Crock Pot Mississippi Pot Roast

The impressively flavourful and impossibly tender Crock pot Mississippi Pot Roast is the world’s easiest (and I’d argue best) pot roast in existence. You don’t even have to brown the beef before tossing it into your crock pot or dutch oven (if you prefer that!)

I’ll admit I had my doubts about whether crock pot Mississippi Pot Roast would be delicious when a friend told me about it rapturously. I’m awfully glad I vetoed my own impulse not to try making it, though, because she was SO right.

Mississippi Roast Crock Pot

First a word or two about crock pots a.k.a. slow cookers. I know people either love them or love to hate them.

I’m super keen on my slow cooker for recipes like this Crock Pot Mississippi Pot Roast, Slow Cooker Spicy Bacon Corn Dip, and Slow Cooker Breakfast Baked Beans among others. If you’re Team No Crock Pots, though, the good news is you can easily shift all of this to a Dutch oven using the same instructions.

If you opt for the Dutch oven, route, you’ll just add all of the ingredients to a mid-sized Dutch oven, cover it up, and plunk it on a low flame, checking after about 3 to 4 hours. You’ll just let it go until fork tender and follow the instructions from there!

Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe

So what is it that makes this Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe so delicious? It’s an unlikely combo that was first created by Robin Chapman in the early 2000’s as a riff on her beloved aunt’s pot roast.

Ms. Chapman plunked a chuck roast into a slow-cooker and topped it with a jar of pepperoncini, a stick of butter, and a packet of dry au jus gravy. She then subbed dry ranch dressing mix in for the Italian dressing mix her aunt usually used.

Her family, understandably, went nutty over it. She then shared it with a friend who shared it in a church cookbook and from there it made it to the blog “A Perfectly Lovely Day” and Pinterest, and the rest? Well the rest is a study in how something perfectly unlikely might break the internet.

All that aside, though, there is a reason for the Crock Pot Mississippi Pot Roast hype, and that reason is that it is delicious. Oh yeah, it’s ridiculously easy to make, too, which sure doesn’t hurt.

Mississippi Pot Roast Slow Cooker

And while I have expounded for YEARS about how merely dumping everything in a slow cooker and expecting it to be delicious is going to lead to disappointment, Crock Pot Mississippi Pot Roast is the exception to that rule. You literally dump it all in and come back to dinner a few hours later.

Guys. Mississippi Pot Roast rocked my foundation.

You’ll not want to crowd your slow cooker, though. Make sure to use one that your roast fits into comfortably with some room around the sides.

I like this particular inexpensive slow-cooker which is quite large. Use whichever crock pot dings your chimes, though, so long as it has plenty of room in it.

Mississippi Pot Roast

I will say that after trying it both ways, I permanently swapped out the chuck roast for a top round roast in our Mississippi Pot Roast recipe. Why?

Well, chuck is more expensive where I live, but top round is also a little less rich, and I prefer it here. Don’t fret, though, my swap doesn’t make it a “lite” option.

Don’t forget there’s still an entire stick of butter in his crock pot Mississippi Pot Roast. But don’t you leave that butter out, folks, or you will be sad. Trust me; I tried.

Don’t skip the dried ranch dressing mix, either, friends. I have a recipe here for homemade dried ranch dressing mix if you’d prefer it and I can confirm it works beautifully in our Crock Pot Mississippi Pot Roast.

And furthermore, don’t make the same mistake I made and be tempted to turn your nose up at the dried packet of au jus gravy mix. It needs to be in there. Besides, you can make your own au jus gravy mix and it’s delightful!

If you categorically refuse to use the au jus gravy mix, you can sub in two tablespoons of Better than Bouillon Beef Base. I’m tellin’ ya, though, that au jus gravy mix justifies its existence merely through this Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe.

I never thought I’d say it, but I buy a few packets of the au jus gravy mix now just to have on hand for the Mississippi Pot Roast cravings. Because they are many.

Our family loves the whole pepperoncini peppers in our Mississippi Roast, because the ones who don’t like them can easily pluck them out. If everyone in your crew loves them, feel free to add in sliced pepperoncini.

If you can’t find pepperoncini, substitute for them with banana peppers. It will be delicious!

The recipe truly does make a large amount of Mississippi Pot Roast, but let me tell you why that isn’t a problem in four words: leftover pot roast sandwiches. All you need are toasted buns and you’re in business.

Whether you opt to serve your Crock Pot Mississippi Pot Roast the “traditional” way over mashed potatoes or choose to serve it my family’s favourite way as sandwiches, you’ll be thrilled. I’d wager that it’ll become part of your regular rotation, too.

You want more excellent crock pot beef recipes? Look no further than our Slow-Cooker Copycat Chipotle Barbacoa Recipe, Vegetable Beef Barley Soup, and Instant Pot or Slow-Cooker Ropa Vieja {Cuban Saucy Shredded Beef}!

Crock Pot Mississippi Pot Roast

Add the beef roast to the crock pot. Scatter the ranch dressing and au jus mix over the roast, pour in the full jar of pepperoncini, and arrange the butter over the top of the roast.

Put the lid in place, and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, or until fall apart tender. Use tongs to transfer the beef roast to a heat-proof mixing bowl and break it into bite sized pieces.

Strain the cooking liquid and pepperoncini over the roast. Serve the roast and gravy over mashed potatoes or on sandwich rolls with cheese, lettuce, pickles, and pickled onions. If desired, serve the pepperoncini with the roast.