Mississippi Pot Roast (+Video)
Mississippi pot roast is a classic slow cooker recipe that is made with beef chuck roast, ranch dressing mix, onion soup mix, butter, and peperoncini peppers.
AN EASY, FLAVORFUL POT ROAST RECIPE
This Mississippi pot roast recipe might be the best you ever try! If you haven’t tried this recipe before, you absolutely must give it a chance. The meat comes out so tender and incredibly flavorful! Over the years, it has become my family’s go-to pot roast recipe! If you are looking for a serious comfort meal, then this Mississippi Pot Roast is for you!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’S):
The recipe is believed to have originated in Mississippi, hence its name. It has become a popular dish in the United States and is a comforting and hearty meal.
Mississippi pot roast has a savory and slightly tangy flavor, thanks to the combination of ranch dressing mix, onion soup mix, and peperoncini peppers. The butter adds richness and depth of flavor to the dish.
No. Absolutely not. The meat comes out so tender and buttery by cooking it low and slow in the crock pot. Cooking it too quickly will result in a tough cut of meat that does not shred easily.
Of course not! Try making your own Homemade Ranch Seasoning and your own Homemade Dry Onion Soup Mix. You’ll need about 2 Tablespoons of the ranch seasoning and about 3 Tablespoons of the onion soup mix for this recipe. This will also help you control the amount of sodium in the recipe as well.
It’s not recommended. The butter adds a lot of flavor to this. Margarine is basically oil. Use the real stuff here.
Mississippi pot roast is delicious served with Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes, rice, pasta, or vegetables like carrots, green beans, or broccoli. You can also serve it with a side of crusty bread, Butter Swim Biscuits or rolls to sop up the flavorful cooking juices.
A sirloin tip or rump roast will work. You want a cut of meat that will shred after it is finished cooking.
They really add a lot of flavor to this dish so I wouldn’t skip them. It doesn’t add spiciness like you think it would. If you absolutely insist on substituting you can try using some dill pickles and a bit of pickle juice.
No. Do not add additional liquids. The meat itself along with peperoncini and the melted butter will produce enough juices.
Yes, you can add them in at the start of cooking.
It hasn’t cooked long enough or you opened the lid while cooking. Refer to my answer above about cooking this low and slow. Trust me, you just cannot rush this or you’ll be severely disappointed. And do not open the lid while cooking as this also disrupts the cooking process.
Leftovers can be frozen. Just place in a freezer safe bag and remove all of the air. It will keep frozen for up to 2 months.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- chuck roast – the chuck roast needs to be fresh and not frozen. So if yours is frozen, you will need to defrost it first.
- salt and pepper – I will leave this up to your tastebuds. I lightly season both sides but if you don’t like the additional salt then leave it out.
- ranch dressing mix – if you are sensitive to salt or have dietary concerns about sodium, use a lower sodium option. If you really want to have full control over the salt levels, try making the Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix.
- onion soup mix (or au jus gravy mix) – the same applies for this mix. Go for a lower sodium option if necessary. You can also make Homemade Onion Soup Mix so you can control the amount of salt.
- salted butter – unsalted butter can be used. If you can find the Kerrygold garlic and herb butter, give that it try, it adds even more flavor. Do not use margarine – it has to be real butter.
- peperoncini peppers – these do not add spice, just flavor. If you want a bit of a kick of heat, try adding a bit of the juice from the peppers.
HOW TO MAKE MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST:
Heat up a large skillet on high. Add oil to hot skillet. You want it really hot here to brown or “sear” the beef quickly. Note: I have one of the Ninja slow cookers that has a “stovetop” option, which means I can brown the meat all right in my crock pot and not dirty up any other dishes. However, if you are in a rush, just skip the browning step altogether.
Take a paper towel and make sure you dry both sides of the pot roast (drying the meat helps it brown easier.) Then season with a little bit of salt and pepper. Once the skillet is nice and hot, add the roast. Allow the roast to cook for about 2-3 minutes until it is golden brown. The browning of the outside of the meat just adds flavor. Using tongs, flip the meat over and sear the other side of the roast for another 2-3 minutes.
Transfer meat to slow cooker. Sprinkle packets of dry ranch dressing and onion soup mixes over pot roast. Top with a stick of butter. Then place peppers on and around roast.
Note: This butter is a Kerrygold garlic & herb butter. The sticks were on sale at Kroger so I had picked up a bunch. But a regular stick of salted butter (not margarine) will still work perfectly in this. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. You don’t add any other liquid to this. The meat will create it’s own juices at it cooks. DO NOT remove the lid while cooking.
Now all you need to do is take two forks and start shredding the meat. Discard any big fatty pieces. If you want, you can cut up the peppers and stir those into the meat mixture. I ate mine with the peppers but didn’t cut them up into the meat to serve. Serve on mashed potatoes, rice or on a roll with a slice of provolone or mozzarella cheese.
CRAVING MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES?
Originally published: April 2015
Updated & republished: Feb 2024
Mississippi Pot Roast (+Video)
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil (or vegetable oil)
- 2-3 pound chuck roast
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1 packet ranch dressing mix
- 1 packet dry onion soup mix (or au jus gravy mix)
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter
- 8 peperoncini peppers
Instructions
- Heat up a large skillet on high. Add 2 Tablespoons olive oil to hot skillet. You want it really hot here to brown or "sear" the beef quickly. This can also be done in your slow cooker if you have the sear or saute option.
