Mississippi Pot Roast At A Glance
Prep
5 min
SLOW COOK
4+ hours
Total
4.5+ hours
Serves
6
POT
Slow cooker
The Pot Roast That Defies All Expectations
We love pot roast. My slow cooker pot roast is the from-scratch sort of meal. It gets the whole shebang… searing, wine gravy, potatoes and carrots tucked in, the works. We love it. But there are days I just don’t have time to prep it.
Mississippi Pot Roast is the complete opposite of this. No searing, no broth, and just five easy ingredients. I was skeptical the first time I tried it. But I’d heard such good things about it. And I wondered how something this simple could have so many people swearing by it.
It all started with a home cook named Robin Chapman in Mississippi in the 1990s. She came up with a milder take on her aunt’s pot roast. It went into a church cookbook, and then it went everywhere.
But, most versions use a full stick of butter. When you consider how much fat is in a chuck roast, I knew I needed to cut that down a bit. Salt is an issue here, too. So my version uses a half stick of unsalted butter … it’s not going to make this health food, ha ha, but it may be a little easier to digest.
And the result? It is SO GOOD! Greg loved it and gave it his top review, and so did I. Now I can see why people love this recipe so much. You can taste the pepperoncini, but it isn’t spicy at all. And not too salty either. It’s pretty much perfect.
Let’s dig in!
Tips and Notes Before You Start
- Don’t add water or broth. It is going to look dry when you start your slow cooker, but the roast and butter make their own juices as it cooks.
- Use unsalted butter. The au jus gravy mix is very salty all by itself, so we don’t need the butter adding more.
- Hold the salt until the end. Taste the juices after you shred the beef. Mine didn’t need any.
- Store-bought packets are fine. Or, if you want to control the ingredients more, 2 tablespoons of my homemade ranch seasoning replaces one ranch packet.
- Plan on skimming. Chuck roast is well marbled, and when I poured off the juices, there was a LOT of fat in them. If you’re like me, you’ll likely want to remove some of that before serving.
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What You’ll Need
Chuck roast. A 3 to 4 pound beef chuck roast, boneless or bone-in, works best for this recipe. Mine was a 4 pound bone-in roast and only about 1.5 inches thick. A bone-in roast gives you a little less meat for its weight, but it works just the same. You can use the thicker, boneless kind of roast, too, just know you may need to cook it longer. Chuck has lots of marbling and connective tissue, which is GOOD … that is exactly what you want here. So don’t remove the fat before you cook, because over a long, slow cook, it all melts and turns it tender enough to shred with a fork. Leaner cuts like round or sirloin tip tend to cook up dry and stringy in a slow cooker.
Ranch seasoning mix. This is the dry powder that is used to make dressing or dip. Don’t use bottled ranch dressing.
Au jus gravy mix. This is the classic choice, and it gives the juices that deep, beefy, roast-beef-sandwich flavor. It’s also the saltiest part of the recipe. If you need to watch your salt, a brown gravy packet has about a third of the sodium and works well too. Or mix up the au jus gravy mix yourself!
HOMEMADE AU JUS MIX
To make one packet’s worth of au jus mix, simply mix together 1 tablespoon beef bouillon powder, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon dried parsley, and a pinch each of garlic powder and black pepper. The salt comes from the bouillon, so use low-sodium bouillon to reduce the sodium levels. If you don’t have low-sodium bouillon, reduce the amount you put in your mix.
Unsalted butter. The original recipe uses a whole stick, but it’s just not necessary with a chuck roast.
Pepperoncini. This is the most unusual ingredient, but don’t be put off by it. First, they aren’t crazy spicy and they really do add something to the flavor. Look in the pickle and olive aisle for these. If you cannot find them, try banana peppers. But avoid pickled jalapeños unless you like heat. You can, of course, leave these out entirely, but you’ll lose the tang.
How to Make Mississippi Pot Roast
Step 1: Put the roast in the crock pot
Set the roast in the bottom of your crock pot. You don’t need to sear it first. Searing adds some browned flavor, but the au jus mix brings so much savory depth that it’s hard to tell the difference.
