Juicy and flavorful Mississippi Pot Roast is a recipe that owes its impressive flavors to tender chuck roast, ranch seasoning, and pepperoncini. It’s a delicious, cozy dinner prepared quickly and easily in the Instant Pot!
Pot roast is a tried and true favorite comfort food across households. This dish is loved for its simple preparation and ability to provide a heartwarming meal for a large crowd. A pot roast is often cooked low and slow for hours to tenderize the meat and infuse it with various flavors. However, my instant pot Mississippi pot roast will take under 2 hours, which might seem long, but it’s a significant time-saver compared to the more common 4+ hours.
What Is A Mississippi Pot Roast?
A Mississippi Pot Roast includes a chuck roast that is slow-cooked with four distinctive ingredients – ranch, Au Jus, pepperoncini, and butter.
Ingredients For Mississippi Pot Roast
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 3 to 5 pound Chuck Roast
- 3/4-cup low sodium beef broth
- 1/2-cup pepperoncini juice + 10 pepperoncini
- dry Ranch seasoning mix packet
- Au Jus gravy mix packet
- 2 tablespoons butter
How To Make Mississippi Pot Roast In The Instant Pot
- Sear: Heat vegetable oil in your Instant Pot on the sauté mode. Slice the chuck roast into 3 or 4 pieces and brown them in the pot for 10 minutes, adding more oil if needed.
- Deglaze: Remove the meat and deglaze the pot with beef broth, then stir in the pepperoncini juice. Return the meat to the pot, season with ranch and gravy mix, add pepperoncini and butter, and turn off sauté mode.
- Cook: Seal the pot and set it to manual mode at high pressure for 60 minutes. Then, let it release pressure naturally for 15 minutes. Vent to release any remaining pressure; remove the pot roast from the Instant Pot and serve it with its juices.
- Thicken: For a thicker gravy, stir in a slurry of 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and ¼ cup cold water, cooking for 2 minutes on the sauté mode. Thin with additional liquid if needed.
Recipe Tips And Variations
- Choose a high-quality, marbled chuck roast for the best results. The marbling of fat ensures a juicy, tender pot roast.
- You can use a frozen roast, although it will require extra cooking time to ensure the meat is thoroughly cooked and tender enough to pull apart.
- The roast should be tender enough to pull apart with a fork easily. If it’s not, seal the pot back up and cook for an additional 10 to 20 minutes.
- Transform leftovers into a French Dip Sandwich, a hearty soup with root vegetables, or use the shredded beef in tacos or burritos.
Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast
- Brown the beef cubes in batches in heated vegetable oil in a skillet. Transfer the beef to the slow cooker.
- Deglaze the skillet with the pepperoncini juice and the beef broth, then whisk in the ranch and au jus seasonings until well incorporated. Transfer the pan sauce to the slow cooker, adding the pepperoncini and butter on top.
- Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours in the slow cooker. Shred the beef inside the slow cooker, then thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry and continue to cook for about 20 to 30 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
I serve my Mississippi pot roast over mashed potatoes. Spoon that sauce right over everything and call it a day. You can also serve this with creamy mashed cauliflower, mushroom rice, or riced cauliflower. I also love a pot roast with a side of maple mustard roasted potatoes or roasted garlic parmesan carrots.
How to Store Leftovers
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days or frozen for up to 4 months. If freezing, include the juices to keep the meat moist.
More Pot Roast Recipes
- Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast
- Best Ever Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Beef Birria
- Slow Cooker Beef Machaca
- Slow Cooker Italian Beef
Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 to 5 pound chuck roast, cut into 3 to 4 even chunks so to fit easier in the Instant Pot.
- ¾ cup low sodium beef broth
- ½ cup pepperoncini juice from the jar
- 1 packet (1-ounce) Dry Ranch Seasoning Mix
- 1 packet (1-ounce) Au Jus Gravy Mix
- 10 whole pepperoncinis
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Select "saute” mode on the Instant Pot and heat up the vegetable oil.
- Add the chuck roast pieces to the hot oil and cook for 5 minutes. Flip them over and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Add more oil if needed.
- Remove the meat from the Instant Pot and set aside.
- Slowly add the beef broth to the Instant Pot to deglaze; stir to loosen up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Whisk in the pepperoncini juice.
- Transfer the meat back into the Instant Pot. Sprinkle the ranch seasoning mix and the gravy mix over the meat. Add in the pepperoncini and butter.
- Turn off the saute mode.
- Close the instant pot with the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position. Press the Manual button (or pressure cook button) and set it to 60 minutes high pressure.
- When the cooking cycle ends, do a Natural Pressure Release for 15 minutes. Turn off the pot and release the remaining pressure by turning the knob to the venting position. When the pin drops, open the lid.
- Remove the pot roast from the instant pot and let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting or shredding.
- Serve the pot roast with the juices.
- For a thicker gravy, you can make a slurry of 2 tablespoons of cornstarch whisked together with ¼ cup cold water. Whisk the slurry into the juices inside the IP, cooking for 2 minutes on the sauté mode. Thin with additional liquid if needed.
Notes
- Use Quality Meat: Opt for a good, marbled chuck roast for a tender and juicy result.
- Brown the Meat: Sear the roast first to seal in the flavor and juices.
- Deglaze the Pot: Use beef broth to loosen browned bits from the pot to enhance the flavor.
- Use Natural Release: Allow a natural pressure release for a tender roast.
- Adjust for Frozen Roast: Increase the cooking time if using frozen meat.
- Test for Doneness: Ensure roast is fork-tender. If not, cook it longer.
- Balance Flavors: Add brown sugar for less tang or more pepperoncini juice for more tang.
- Thicken the Juices: If desired, thicken the juices by whisking 2 tablespoons cornstarch with ¼ cup cold water. On SAUTE mode, bring juices to a boil, add the cornstarch mix, and stir until slightly thick. If it is too thick, dilute it with additional liquid.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