- Take a paper towel and make sure you dry both sides of the 2-3 pound chuck roast. Season with a little bit of salt and pepper. Once the skillet is nice and hot, add the roast. Using tongs, flip the meat over and sear the other side of the roast for another 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer meat to slow cooker. Sprinkle 1 packet ranch dressing mix and 1 packet dry onion soup mix over pot roast. Top with 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter then place 8 peperoncini peppers on and around the roast.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. DO NOT open the lid. It’s tempting but leave it alone!
- After it has cooked, take two forks and start shredding the meat. Discard any big fatty pieces. Then serve.
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- Do not rush this recipe. Do not cook on high. This will only work when cooked slowly on low. And definitely do not open the lid (trust me, this makes a difference!)
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
So good and so easy!
Love hearing that – thank you Ashley!
Noced some concerns about saltiness. Make sure to use the ranch DRESSING packets. Not the ranch DIP. I made this mistake first time. The dip has twice the sodium as the dressing packets. Makes excellent sandwich with some creamy horseradish, or add beef broth for an excellent Chicago Style beef sandwich!
Made this in the pressure cooker, 45 mins under pressure 30 mins natural release. Turned out great and super tasty! I put some pepperocini juice in with the peppers and may not do that next time to see if it brings out more of the ranch flavor. It was still good that way, just like to share my methods and results!
I make Pot Roast alot, to me, its one of my “comfort foods”. And , most of the time I make this recipe but my husband refuses to shred it. He will slice it and we eat it this way w the gravy. Just love the flavors.
Linda D
This is a staple around my house. Everybody stress out over the ingredients. Chill, I use London Broil, low fat meat, usually not good unless cooked in smaller pieces anyway. Its amazing in this application. I add carmalized onions, fresh cut celery, fresh garlic, fresh parsley, green onions ans some other spices I love …dont forget the Bay leaf.. This is in addition to the regular reciepe. It is FANTASTIC! I am from New Orleans, we bring everything to a new level!
Ha! Love it! Thank you SO much Kevin!
Have you ever prepared this , then froze it to use later? This is one of my favorites
To serve at super bowl parties.
This recipe is SO simple and SO delicious! It’s a perfect meal with several different ways to serve it too. I have shared this with family and friends because it was simply the BEST! You’ve got to try it and then you’ll be hooked.
Can i substitute a gravy packet for the Lipton onion soup if I don’t have it?
Yep, works fine. Other sites call for au jus or gravy packet instead of onion soup packet.
I used a regular brown gravy packet. Still so good.
Awesome Recipe! My family enjoys this when I make it. Thank you for sharing!
I made it tonight and it was delicious. What can you substitute the stick of butter with?
Made this in the instant pot. not sure how many pounds but didn’t have soup mix so used chopped onion. Cooked 46 minutes. Natural release probably around 20 minutes. Made mashed potatoes with a cup of the juices from the roast in instant pot and Oh my god sooooooo good.
Love it!! Thanks so much Ginger!!
Best pot roast ever
We doubled the recipe. Turned out perfect (I have a larger roasting crock pot.)
How did the roast turn out? Any tips? I’m thinking of doubling the recipe also.
What oven temp would you cook this??
I don’t recommend oven cooking. This roast really needs a low and slow cooking to get tender. If you must cook in the oven, you are going to want to cook it at 200f degrees for several hours. I haven’t tested it that way so I can’t say for sure.
Since I’m serving 8-10 people, I was wondering about doubling the recipe with 7-8 lbs of meat.. Has anyone doubled the recipe and if so, do you double all ingredients as well? I only ask because sometimes doubling works, but sometimes it’s too much flavor. I don’t want to overpower the meat.
Di, looking to double the recipe as well. Can you let me know how your roast turned out? Did you need to double the recipe, and how long did you need to cook this for?
Can you use a sirloin tip roast instead of chuck roast?
Hi Laura – you could. Just make sure to get one with plenty of fat and marbling. The reason being is you need to be able to cook this long enough so it gets tender enough to shred. So, you may need to cook the sirloin tip a little longer. It’s just one of those meal you just can’t rush. The meat needs lots of time to break down and get nice and buttery. 🙂
Sooo good! So thankful for this recipe! My family absolutely loves it. We put 2 jars of peperoncinis because we just love the flavor it adds. Thank you so much for sharing this gem!!!
Thank you so very much Hannah! I really love hearing when a recipe turns out good!!
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Hands down….THE BEST EVER! I share this with anyone who will listen! Lol
Had anyone done this in the oven on low?
Are there any alternatives to using butter? You mention not using margarine. I’m lactose intolerant 🙁
Has anyone tried this in a pressure cooker? I have a 2.8lb roast.
Fantastic! I grew up making roast and this is now my go to!
Love it! Thank you Jo!
I just realized I don’t have Peppercinis, I have cherry peppers or can I just skip the peppers altogether?
Absolutely awesome. The best part is the sandwiches the next day!! I’ve taken it to work before and people actually offer to pay me to bring them some the next time I make it!!
This was amazing!! I couldn’t find the Kerry Gold Garlic & Herb butter, so I used a different brand. I also removed the roast after cooking & strained the juices (I left a little in the crockpot) to add to a roux for gravy. I also added 1 can of beef broth to the roux & crockpot drippings to get it to the consistency I wanted. We served with Texas toast & mashed potatoes. We barely had enough for me to have lunch today.
Oh wow!! That is so awesome to hear! Thank you so very much Rhiannon!