Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast – With Dutch Oven Instructions

With little prep time and only 5 ingredients, you can have a warm and hearty, fork-tender Mississippi Pot Roast on the table by letting your slow cooker do all of the hard work for you!

Don’t have a slow cooker or forgot to prepare it in the morning? No problem because I’ve also included instructions on how to cook it using a Dutch oven as well! (Scroll to the bottom for those instructions.)

Now, I know I’m not the first person to come up with the idea of Mississippi Pot Roast. However, it’s become one of our favorite recipes, so I wanted to make sure to share it with you in case you’ve never tried it before.

The recipe requires only five simple ingredients. Some you may already have in your pantry or refrigerator, while others might be a bit new to you. The best part is that you can find all of the ingredients you need in most all grocery stores.

Unlike a traditional pot roast, this meal is packed full of flavor and a bit of heat thanks to the pepperoncini peppers. It doesn’t include vegetables like a traditional roast does, but you can definitely add some of your favorite to give it a new twist if you want.

How To Make Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast

*Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see the full recipe, including exact measurements and amounts. You can also print out the instructions. I go into a bit more detail about the recipe here first, just in case you need it.

If you want more recipes that feature the flavors of Mississippi Pot Roast, check out my Mississippi Smash Burgers. They combine the same amazing flavor profile but in easy-to-make (and eat!) hamburger form! They are always a huge hit with the family.

Ok, on to the recipe!

Ingredients  

• Beef Roast – The most common type of beef roast to use for pot roast is a chuck roast. The roast can be bone-in or boneless. You can also use a rump roast or a round roast as well. However, the chuck roast will provide you with the most tender and flavorful beef.
• Au Jus Seasoning Mix – You can usually find these packets with the other gravy mixes in stores. The packets should be 1 ounce in size.
• Ranch Seasoning Mix – In addition to the Au jus seasoning, you want to add a packet of ranch dressing mix as well to really flavor things up! (What can I say, I’m from the Midwest and you know how we like our Ranch!) Or, instead of store-bought packets, make a quick batch of homemade dry ranch seasoning. To use either homemade or bulk seasoning mixes, add two tablespoons for every one packet.
• Butter – You can use either salted or unsalted butter. We normally use salted just because that is what we usually have on hand.
• Pepperoncini Peppers – These peppers are really what make Mississippi Pot Roast taste the way it does. You can find pepperoncini peppers in either medium heat or hot varieties. If I don’t have a jar of canned ones from my garden, I grab for the medium heat ones. They don’t really add a lot of spice to the dish if you are using medium heat ones, but they add tons of amazing flavor! You can also use sliced or whole pepperoncini peppers. If using whole, I typically discard them before shredding the meat. Sliced ones I leave behind for a little extra kick!

Instructions For Mississippi Pot Roast

This first step is optional, but it does help to bring out even more flavors in the beef. That is to brown the roast in a cast iron skillet before adding it to the slow cooker. In all honesty, I don’t always do this step. It just depends on whether or not I have the extra time. The meat will still come out super flavorful and tender either way.

Next, add the meat to the slow cooker. (Here is the inexpensive slow cooker I have and love. It’s nothing fancy but gets the job done! – Product Link: Crock-Pot 7 Quart Oval Manual Slow Cooker)

Once the roast is in the slow cooker, sprinkle the top with both the au jus seasoning mix and the ranch seasoning mix. You don’t have to be perfect here, just get the seasoning onto the roast and cover as much of the top as possible.

Now it’s time to slice up your stick of butter into tablespoons. Place the pats of butter evenly around the top of the roast.

Finally, add the pepperoncini peppers and close the lid of the slow cooker. You don’t need the juice from the peppers, only the peppers themselves. There is also no need to add any other additional liquid. The juice from the meat, as well as the melted butter, will be plenty once things get cooking.

Cooking, Shredding & Serving

Cook the contents on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. The roast should be fork-tender when it is completely cooked through. You can see in my photos that the meat was literally falling off the bone, it was that tender!

Before serving, remove the whole peppers as well as any of the bones and fat. Discard the bones and fat. The whole peppers can be saved and served along with the meat for those who really like a bit of extra heat with their meals.

Now that the peppers and bones are gone, take two forks and shred the meat. This should be really easy to do if the meat is properly cooked through.

Serve the shredded beef with cooked pasta, over homemade mashed potatoes (our favorite!), or with a fresh loaf of bread. Use the extra juice as a delicious gravy or dipping sauce.

If you need to thicken the gravy, mix two tablespoons of cornstarch with a bit of the juice in a small bowl. Then add it to the slow cooker, mixing well. Allow the meat and juice to cook on high for about 10 minutes or until it has thickened to your preference. (Normally, I find the gravy thick enough when mixed with the shredded beef.)

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for three days or freeze for up to three months. Enjoy!

Dutch Oven Instructions

As an alternative, you can cook the Mississippi Pot Roast in a large Dutch oven. The size of the Dutch oven you use will depend on how large your roast is. Since you aren’t adding a ton of extra ingredients like vegetables, you don’t need a massive Dutch oven. I have both a 4.5 and a 7.5-quart Dutch oven, and both work well. (Product Link: Lodge 4.5 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven with Lid)

First, preheat your oven to 300º Fahrenheit. Searing the meat ahead of time is optional, but it can be done right in the same Dutch oven. (Any time I can save on dishes, that’s a win for me!) Just be sure to add a bit of cooking fat or oil to the oven before searing the meat.

Next, sprinkle the seasoning mixes on top. Finally, add the pats of butter and the pepperoncini peppers and about 1/4 cup of the juice. Cover and cook in the preheated oven for about 3.5 hours or until the roast is fork tender.

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
– Chelsea

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