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This 5-ingredient Mississippi Pot Roast recipe is one of my family’s favorite comfort food dinners. Fork-tender and flavorful, this easy beef recipe comes together in your slow cooker and is delicious served in rolls, over mashed potatoes, or with buttered noodles.
Meggan’s notes
Deemed the “roast that owns the internet” by The New York Times, Mississippi Pot Roast skyrocketed in popularity on social media in the past decade. While I adore Classic Pot Roast braised in a Dutch oven or its speedy Instant Pot cousin, I’m particularly fond of this crockpot pot roast that calls for just 5 ingredients but delivers major flavor. I’m a classically-trained chef, but even I love to set it and forget it sometimes!
Since it calls for pepperoncini peppers, Mississippi Pot Roast is mild enough to share with kids or spicy food-averse. But with those peppers and a cozy, well-seasoned gravy, this beef recipe is still flavorful enough to please more adventurous eaters, too.
Pile it over Garlic Mashed Potatoes, mashed cauliflower, or rice, tuck it inside a split hoagie bun, or pair it with a couple veggie sides; any which way you serve this easy Mississippi Pot Roast recipe, it will likely be the roast that owns your Sunday dinner table. It does mine!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Beef roast: I like chuck roast best here. It’s also known as shoulder steak or boneless chuck roast. Your butcher may also recommend brisket or round roast (AKA rump roast). Each one of them does well with slow and low cooking. Choose a size that will fit in your Dutch oven. A 3 1/2-quart pot can hold a 3-pound roast well. If you’re sizing up to 6 quarts, choose a 4 1/2-pound roast.
- Ranch mix: My not-so-hidden shortcut? A packet of Hidden Valley Ranch powder (or an envelope of your favorite buttermilk-herb mix brand). It’s easy to DIY if you prefer. To make homemade ranch dressing mix, whisk together 2 tbsp. powdered buttermilk, 2 ½ tsp. dried parsley, 1 tsp. dried minced onion, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. onion powder, ½ tsp. dill weed, and salt (I like ¼ teaspoon).
- Pepperoncini peppers: Also known as banana peppers, you’ll use both the peppers and the brine in this slow cooker Mississippi Pot Roast recipe.
- Au jus gravy mix or brown gravy mix: Look for packets near the jars of gravy in your grocery store. McCormick’s, Lawry’s, and Knorr are all widely available in many U.S. markets.
Step-by-step instructions
- Place beef in slow cooker. Top with 1 cup pepperoncini peppers and ½ cup pepperoncini juice. Sprinkle au jus gravy mix and ranch dressing mix over beef and peppers. Top with butter pieces.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on low until meat is fork-tender, about 5-8 hours. Remove the beef to a rimmed baking sheet and shred with 2 forks, discarding any gristle, large pieces of fat, and pepperoncini.
- Serve on top of mashed potatoes or as sandwiches, garnishing with pepperoncini as desired.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 12 servings of 3 to 4 ounces of cooked roast per person.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Classic Pot Roast: Braised low and slow, this pot roast is made in the oven just like mom used to do. Meltingly tender beef, vegetables, and a rich gravy will have everyone asking for seconds.
- Beef Bourguignon: This rustic French pot roast has tender chunks of beef simmered in a luscious red wine sauce with lots of vegetables and just a hint of smoky bacon.
- Italian Beef Sandwich: An Italian Beef Sandwich recipe inspired by the sandwiches of Chicago. With tender shredded beef, lots of pickled vegetables, and ooey-gooey melted cheese, you’ll love how easy these are to make – and how delicious they taste!
Frequently Asked Questions
According to Southern Living, Mississippi Pot Roast was reportedly the creation of Robin Chapman, a resident of Ripley, Mississippi. Robin, a mom, adapted her aunt’s pot roast recipe in the 1990s to make it less spicy so her kids would enjoy it. At the time, she simply called it “the roast,” and it started its slow rise to fame in a cookbook compiled by a local church. Mississippi Pot Roast really blew up, though, once it was shared far and wide on social media sites like Pinterest and TikTok, where it began to be known by its state-based moniker.
Nope! The ½ cup pepperoncini brine teams up with the melted stick of butter and the beef juices to lend the just-right amount of moisture for shreddable, succulent beef.
You bet. Try Mississippi Chicken! Simply start with 3 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of the beef, and use the same proportion of all of the other ingredients (pepperoncini and brine, a packet of ranch dressing mix, a packet of au jus gravy mix, and a stick of butter).
Try these sides with pot roast
Side Dish Recipes
Boursin Mashed Potatoes
Vegetable Recipes
Roasted Carrots
Vegetable Recipes
Green Beans and Bacon
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Mississippi Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 1 (3 to 4 pound) boneless beef chuck roast (see note 1)
- 1 cup whole pepperoncini peppers and ½ cup of juice from jar, plus more for serving
- 1 (1 ounce) packet ranch dressing mix (see note 2)
- 1 (1 ounce) packet au jus gravy mix or brown gravy mix
- 1 stick butter cut into large pieces (1 stick)
Instructions
- Place beef in slow cooker. Top with 1 cup pepperoncini peppers and ½ cup pepperoncini juice. Sprinkle au jus gravy mix and ranch dressing mix over beef and peppers. Top with butter pieces.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on low until meat is fork-tender, about 5 to 8 hours.
- Remove the beef to a rimmed baking sheet and shred with 2 forks, discarding any gristle, large pieces of fat, and pepperoncini. Serve on top of mashed potatoes or as sandwiches, garnishing with pepperoncini as desired.
Notes
- Beef roast:I like chuck roast best here (also known as shoulder steak or boneless chuck roast). Your butcher may also recommend brisket or round roast (another name: rump roast.) Each one of them excels at long, slow cooking. Choose a size that will fit in your Dutch oven. A 3.5-quart pot can hold a 3-pound roast well. If you’re sizing up to 6 quarts, choose a 4.5-pound roast.
- Ranch mix: To make homemade ranch dressing mix, whisk together 2 tbsp. powdered buttermilk, 2 ½ tsp. dried parsley, 1 tsp. dried minced onion, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. onion powder, ½ tsp. dill weed, and salt (I like ¼ teaspoon).
- Yield: This recipe makes 12 servings, 3 to 4 ounces, cooked roast per person.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.