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This famous Mississippi Pot Roast recipe uses just 5 ingredients to make melt-in-your-mouth tender beef with tangy peppers and plenty of flavor. It’s the perfect cozy dinner that isn’t boring!
If you love a good, cozy pot roast recipe, you’re in the right place. You’ll also want to try my Dill Pickle Pot Roast or Worcestershire Pot Roast. Both have a stick of butter as well.
Featured Comment
"I just love this recipe! This is my 3rd time making it and I used all the same ingredients as you did. Perfection! I placed the shredded meat over roasted garlic potatoes..MMMMM!"
- julia
Table of Contents
- What is Mississippi Pot Roast?
- Why This Recipe is a Keeper
- The Ingredients
- How to make Mississippi Pot Roast in a Slow Cooker
- Why is Mississippi Pot Roast So Salty?
- Sarah's Tips & Variations
- How to Serve Mississippi Pot Roast
- Is Mississippi Pot Roast Spicy?
- Why is My Pot Roast Tough?
- How to Store and Reheat
- My Other Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipes
- Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe
What is Mississippi Pot Roast?
I first came across this recipe in my Crockpot Facebook Group, where it’s wildly popular. A woman named Robin Chapman from Mississippi created the recipe, and we have her to thank for sharing this wonderful creation.
This recipe has a unique blend of flavors, including butter, pepperoncini peppers, ranch, and gravy mix. It’s definitely not your usual pot roast.
Some people call it the Mississippi Mud Roast, Memphis Roast, or even the Forbidden Roast because it's so popular on social media. Here's how I make Robin's famous roast, and I hope you make it in your slow cooker as soon as possible!
Why This Recipe is a Keeper
- It’s an easy dump-and-go slow cooker recipe with very little prep work. And it's only 5 ingredients!
- This is my most popular recipe to date and my readers' favorite, with over 2.5 million views!
- Great for a unique Sunday dinner - everyone in my family looks forward to this!
The Ingredients
Let’s break down what goes into this flavor-packed roast.
Chuck Roast: A well-marbled cut of beef that’s perfect for slow cooking.
Brown Gravy Mix: This handy little packet thickens the sauce and gives it a hearty beef flavor. I use it instead of au jus because it has significantly less sodium.
Ranch Dressing Mix: It adds garlic and onion flavor without being overpowering.
Pepperoncini Peppers: Don’t skip these! They give the roast a tangy, vinegary flavor that balances the richness. They also add a very mild kick.
Pepperoncini Juice: Adds extra tang and helps flavor the cooking liquid. You can leave it out if you prefer a milder pepperoncini flavor.
Unsalted Butter: Makes the roast extra rich and adds a buttery taste.
How to make Mississippi Pot Roast in a Slow Cooker
- Place the chuck roast into the slow cooker. No need to sear!
- Add the seasoning packets on top.
- Add the stick of butter, peppers, and juice.
- Cook the roast until it falls apart, then shred and serve.
Why is Mississippi Pot Roast So Salty?
Mississippi Pot Roast can turn out too salty depending on the seasoning packets you use. I prefer brown gravy mix because it contains significantly less sodium than the au jus and onion soup mixes I compared.
- McCormick Brown Gravy (entire packet): 1,360mg sodium - This is the one I use.
- Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix (entire packet): 2,800mg sodium
- McCormick Au Jus Gravy Mix (entire packet): 3,600mg sodium
If you want to use onion soup mix or au jus, I recommend using half a packet or serving over something plain like white rice.
Sarah's Tips & Variations
Butter: The butter adds a rich flavor, but many people reduce the amount in half or skip it entirely without issue.
Meat Swap: Instead of chuck roast, consider using a beef bottom round or rump roast. Pork roast, chicken breasts, or chicken thighs work great too. Use pork gravy or chicken gravy mix instead. See my Mississippi Chicken recipe for a change-up!
Add Vegetables: Add potatoes, carrots, and onions to the slow cooker to turn this into a complete one-pot meal. Do this at the beginning of the cooking time.
Gravy: For a thicker gravy, you can make a pot roast gravy by whisking in a cornstarch slurry made from cold water and cornstarch.
How to Serve Mississippi Pot Roast
This roast is very versatile! Serve with one of these options or try a different way to enjoy the leftovers.
- Mashed potatoes: Nothing beats a bite of the roast with mashed potatoes (my favorite way to serve). Try it with a side of my Slow Cooker Baby Carrots!
- Steamed white rice: The roast can be on the salty side, and rice is one way to tone that down.
- On hoagies, hamburger buns, or slider buns: Don't forget the French fries!
Is Mississippi Pot Roast Spicy?
