Mississippi Pot Roast Slow Cooker

If you like roast, we thought this one was great. Easy prep. Lots of flavor. And optional heat for those that like it spicier. Enjoy!

I think one of the things that makes this a "Mississippi" pot roast (as opposed to just a more traditional pot roast) is the addition of the pepperoncini or banana peppers. Every Mississippi pot roast recipe I have seen calls for the addition of these, plus some of the juice from the jar they come in. They aren't too hot (unless you add a bunch) and add a nice flavor to the meat. However, the juice can be really salty, so be careful about how much you pour on, especially depending on the salt content of the other ingredients you choose to use.

That said, we aren't big on spice in our house, and after making this twice, our family really feels like we can just leave the peppers out entirely and still get a delicious roast that we all enjoy. So the choice is yours. For the sake of authenticity in calling this a "Mississippi" pot roast recipe, I am going to list the peppers, but just know that our family leaves them out.

Roast with the peppers, but no one in our house really wants to eat them, so when I shredded the roast, I picked them out.

Mississippi Pot Roast

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lb. chuck roast
• 1/2-1 pkg ranch dressing/seasoning mix
• 1 pkg. Au Jus gravy mix
• 1/2 stick of butter
• pepperoncini banana peppers, sliced or whole, drained
• optional juice from the pepper jar

Directions:

1. Place your pot roast into the bottom of your slow cooker.
2. Sprinkle over with your ranch mix and au jus mix.
3. Top with your half stick of butter and any desired amount of pepperoncini peppers. You can also add some of the juice from the jar of pepperoncini if you want more flavor and heat, but be careful because it can be salty.
4. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or until the roast easily shreds.

Marsha's Notes:

There are a few additional, OPTIONAL steps you can do, if you want.

1. Use the drippings in the crock pot to make a gravy. You can do this anyway that you prefer to make gravy. I made some pretty easy gravy by pouring the drippings into a pan on the stove and then I took a brown gravy mix and whisked-in enough mix to the drippings that it thickened the way I wanted once everything came to a boil. It might have been 1-2 pkgs of gravy mix (a couple Tbl of mix), but I am not sure because I bought my gravy mix in bulk and just sprinkled some in, adding more as it came to a boil until I liked the consistency. You can serve the gravy on the side to pour over potatoes or the roast itself, but I have also just added the gravy straight to the shredded meat in the crock pot and served it that way. Then you can make a bed of potatoes on your plate and place the meat/gravy mixture right over the top.
• If your drippings are extra salty and your gravy mix is also salty, then you might want to instead make your gravy by melting some butter in your sauce pan first, then add equal parts flour to your melted butter and cook for just a minute to get rid of the raw flour taste (so if you use 1/4 cup butter, then do a 1/4 cup flour). Then slowly whisk-in enough drippings to your butter and flour roux mixture to get the gravy that you want, keeping in mind that as the drippings come to a boil, they will continue to thicken. With this method, you aren't adding any extra salt. 
2. Some people also like to sear the roast before putting in the crock pot. They might also season their roast with things like salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder before searing.
3. Additionally, once your meat is seared, place it in the slower cooker and then use the drippings in the pan from the searing to sauté some onions. Once the onions are tender, add some minced garlic to your pan and cook for just a minute so as not to burn your garlic. Then deglaze the pan with some beef stock. Add your ranch and au jus packets to the skillet and heat until thickened. Pour everything over the roast in the slow cooker, then add your butter and pepperoncini peppers.