Crockpot Mississippi Pot Roast
Chuck roast slow-cooked with ranch, au jus mix, butter and pepperoncini until it shreds with a fork. Tangy, rich and about five minutes of work.
- Crockpot
- Slow cooker
- Beef
- Dinner
- 495 min total
- Serves 6
Ingredients
Ingredients for servings
Enter a number of at least ½, in steps of ½.
Original recipe serves 6. Ingredient amounts adjust automatically. Cooking times and pan size may need adjusting separately.
- 3 lb beef chuck roast, one piece, trimmed of any big fat caps
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil, for searing, optional
- 1 packet ranch seasoning mix, 1 oz
- 1 packet au jus gravy mix, about 1 oz
- 4 tbsp butter, half a stick, cut in 4 pats
- 8 pepperoncini peppers, whole, stems pulled off
- 1/4 cup pepperoncini brine, from the jar
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Gear
- Slow cooker, 6 quart
- Skillet, optional for searing
- Two forks
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Steps
Step 1: Pat the roast dry and season it with the black pepper. For deeper flavor, heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the roast 3 to 4 minutes per side. If you're in a hurry, skip it and put the roast straight in.
Step 2: Set the roast in the slow cooker. Sprinkle the ranch mix and the au jus mix evenly over the top.
Step 3: Lay the butter pats on top, tuck the pepperoncini around the roast and pour the brine around the sides, not over the seasoning.
Step 4: Cover and cook on Low 8 hours, until the beef pulls apart easily with two forks. Don't add water; the roast makes plenty of its own juice.
Step 5: Shred the beef right in the pot and stir it through the juices. Let it sit 10 minutes so the meat soaks some of that liquid back up.
Step 6: Serve over mashed potatoes, on rolls, or over rice, with a spoonful of juice on top.
Swaps
- Heat: Use 4 pepperoncini for mild, or toss in a couple of sliced jalapeños for a kick.
- Au jus: A packet of brown gravy mix works the same way and makes the juice a little thicker.
- Ranch: Italian dressing mix gives it a more herby, zippy flavor.
Tips
- Use chuck. Leaner roasts like round or sirloin tip dry out and turn stringy.
- Leftovers make outstanding sandwiches with a slice of provolone melted on top.
- The juice is salty from both packets, so taste before you add any salt.
The story
HAM Cooking. Let’s fire it up.
This might be the laziest great recipe in America. You put a roast in a pot, dump two seasoning packets on it, drop half a stick of butter on top like a hat, and go live your life. Eight hours later, people think you worked on it.
Here’s why it works, and it’s not just luck. Chuck is loaded with collagen, and long, low, moist heat turns that collagen into gelatin, which is what makes the meat fall apart and gives the juice body. The pepperoncini and their brine bring acid, and acid is the thing rich, buttery beef needs so it doesn’t taste heavy. The ranch packet handles the herbs and garlic, and the au jus packet handles the beefy, salty backbone.
Notice what’s missing: water. A roast this size gives up plenty of liquid on its own. Add more and you’re just watering down the flavor you paid for.
Mash some potatoes, ladle the juice over everything, and accept the compliments.
HAM out.
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