It was a crazy busy day today on our little patch of heaven. We started out working with the wood pile, stacking it into manageable rows. Then we gathered seeds from the cutting flower rows. And harvesting more peppers including banana. Those banana peppers and a thawed chuck roast were motivation for supper: Slow cooker Mississippi pot roast. 

This iconic, yummy recipe can be made two ways: using packaged ingredients or from scratch.

Between the two, the one on Pinterest’s most pinned list, well over 1 million times, is the roast with packaged ingredients! 

The story goes that about 20 years ago, Robin Chapman of Mississippi made what she just called crockpot “roast”.  A variation of the popular 90’s slow cooker roast using dry Italian seasoning and pepperoncini, Ms. Chapman swapped ranch dressing for the Italian, and added dry au jus gravy mix. Oh and a stick of butter and a few pepperoncini. Her family loved it.

She made the roast for a friend, who put it in a church cookbook. The recipe started popping up on blogs as “the best roast in the world” in spite of the weird ingredients. 

I opted to make that version today. Yes, it deserves the raves.

For those of you who are more purist, I’m sharing my adaptation of a New York Times from scratch recipe. 

Mississippi crockpot/slow cooker pot roast 

The recipe I shared a while back used a tri-tip roast. I like chuck roast better, and it’s less costly. 

Ingredients

3 pounds or so boneless chuck roast

1 package brown gravy or Au jus gravy mix 

1 package ranch salad dressing 

1 stick butter — yes, a whole stick

3 whole fresh banana peppers or about 6 or so pepperoncini 

Instructions

Place roast in sprayed crockpot. 

Sprinkle gravy and dressing packets on top. 

Add peppers. 

Place butter on top. Don’t stir or add water. 

Cook on low, undisturbed, 6-8 hours or high 3-4 or so. 

It’s done when meat easily shreds with 2 forks. Gravy will look a bit thin, but no worries.

Take roast out, shred and put back in cooker. It will absorb gravy, making meat juicy. 

Serve with mashed potatoes, noodles or rice.

Mississippi slow cooker pot roast from scratch

Adapted slightly from Sam Sifton’s New York Times recipe.

Ingredients

3 pounds or so boneless chuck roast

Salt and pepper

1/3 cup flour

Oil

4 tablespoons butter

4 or so pepperoncini or to taste

2 tablespoons each: mayonnaise and cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon dried dill leaves or tablespoon fresh

1/4 teaspoon ea: garlic powder and sweet paprika

Instructions

Rub roast with salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour all over and massage into meat.
Film bottom of skillet with oil. Heat until hot, then put roast in  and brown well on all sides to create crust. This is necessary for flavor and to thicken gravy.
Place roast in slow cooker and add any brown bits. 

Add butter and pepperoncini. Put lid on and turn onto low.

Make ranch dressing by whisking mayonnaise, vinegar, dill, garlic and paprika together. Add to meat. 

Cover and continue cooking, undisturbed, 6 to 8 hours, or until you can shred meat easily using 2 forks. 

Mix meat with gravy. 

Serve with noodles or roast or mashed potatoes, or pile onto sandwiches.

Mississippi roast in Instapot:

Check out simplyhappyfoodie.co