Step 2: Add the seasonings
Sprinkle the ranch seasoning and the au jus mix evenly over the top of the roast. Don’t worry if some of it slides off the sides. It all ends up in the juices anyway.
Step 3: Top with butter and pepperoncini
Set the butter on top of the roast, right in the middle. Then nestle the pepperoncini around it. I like to put my pepperoncini around the sides so most the tang goes into the liquid. Feel free to put the pepperoncini on top if you prefer … they will drip a little brine over the roast as they soften and hold their shape a bit better. It’s really your choice.
Don’t Add Water or Broth!
I know it feels wrong to start a pot roast with no liquid in the pot. Crazy, in fact. But trust the process. The butter is going to melt and the beef is going to release its own juices as it cooks. If you add water or broth, you’ll just dilute the flavor.
Step 4: Cook until tender (thickness matters more than weight)
Cover and cook. You can cook on LOW or HIGH, just keep the lid on the entire time. How long you cook depends on your roast thickness and temperature. So measure how thick your roast is before you start. If it’s flat like mine, start checking at about 4 hours. If it’s a tall, thick roast, plan on much longer.
Use this chart as a starting point. Start checking at the low end of the range.
| Your roast | HIGH | LOW |
|---|---|---|
| Thin roast (about 1.5 inches), bone-in | 4 to 4 1/2 hours | 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 hours |
| Thin roast (about 1.5 inches), boneless | 3 3/4 to 4 1/4 hours | 6 to 7 hours |
| Thick roast (3 to 4 inches), bone-in | 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 hours | 9 to 10 hours |
| Thick roast (3 to 4 inches), boneless | 6 to 7 hours | 8 to 9 1/2 hours |
I prefer to make this recipe with thin bone-in chuck roasts on HIGH. The thick roast times come from the most popular Mississippi pot roast recipes, and the rest are good estimates. Thickness matters much more than the bone, which only adds a little time. Every slow cooker runs a little differently, too.
Step 5: Check that it’s fork tender
When you start checking at the low end of your cook time, put a fork in the thickest part of the roast and twist. If it pulls apart easily, it’s done.
Mine was super easy to twist. If yours has a bone, it should slide right out, too. If it fights you, put the lid back on and give it another 30 to 60 minutes. A tough chuck roast almost always needs MORE time, not less. The connective tissue needs time to break down before the meat gets tender.
Step 6: Shred the beef
Feel free to shred it right in the pot with two forks, which saves a dish to wash. I lift mine out onto a cutting board because it’s easier to see and pull out the bone, fat, and gristle on a flat surface, and with the beef out of the way, I can skim the juices properly. If you remove yours, just be gentle as it’s very tender and wants to fall apart.
To skim, pour the juices into a fat separator or a glass measuring cup and let the fat rise to the top for a few minutes, then pour or spoon it off. Stir the shredded beef back into the skimmed juices so every bit soaks some up.
If the inside of the beef still looks a little pink, that’s totally normal for long-cooked chuck. When the meat is this tender, it’s cooked through. I like to chop up a couple of the softened pepperoncini and stir them back in, too.
Now taste it before you reach for the salt. Mine didn’t need any, because the au jus mix brings plenty.
Can I Turn the Juices into Gravy?
Yes! Most of my juices turned out to be fat, so there wasn’t much left once I skimmed it. So to make a gravy, I poured the brown juice from the bottom of the cup into a saucepan with 1 cup of low-sodium beef broth and simmered it. I then stirred 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into 1 tablespoon of cold water until smooth, whisked it into the broth and juice mixture, and let it simmer for a few minutes until it thickened. It worked great … really delicious over the beef and spaetzle.
What you don’t want to do is thicken the juices in your crock pot just by boiling them down. That concentrates the salt, and the au jus mix already brings plenty.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Store leftovers with their juices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The juices keep the beef from drying out, so be sure to pack some in with it. It freezes well too, for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge.
