Mississippi Pot Roast

5 from 10 votes

A tender, juicy chuck roast slow-cooked with ranch, au jus, and pepperoncini for the easiest, most flavorful Mississippi pot roast.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword best mississippi pot roast, mississippi mud roast, mississippi pot roast, mississippi pot roast crock pot, mississippi pot roast in oven, mississippi pot roast oven

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 3 30

Total Time 3 40

Servings people

Calories 627kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Equipment

Pressure Cooker
Slow Cooker
Dutch oven

Ingredients

1 (3-4 lb.) boneless chuck roast
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, divided
1 cup water or low-sodium beef broth
1 (1 ounce) packet au jus gravy mix (such as McCormick)
1 (1 ounce) packet dry ranch dressing and seasoning mix (such as Hidden Valley)
6 pepperoncini peppers (from a 12-ounce jar), plus 2 tablespoons of juice from the jar
Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS

Place the flour in a shallow dish. Pat the beef dry; dredge in the flour. Shake off any excess flour.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Place the meat in the skillet and sear it for about 4-6 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned all over. Transfer the roast to a large slow cooker.
In the same pot that you used to brown the beef, add the water (or broth) and cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Pour this liquid into the slow cooker with the beef.
Pour 2 tablespoons of juice from the pepperoncini jar over the roast. Sprinkle with au jus gravy mix and ranch seasoning. Slice the remaining butter into large pats and place on top of the roast. Arrange pepperoncini around the roast.
Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or on HIGH for 4-5 hours, until the meat is fall-apart tender. Shred the meat with two forks, and then stir the meat back into the juices.

OVEN INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 275°F. Place the flour in a shallow dish. Pat the beef dry; dredge in the flour. Shake off any excess flour.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Place the meat in the pot and sear it for about 4-6 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned all over. Remove the beef to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add water and cook for 1-2 minutes, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. These add great flavor to the dish!
Return the roast to the pot with the water. Pour 2 tablespoons of juice from the pepperoncini jar over the roast. Sprinkle with au jus gravy mix and ranch seasoning mix. Slice the remaining butter into large pats and place on top of the roast. Arrange pepperoncini around the roast. Cover tightly with a lid.
Bake for 3 hours, or until the roast is fall-apart tender. Shred the meat with two forks, and then stir the meat back into the juices.

INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS

Place the flour in a shallow dish. Pat the beef dry; dredge in the flour. Shake off any excess flour.
Set the Instant Pot to "Saute," and add 1 tablespoon of the butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Heat until the oil and butter are hot, but not smoking. Place meat in the pot and sear for about 4-6 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned all over. Transfer the roast to a plate.
Add water and cook for 1-2 minutes, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. These add great flavor to the dish!
Return the roast to the pot with the water.
Pour 2 tablespoons of juice from the pepperoncini jar over the roast. Sprinkle with au jus gravy mix and ranch seasoning mix. Slice the remaining butter into large pats and place on top of the roast. Arrange pepperoncini around the roast.
Place lid on Instant pot with steam valve closed.
Switch Instant Pot setting to "Manual" and set for 60-80 minutes on "HIGH" pressure.
Do a natural release for at least 10 minutes, then quick release.
Remove roast from pot, shred with two forks, stir the meat back into the juices, and serve.

Notes

Chuck roast is ideal, but brisket or rump roast can work too.
Store-bought packets of ranch and au jus are convenient. Use homemade ranch seasoning if you prefer.
Pepperoncini add tang without much heat. Banana peppers are a good substitute.
Unsalted butter works best so the dish doesn’t get too salty.
Pat the roast dry and dredge in flour before searing. This locks in flavor and helps the cooking liquid thicken into a rich gravy.
If you don't have time to sear the meat first, that's fine too. Just place it straight into the slow cooker and proceed with adding the rest of the ingredients (omit the flour, olive oil, and extra 1 tablespoon of butter).

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