Mississippi Pot Roast

Mississippi Pot Roast has been a viral sensation. Its origination began with a family recipe shared in a church cookbook by Robin Chapman. It quickly became popularized and was picked up by bloggers to share. Even the New York Times has referred to it as “the roast which owns the internet.” With that said, I shall become a part of the following of this fabulous recipe and share my version with you! You won’t be disappointed!

Our household comprises of 4 adults, 2 who regularly eat actual meals.. LOL We are retired; they work, sleep and play soccer and  video games.  They always seem to be on the run, but will occasionally sit for a family meal and conversation to catch up on life and what’s happening in the world. I was looking for a  2-3  pound chuck roast, the perfect size for us. You see, they prefer not to eat leftovers,, but will warm up pizza and wings. Yeah, I can’t figure this one out either. If they even knew this tastes even better the next day! This was the best one I could find at the time; the marbling is perfect! Therefore,it came home with me for the creation of this fabulous meal.

Using paper towels, dry off both sides until no moisture remains. Drying meat actually assists the browning process. Grind fresh pepper over both sides. I actually pepper the second side once it’s placed in the pan. The side shown here went down first.

Heat a medium skillet or a cast iron pan to medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and place roast in pan. Sear for 3 minutes per side and remove to the crock pot; drizzle the oil and flavorings remaining in the pan over the roast.

Sprinkle with Ranch Seasoning. I prefer to make my own(click here) Homemade Ranch Seasoning and have it on hand to make Ranch dip or as part of my coating for some Smoky Ranch Chicken Wings !  You can certainly use the packaged mix, but I prefer my own. 🙂

Center the 1/3 cup of unsalted butter(5 -1/3 T mark on wrapper) on top of roast. Spread the sliced  Peperoncini rings  over the top. Don’t worry about the heat affect of these peppers. They are mildly piquant and add that rich,  subtle tangy flavor. I’d call it umami. .Drizzle about 1 cup of the broth over the roast and pour the rest around the bottom. Add sliced carrots if you desire, which I do even if no one else prefers them.

Cover and set crock pot to LOW for 8 hours. This is perfect if you prep it in the morning and want it ready when you get home from work. Finishing it up takes little effort. This roast will just fall apart with such ease, the longer it cooks. Other recipes say you could also cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours . Directions for making this in the Instant Pot are available on other sites, but I wouldn’t alter this ingredient list. About an hour into the cooking, I decided to add some sliced carrots because I love how this broth infuses them. (The butter can be seen here melting over the roast.)

Remove the pieces of meat from the crock pot to a platter and begin to pull it apart with a pair of forks. Discard any remnants of fat. You can return the meat back to the crock pot so these pieces can soak up a little more flavor, if desired. I thought it was perfect as it was and served it from the platter.

If desired,  the savory juices remaining in the pot of this Mississippi Pot Roast can be transformed into a gravy or just drizzled over the meat when serving. This is great  over mashed potatoes,  Garlic Thyme Smashed Cauliflower,, noodles or rice. Or perhaps, you can just serve it with its savory juices next to the sides and maybe some green beans. Either way, you must try this!