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- 1
Pat the chuck roast dry with paper towels and set it in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Drying the surface helps the seasonings stick and lets the edges pick up a little color as it cooks.
- 2
Sprinkle the ranch dressing packet evenly over the top of the roast, then follow with the au jus packet. Don't stir — just let both layers blanket the meat.
- 3
Set the whole stick of butter right on top of the roast. Scatter the pepperoncini peppers around and over it, then pour the 2 tablespoons of pepperoncini brine in around the sides. That's it — no water, no broth. The roast makes its own liquid.
- 4
Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. Don't peek — every lid lift adds 15–20 minutes to the cook time. The roast is done when it shreds easily with a fork and the center reads at least 205°F on an instant-read thermometer (that's the sweet spot where the connective tissue has fully broken down).
- 5
Lift the roast out onto a cutting board. Shred it with two forks, pulling along the grain. Let it rest about 5 minutes while you skim the worst of the fat off the top of the pot liquid — a big spoon or a fat separator both work.
- 6
Nestle the shredded beef back into the pot and toss it through the gravy so every strand gets coated. Serve over mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, rice, or split onto toasted buns for sandwiches. Plenty of gravy is the whole point — spoon extra over the top.
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Slow-Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast
Created by: HomeCooking
Ingredients
- 3 lb boneless beef chuck roast
- 1 oz ranch dressing seasoning packet
- 1 oz au jus gravy seasoning packet
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 8 whole pepperoncini peppers
- 2 tbsp pepperoncini brine (from the jar)
Instructions
- Pat the chuck roast dry with paper towels and set it in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Drying the surface helps the seasonings stick and lets the edges pick up a little color as it cooks.
- Sprinkle the ranch dressing packet evenly over the top of the roast, then follow with the au jus packet. Don't stir — just let both layers blanket the meat.
- Set the whole stick of butter right on top of the roast. Scatter the pepperoncini peppers around and over it, then pour the 2 tablespoons of pepperoncini brine in around the sides. That's it — no water, no broth. The roast makes its own liquid.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. Don't peek — every lid lift adds 15–20 minutes to the cook time. The roast is done when it shreds easily with a fork and the center reads at least 205°F on an instant-read thermometer (that's the sweet spot where the connective tissue has fully broken down).
- Lift the roast out onto a cutting board. Shred it with two forks, pulling along the grain. Let it rest about 5 minutes while you skim the worst of the fat off the top of the pot liquid — a big spoon or a fat separator both work.
- Nestle the shredded beef back into the pot and toss it through the gravy so every strand gets coated. Serve over mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, rice, or split onto toasted buns for sandwiches. Plenty of gravy is the whole point — spoon extra over the top.
Notes & Tips
This one's a total pantry-and-walk-away winner. Toss it in before school drop-off and you'll come home to a house that smells like a hug. A few grandma-approved tips from my kitchen:
Don't skip the pepperoncini. I know, I know—"vinegar peppers" on a pot roast sounds wrong. Trust me. They melt into the gravy and leave behind a little tang that keeps the whole thing from tasting flat. You barely taste them as peppers in the end.
Low is better than high. The box says you can do 4–6 hours on high, but chuck roast is happiest low and slow. If you've got the time, use it.
Save those drippings. Leftover gravy is liquid gold. Spoon it into a jar for Mississippi French dip sandwiches the next night—just toast a hoagie roll, pile on the beef, and dunk.
Busy-kitchen twist: In a pinch, an Instant Pot does a very respectable version at 70 minutes on high pressure + 15 minute natural release. Not quite as forgiving as the slow cooker, but close.