Mississippi Pot Roast

While many classic pot roasts lean into root vegetables and aromatics to build the flavor base, Mississippi Pot Roast is distinctively tart, salty, tangy, and even a little spicy.

Much like Mississippi Chicken but instead based around a hearty cut of chuck roast beef, pickled pepperoncini peppers set this recipe apart. The most essential element of this highly popular dish is a cheeky combination of ranch and soup seasoning mix, which not only impart a lot of flavor but also keep the dish tenderized and juicy.

Mississippi Pot Roast is a hearty comfort meal that packs a unique punch. Learn how to make it and your family will be requesting it specially.

Ingredients for Mississippi Pot Roast

A handful of ingredients load up a beef roast for the tangy, salty flavors of the Mississippi Pot Roast.

• Boneless chuck roast: The perfect cut of meat for a pot roast, boneless chuck is first seared in a pan of hot oil to seal in the moisture and make a nice golden crust. After cooking low and slow for hours, it yields an extra-tender fall-apart roast.
• Kosher salt: Tenderizes the meat and balances the flavors of all the ingredients in the dish.
• Black pepper: Adds some subtle heat and depth of woody notes to the dish.
• Olive oil: Keeps the roast from sticking to the pan while searing.
• Unsalted butter: Adds richness to the roast and drippings to build and develop a hearty sauce that the cut of meat cooks in slowly.
• Ranch dressing dip mix and French onion soup mix: A classic set of ingredients in Mississippi Pot Roast is powdered mix, either ranch dressing mix, soup mix, or both. Ranch dressing mix has dried buttermilk in it as well as a variety of dried herbs, while soup mix imparts a bouillon-like bomb of flavors that are brothy, savory, and hearty. This specific combination of mix ingredients evenly and lightly coats meat, tenderizing it as well as the sauce the dish cooks in.
• Pepperoncini peppers: Add brightness, tang, and a little heat to cut through the fattiness and richness of the chuck roast.

Serve Mississippi Pot Roast with mashed potatoes and fresh, chopped flat-leaf parsley.

What Is Mississippi Pot Roast?

The origin of Mississippi Pot Roast is contested, but one thing is for certain: It became very popular on the internet. The basic elements of the dish couldn’t be simpler, consisting of just a handful of ingredients or a variation on the following basic ingredients: chuck or beef roast, butter, soup or gravy flavoring mix, ranch dressing mix, and lastly but certainly not least, pepperoncini peppers.

This recipe sears the roast to lock in moisture and ensures a delicate roast throughout the slow-cooking process. The result is fall-apart tender and full of flavor.

How To Make Mississippi Pot Roast

A few minutes of work to sear the meat is all that's needed to get this dish going. Everything else goes in the slow cooker and bubbles away into a brilliant dinner.

• Step 1. Sear roast: Season a boneless chuck roast with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a cast-iron skillet, and sear each side of the roast until browned.
• Step 2. Add ingredients to slow cooker: Combine the remaining ingredients in a slow cooker.
• Step 3. Cook the roast: High or low, cook the roast until tender. On low, you'll need about seven hours; on high, about five.
• Step 4. Shred and serve: When the roast is finished cooking, use forks to shred the meat. Scoop the meat out of the slow cooker with a slotted spoon, and serve. Use as much of the remaining juice as you want.

Can You Use Banana Peppers Instead Of Pepperoncinis?

Pepperoncinis tend to be a bit stronger and sharper, with a bitterness that cuts through the fattiness and heartiness of beef, so we'd recommend those for this recipe. However, for many folks, banana peppers and pepperoncinis are interchangeable despite slight differences. Both items are available at most conventional grocery stores, so the choice is up to you.

What To Serve With Mississippi Pot Roast

Classically, Mississippi pot roast is served over a rich and comforting carb like mashed potatoes or egg noodles. You could also use rice. Finish off the plate with a great, simple vegetable side like tender green beans, steamed broccoli, or squash casserole.