To reheat, warm it on the stove over medium-low or in the microwave until it’s hot all the way through. Add a splash of water if the juices have cooked down. The butter firms up in the fridge, and that’s totally normal. It melts right back in as it warms.
Mississippi Pot Roast FAQs
Is Mississippi pot roast spicy?
Nope! You can taste the pepperoncini, but it isn’t spicy. As a supertaster who doesn’t like spicy food, I was quite happy with it. Whole peppers give the juices a gentle tang without much heat.
Is Mississippi pot roast too salty?
Yes, it can be, because the au jus mix is very salty. Mine wasn’t, with unsalted butter and no added salt. It tasted just right. If you’re sensitive to salt, use a brown gravy packet or half the au jus.
Why is my pot roast still tough?
It just needs more time. Give it another 30 to 60 minutes, as in Step 5.
Can I put a frozen roast in the slow cooker?
I do not recommend it. The USDA says to thaw meat in the fridge before slow cooking (which is what I do), because a frozen roast spends too long warming through the unsafe temperature zone when it goes into a slow cooker.
Can I add potatoes and carrots?
Yes. Tuck chunks of potato and carrot around the roast before the seasonings go on. The vegetables will soak up the salty juices, so go easy on the salt when you serve.
Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe
Equipment
- 6-quart or larger oval slow cooker
- 2 forks
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 lbs beef chuck roast , boneless or bone-in
- 1 ounce ranch seasoning mix packet (or 2 tablespoons homemade ranch seasoning)
- 1 ounce au jus gravy mix packet (or 2 1/2 tablespoons homemade au jus gravy mix)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 to 8 whole jarred pepperoncini
Instructions
- Place the chuck roast in the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle the ranch seasoning and au jus mix evenly over the top of the roast.
- Place the butter on top of the roast. Arrange the pepperoncini around it.
- Cover and cook on HIGH or LOW until the beef pulls apart easily with a fork (see the cooking time chart in the post): about 4 to 4½ hours on HIGH for a roast about 1.5 inches thick, or 6 to 7 hours for a thick roast.
- If the roast resists the forks, cover and cook 30 to 60 minutes longer.
- Shred the beef with two forks, in the pot or on a cutting board, removing the bone (if any) and any large pieces of fat or gristle. Skim the fat from the juices.
- Stir the shredded beef into the juices. Taste, and add salt only if needed.
Nutrition
Notes
- Liquid: Don’t add water or broth. The roast and butter make their own juices.
- Timing: Thickness matters more than weight. A flat roast gets tender much sooner than a tall one. See the cooking time chart in the post for HIGH and LOW times.
- Gravy: Skim the fat from the juices. Simmer the remaining juice with 1 cup beef broth, whisk in 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water, and simmer a few minutes until thickened.
- Tang: For a tangier roast, add up to 1/4 cup pepperoncini brine with the peppers (untested; I didn’t use any).
- Salt: The au jus mix is very salty. For less sodium, use a brown gravy packet or half the au jus packet.
- Storage: Refrigerate with the juices in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Warm on the stove over medium-low or in the microwave until hot, adding a splash of water if needed.
How to Trust This Recipe
This is a real recipe made in a real kitchen. But because some recipe sites say this without the proof to back it up, I like to take a special photo of my food so you know it’s legit. Here is our Mississippi pot roast on the counter being served with spaetzle egg noodles and my home-canned green beans:
The above photo was taken with ProofMode, which attaches Content Credentials (the C2PA standard) to the image, so anyone can check that it’s a real photo taken by my iPhone on my farm on a particular date and place. You can download the proof files here and learn how to verify them.
If you’ve been making the from-scratch kind of pot roast for years like I have, give this one a try on a busy day. I’d love to hear what you think.
Happy cooking!
Love,
Jennifer
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Meet Jennifer
Jennifer cooks and experiments in the kitchen at Maker Farm, where she focuses on simple pantry cooking, homemade staples, and practical recipes that make everyday meals easier. Over the years she has tested many ways to make cooking simpler and more dependable, and shares the methods that work best in her own kitchen, occasionally showing them on her Heart to Home at Maker Farm vlog.