this meaty, fall-apart tender dish that’s loaded with a tangy, flavorful gravy. The hands-on prep time is minimal, and the slow cooker does most of the work, so I can set it and forget it until dinner time! Yes, pot roasts can get a bit pricey, but this recipe makes a LOT of meat and feeds my family for days (plus it freezes well, too!).
Mississippi pot roast is a slow-cooked beef dinner made from chuck roast and simple pantry ingredients. While they use the same cut of meat, this recipe differs from a traditional pot roast as it’s flavored with ranch seasoning, tangy pepperoncini peppers, and brown gravy mix (I know it sounds odd, but this recipe is a sum of its parts, I promise!). It’s said to have been invented in the 1990s by Robin Chapman, a mom from Ripley, Mississippi, who was modifying her aunt’s pot roast recipe to make it less spicy for her kids. This recipe had a resurgence in recent years thanks to social media, and I’m so excited to share my take on it with you!
My coworker Marsha is my go-to when it comes to the honest truth about pot roasts because her family LOVES them, and I will tell y’all, this one is Marsha-approved! ;)
Here’s what you’ll need to make a Mississippi pot roast in a crock pot:
Check out the price differences on the seasoning packets, ya’ll! I spent $0.54 for the Walmart store brand “ranch seasoning” packet vs. $2.98 for the brand name Hidden Valley! Then, I only spent $0.34 for the store brand “brown gravy” mix versus $1.56 for “au jus.” Trust me; they end up tasting exactly the same (i.e., incredible in this Mississippi roast recipe! Trust me, I tried them both when testing.) Let me save you 3 bucks and some change! Go for the store brand…no need to spring for the name brands in this recipe.
I usually serve this homemade Mississippi pot roast with mashed potatoes and green beans. But if you want to try something different, I recommend my mashed potato casserole or our colcannon recipe. They’re both starchy and soak up the gravy from this roast, but they’re a delicious step up from traditional mashed potatoes! Roasted carrots and an easy side salad would also make this a well-balanced meal.
There’s a good chance you’ll have some leftovers from this tasty roast—it makes a lot! To store, let it cool completely and then transfer it to an airtight container. Keep in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for 2-3 months. I recommend letting it thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating. You can either reheat this recipe in the microwave or on the stovetop. Add a little water or beef broth if it’s looking a little dry during reheating.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Swirl ½ Tbsp of canola oil in a sauté pan and heat it over medium-high heat. Make sure your sauté pan is big enough to fit your roast!
Once the oil is hot, add the 2.8 lb chuck roast and sear each side for 3-4 minutes. Don’t wiggle the roast around in the pan; we want to leave it be! Leaving it to sear undisturbed will create the perfect sear on each side. I like to use metal tongs to flip my roast because it’s pretty heavy. When done, transfer the chuck roast to your crock pot.
Using a whisk, deglaze the sauté pan you seared the roast in with ¼ cup pepperoncini juice (reserved from the jar of pepperoncini). Take the pan off the heat.
Sprinkle the roast with 1 packet of ranch seasoning and 1 packet of brown gravy seasoning (or au jus) mix.
Pour the pepperoncini juice from the sauté pan over the top of your chuck roast.
Dot the top of the roast with ½ a stick of cubed butter and place 5 pepperoncini peppers on top.
Add the crockpot lid and cook the roast on LOW for 8-10 hours. Don’t take the lid off the crockpot for at least 8 hours!
I like to check the meat at the 8-hour mark with a fork. If it falls apart easily, I know it’s done!
The post Mississippi Pot Roast appeared first on Budget Bytes.
