Mississippi Pot Roast: The Easiest 5-Ingredient Dinner

If you are looking for the simplest, most delicious pot roast recipe in existence, this Mississippi Pot Roast is it. Famous for its tender, fall-apart texture and savory, slightly tangy flavor, this recipe requires just five ingredients and almost zero effort. Moreover, the magic happens in the slow cooker: the beef chuck roast is slowly infused with ranch dressing mix, au jus mix, and the bright zing of pepperoncini peppers. This easy slow cooker pot roast is the ultimate dump-and-go meal.

Ingredients for the Simple Pot Roast

The simplicity of this recipe is its genius, relying on flavor packets and the natural fat content of the beef and butter to create a rich sauce without any extra liquid.

• Beef chuck roast: The ideal cut for this recipe; its marbling and connective tissue break down during the long cook time, resulting in incredibly tender meat.
• Butter: Added for richness and moisture, helping the seasoning packets adhere to the meat.
• Pepperoncini peppers: Adds the essential bright, slightly acidic, and tangy flavor that defines a Mississippi Pot Roast; the juice from the peppers also provides liquid.
• Ranch dressing mix: A dry seasoning packet that provides the savory, herby flavor base.
• Dry au jus mix: A dry seasoning packet that provides a deep, beefy, salty flavor and helps form the dark, rich sauce.

How to Make Mississippi Pot Roast

The cooking process couldn't be simpler: just add the ingredients to the slow cooker, set it, and forget it!

1. Assembly and Slow Cooking

The unique assembly method places the seasonings directly into the meat for maximum flavor infusion.

1. Gather: Gather all ingredients.
2. Assemble: Place roast in a slow cooker. Form a pocket in the top of the roast and place butter, pepperoncini peppers, ranch dressing mix, and au jus mix in the pocket.
3. Cook: Cook on Low for 8 hours.

2. Serving

1. Serve: Serve and enjoy! The meat should be tender enough to shred easily with a fork right in the slow cooker.

Recipe Notes and Serving Suggestions

• Beef Cut: Substitute: While beef chuck roast is traditional, you can use a shoulder roast or bottom round roast, though chuck is highly recommended for tenderness.
• Tenderizing: Cook Time: Resist the urge to lift the lid during the 8-hour cook time. The trapped moisture is crucial for tenderizing the meat.
• Serving Ideas: Serving: This rich, savory roast is excellent served over mashed potatoes (or mashed cauliflower for low-carb), egg noodles, or simply served on slider buns.
• Sauce: The cooking liquid left behind makes a fantastic savory sauce to spoon over the shredded meat.