Crock Pot Mississippi Pot Roast
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.
This recipe was amazing! Thanks so much!
I used a pork roast and every one in the family loves it❤❤❤❤❤
TY
Yes! Love hearing that Cheryl – thank you!
I never ever cook except for grilling.. But this looked just too good to resist. So I Made it last night and took it to Sabbath services today. Wow! Not a sliver was left! I honored the recipe except cut down on the butter, made 6 lbs., and added 3 heaping tablespoons of Hot Pepper Relish made by Amish Wedding Foods. Served on Pepperidge Farms Sweet & Soft Sliders. Man, I feel like a pro chef after all the compliments today at church. Thanks for sharing this dish.
Hi Keith! It made my day to read your comment! Love it! I sure do appreciate you taking the time to come back and let me know tat everyone enjoyed it. I just supply the recipe but you make it special. 🙂
Just made this and it came out great. There seemed to be a lot of grease which I skimmed out with a ladle. I think a 1/2 stick of butter would have been enough. I was also a little salty, but we loved it anyway. Next time I’ll hold off on the salt when browning. Thanks!
Perfect Crock Pot Roast Beef recipe. My husband loves it and does not like these peppers, so I didn’t tell him until I made it last time. Changes I made from the original recipe is to sear the roast in my big cast iron skillet without the oil and I use 1/2 stick of butter instead of an entire stick which made it feel oily. For flavoring I used a packet each of dry Ranch Dressing and a packet of Au Jus. Yum !!! This would also work great for a pork roast with sauteed mushrooms and fried bacon to replace the butter.
Woo hoo! Thanks so much Terri!!
Just tried this recipe and it was very good. I used a 4.5 lb chuck roast which may have been a little too big, but the feedback was that it was awesome. None of the ingredients, including the peppers, dominated the flavor. I like to experiment, so I may add an au jus gravy packet and chipotle peppers when I make again. Also, I took the leftovers and made the bomb chili!
So glad you enjoyed it.
I want to add celery onion potatoes and carrots should I still NOT add liquid?
Great recipe. Thank you. I don’t like pot roast but love this. Accidentally cooked on high for 6 hours and came out great. Thanks!
Omg this was beyond the BEST ROAST recipe ever!
So glad you enjoyed it Denise 🙂
A friend shared this on FB. Looks amazing, can’ wait to try it!
Made this, this week. OMG! So delicious! Will definately make it again!
Thanks for coming back to let me know Diane!!
This is by far the BEST Pot Roast you will ever make.
I thought after reading the ingredients no way. So the first time I made it I hardly used Ranch and I didn’t use peppercinis Miss take one second time I made it I followed the directions and made it for my coworkers for the second time and they didn’t even know it was the same pot roast delicious flavor. Made it for my daughter and her boyfriend he’s a picky eater he fell in love we even made Mississippi pot roast sandwiches the next day if there was any leftover he would have eaten that too five stars by far Bravo
Brandie, what can I use instead of the ranch dressing packet? I can’t stomach the ranch, nor that particular pepper. It sounds great though, and I’d like to try it.
Hi Patricia! I haven’t tried this with anything else but the ranch so I can’t really give you a good option. If it helps you to know, this doesn’t come out tasting like a traditional ranch flavor at all. You really do not taste it as a separate ingredient. Same with the peppers. It adds to the flavor if you just add a couple but won’t make it spicy. But they are both needed to make this awesome. Have you ever tried making your own ranch powder? I have a recipe on the blog here. It might make a difference for you. 🙂
Made it with a pork shoulder roast. It was delicious!
Making an 8 lb roast. Do I double the ingredients?
Thank you.
Hi Pam – I wouldn’t double the butter but yes to everything else. 🙂
outstanding! Didn’t have pepperoncini at the local grocery so used sliced banana peppers instead and still came out great. Also added carrots and potatoes so I wouldn’t need a separate side dish, no problems there. Even the kids loved it!
Wonderful! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment! 🙂
I followed the directions exactly and mine turned out very greasy. Four of my friends made this and they said it was delicious. What went wrong? The meat was marbled like a chuck roast normally is.
Hey Karen! Did you use real butter or margarine? I have no problems with margarine at all but in this recipe it wouldn’t work because margarine is mostly oil.
I made this tonight and loved it! My friend is celiac so, in order to make it gluten-free, I made my own onion ‘soup’ mix and I used vegan butter. Obviously vegan butter isn’t ‘real’ butter, but it tasted delicious.
What an amazing friend you are! So glad you were able to make this work so you both could enjoy it.
I used an Amish Butter Log so it was harder to judge the total amount of butter. I went with 1/5th of the Log and the result is very good. The Amish Butter Log is the biggest bang for your buck but hard to measure. As a butter enthusiast, I highly recommend the Amish Butter Log. Thanks!
Is it 800 calories per serving?? Or the entire entree?
It’s per serving and that is just my best guess at it.
Why not margarine? I’m allergic to dairy products and this recipe looked great until I saw that.
Tried this last night. DELISH!! And so easy!
Hi! Have made this roast and it’s just fantastic. Do you think I can substitute an elk roast? Thanks!
This roast has made me famous ! Make it just as it says. You will not be disappointed and your friends will demand the recipe
This looks really nice, although never used peperoncini peppers before.