Mississippi Pot Roast

5 from 6 votes

Just a few pantry ingredients create a flavorful, tender and juicy Mississippi Pot Roast -- an easy dinner for the oven, Crock Pot or Instant Pot!

Course Dinner

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword mississippi pot roast, mississippi pot roast crock pot, mississippi pot roast instant pot, oven pot roast

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 3 30

Total Time 3 40

Servings - 6 people

Calories 508.9kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

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 brand)
1 (1 ounce) packet dry ranch dressing and seasoning mix (such as Hidden Valley brand)
6 pepperoncini peppers (from a 12-ounce jar), plus 2 tablespoons of juice from the jar

Preheat 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 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.

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 meat in the pot 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.

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, and serve.

This dish has quite a bit of salt, thanks to the au jus gravy mix, the Ranch dressing mix, and the pepperoncini. As a result, I do not recommend adding any extra salt until you taste the finished product. Use water or low-sodium broth, unsalted butter, and unseasoned flour.
Dredge the meat in flour before browning. This adds body to the finished sauce and helps to achieve a beautiful browned, crusty exterior on the beef.
Sear the beef and get some really nice color on it before you begin the slow braising process. The caramelized surface of the meat will give the dish rich flavor and the browning process will help to lock in the juices.
Deglaze the pot with water or another low-sodium liquid (like low-sodium beef broth) after browning the meat. The browned bits on the bottom of the pot will add great flavor to the finished dish!
If your beef is still tough at the end of the suggested cooking time, continue cooking for even longer. Undercooked roast will be tough and chewy. If you're using tougher or bigger cuts of beef (other than a chuck roast), you may need to increase the cooking time to give the meat fibers plenty of time to break down and become tender and juicy. When the chuck roast is fully cooked, it should be fall-apart tender so that it shreds very easily with two forks.
If you'd like to thin the gravy in the pot at the end of the cooking time, whisk in extra low-sodium beef broth until it reaches the desired consistency.