Mississippi Pot Roast

Like the rest of the world, I’m obsessed with Mississippi Pot Roast! It is one of the easiest ways to get a tender, flavorful roast on the table and it’s a foolproof recipe that you really can’t mess up!

See those peppers in the photo? Don’t let them scare you away! They don’t make this spicy, but they do add an interesting level of flavor that you just can’t beat.

We’ve shared our Mississippi Chicken before, but we’d never gotten around to sharing this classic, mostly because you’ll find it on just about every other website out there. But, we decided it didn’t matter – this Mississippi pot roast recipe is too good to not have a permanent home here on Buns In My Oven!

We love making this in the slow cooker. It turns out so tender and flavorful, the meat just falls apart when it’s done, and your house will smell amazing. We’ve also made Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast, if you’re in a hurry though!

This is delicious served over a pile of mashed potaotes, but we also have a recipe for Mississippi Pot Roast Sliders, Mississippi Sloppy Joes, and Mississippi Beef and Noodles!

Why is it called Mississippi Roast?

If you are wondering why it is called Mississippi pot roast the answer is pretty much what you’d expect. A person in Mississippi came up with the recipe, it became really popular, and the rest is history!

And the best part is the combination of Au Jus mix and ranch seasoning can be used with more than just chuck roast. Mississippi pork roast and Mississippi chicken are just as good!

Ingredient Notes:

Chuck Roast – You’ll need about a 3 to 4 pound chuck roast. Look for a well marbled roast at your favorite meat market or butcher shop!

Ranch Seasoning Mix – Be sure to use ranch seasoning mix and not ranch dip mix. They both come in little packets, but the dip mix has a lot more sodium and will make for a saltier roast.

Au Jus Gravy Mix – This is a little packet of seasonings that adds loads of savory flavor to the roast.

Butter – We like to top the roast off with some butter and the pepperoncini. It’ll melt and add flavor to the meat, and to the savory juice, which is perfect for spooning over the pot roast when serving!

Jarred Pepperoncini – Don’t skip these! The pot roast itself won’t be spicy. You can choose to serve the peppers or discard them after cooking, but don’t skip them because they do add something special to the recipe.

Pepperoncini Juice – You’ll get this from the jar of peppers. Add half a cup of the juice with the roast to add moisture, and most of all, flavor!

Karly’s Tips for Perfect Pot Roast:

Don’t skip these simple steps. They’re the key to a tender and flavorful roast!

• Sear – The low slow cooking of the crockpot isn’t enough to sear the meat. Toss it in a skillet on high heat and sear each side to lock in all that flavor!
• Low & Slow – Keep your crockpot on low and cook for 8 hours for perfectly tender chuck roast!
• Gravy – It’s optional but why not turn all that juice into a savory gravy? Add a cornstarch slurry to thicken up the juices in the crockpot. Just mix 2 tablespoons of water with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and then stir it into the slow cooker. Let cook for 30 minutes or so to thicken up.

How to Make Mississippi Pot Roast:

Sear: Searing the beef in a bit of oil before adding it to the crockpot will add extra flavor. This step can be skipped if you’re in a rush, but we like to take the time when possible.

My Favorite Skillet!

Cast iron skillets are my favorite! They heat so evenly, get piping hot for searing, and nothing is better than bacon fried in a cast iron skillet.

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Season: After you’ve seared the chuck roast place it into your crockpot and then sprinkle on the ranch seasoning and au jus gravy mix! Top with pieces of butter.

Peppers: Place the peppers over the top and pour in some of the juice from the jar.

Slow Cook: Cover the crockpot and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10 hours. That should be plenty of time to get it perfectly fork tender, but you can let it cook longer if it isn’t tender yet!

Serve: When the Mississippi pot roast has finished slow cooking and the meat is fork tender you can remove it from the crockpot and shred it up or slice it! All that juice left in the crockpot is perfect for serving over the roast.

I’d also recommend trying this roast with the juice served over my baked mashed potatoes or Instant Pot mashed potatoes with a side of air fryer carrots!

Additional Cooking Methods:

I love the crockpot because it always makes perfectly fork tender and juicy meals! But it can take awhile. There are a couple of other methods that’ll work just as well with this recipe!

Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast – This recipe works the same way in the Instant Pot, just a lot faster! It’ll take about an hour on high pressure with a 15 minute release. I’ve linked to a keto recipe that is similar!

My Favorite Instant Pot!

I absolutely love my Instant Pot! It’s great for recipes quick pot roast recipes, to cook perfect rice, cook chicken to shred (the best!), and so much more.

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Mississippi Pot Roast in the Oven – This will take a bit longer than the Instant Pot but it’s still a little quicker than a slow cooker. I’d recommend roasting this in a Dutch oven at 275 degrees for 3-4 hours or until it is fork tender.

I think that slow cooker pot roast is a little more forgiving and usually results in tender and juicy roast. There is a bit more risk of the roast drying out and not being fork tender when you bake it in the oven.

My Favorite Dutch Oven!

This gorgeous Dutch oven is perfect for making soup, pot roast, and more. It goes from stove to oven as needed and looks pretty enough to leave out on your stovetop as decoration.

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Too Salty?

If you’re watching your sodium intake you’ll want to choose carefully the seasonings that are used in this recipe. There are some lower sodium options available!

Au Jus Mix / Brown Gravy Mix – I like the Au Jus seasoning mix for this recipe but brown gravy mix is similar and it generally has a lower sodium content! Check the back of the packages and choose the one with the least amount of sodium.

Ranch Seasoning / Ranch Dip Mix – I’m using ranch seasoning mix and that’s what you’ll want to use too. Ranch dip mix has a much higher sodium content than the seasoning. If you’re really watching sodium, use a homemade ranch seasoning instead.

Recipe FAQs:

• Mississippi Pork Roast
• Crockpot Apple Butter
• Slow Cooker Pork Chops
• Crockpot Lasagna
• Crockpot Ribs
• Crock Pot Vegetable Beef Soup