If you can eat a pepperoncini pepper without thinking it's spicy, you will find this recipe mild. Pepperoncini peppers aren't hot peppers; they have more of a vinegary bite than heat.
Why is My Pot Roast Tough?
This is a common question I get from beginner crockpotters. The roast takes a long time to become tender in the slow cooker, often longer than you would think.
If you’ve opened the lid during cooking, add more time, since heat escapes each time you open it. Some slow cookers also cook more slowly than others.
If your roast is still tough, keep the lid on and continue cooking until it’s tender.
How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover pot roast in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days or freeze for up to three months. Reheat individual servings in the microwave until hot, but don't overheat the meat or it can become tough.
My Other Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipes
For classic comfort, you can’t go wrong with Crockpot Pot Roast, 3 Envelope Pot Roast, or tender Slow Cooker London Broil; each one is rich, hearty, and perfect for a filling dinner.
For something different, my Mississippi Pork Roast uses the same buttery ranch flavors with pork instead of beef.
And for a little extra heat, the Spicy Mississippi Pot Roast adds just the right kick!
If you tried this Mississippi Pot Roast recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Happy Slow Cooking!
How to Video
Ingredients
- 4 lb. chuck roast, (3-5 lbs will work)
- 1 oz. ranch packet, (original ranch, ranch dip, or spicy ranch will work)
- .87 oz. brown gravy packet, (I use McCormick; see substitutions in the notes below)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, (1 stick)
- 10 or more whole pepperoncini peppers
- 1/4 cup pepperoncini juice, (optional, but adds more tang and flavor)
Instructions
- Add the roast to the slow cooker. You can brown the meat in a skillet on the stovetop if desired but I do not.
- Add the ranch packet and brown gravy packet on top of the roast.
- Add the stick of butter, peppers and pepper juice.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or HIGH for 6-7 hours. Do not open the lid while the roast cooks.
- Shred with two forks right in the slow cooker. Remove any fatty pieces.
Sarah's Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Made this today, and followed the recipe to a tee and it turned out amazing. I totally recommend this recipe! !!! 2 thumbs up!
Just curious, do the pepperoncini’s make this dish spicy? Everything about it, along with the variations sound delicious and my 12 year old loves pot roast. Just don’t want to make a big roast and he won’t eat it.
I don’t think it’s spicy. I think it adds a layer of flavor to the roast. If you are worried, you could add just a few of the peppers. 🙂
OMG! This was so good my husband wants me to make it again! The only changes I made were because my roast was frozen I put some of the juice from the peppers and some Shiraz wine on the bottom of the pot so it wouldn’t crack (which also meant I couldn’t brown it, but it was still delicious) and I used Lipton Onion Mushroom Soup (it’s what I had in the pantry). My English Cut Roast was only 2.5 lbs. but I still used a full stick of butter (unsalted, we try to watch our salt intake). Eight hours on low and it was falling apart. The “gravy” was awesome. We ate it over No Yolk Noodles one night and shredded on buns with a little raw onion another night. I left the peppers in for the sandwiches (removing the stems and cutting them up). Sent this recipe to my brother who made it and claimed it to be delicious! P.S. I put frozen meat in the slow cooker all the time – just make sure there is some liquid in the pot to avoid cracking.
I am going to use a pork roast. Does anyone know if the cook time needs adjusted?
Jessica, just curious how this turned out with pork? My husband can’t eat red meat and I am dying to try this recipe. Any suggestions?
Try it with chicken thighs or breasts
You don’t need to add water with the powdered packets of ranch and au jus?
No, the butter will add liquid, as will the roast as it cooks. 🙂
Carey, interested to know how it turned out with the whiskey!
Trying this recipe for a surprise dinner for my wife. I added beef stock and some whiskey to the mix of ranch powder and onion soup mix. 2 more hours to go, and my mouth is watering!!
TRY IT WITH PORK ROAST. AWESOME.
Great idea! 🙂
This was definitely “to die for”. I used 3/4 stick of butter, added a splash of wine, prepped the meat with ground pepper and thyme, and left out the peppers. When it was finished cooking there was a delicious sauce. I made the mistake of cooking it on high. I noticed my error after four hours, but everything was fine. I just needed to cook it on low for one more hour. So, if you don’t have 8 hours it cooks well on high. My husband grew up eating a lot of pot roast dinners and he said this was the best he’s had!
Your comnent was very helpful! Mine is cooking now without the peppers. I added baby bella shrooms and small golden potatoes plus an onion
Should the roast be thawed or can you use frozen? Do you need to ad any water or juice?
I used thawed meat, I personally never use frozen meat in the slow cooker. And if you use all the butter, no other liquid needs to be used. 🙂