This flavorful Mississippi Pot Roast makes an excellent make-ahead freezer meal. Slow-cooked in a crock pot, the roast becomes tender and shreds into a rich, savory gravy. Serve it over mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles for a comforting family dinner.
If you enjoy hearty comfort meals with mashed potatoes, you might also like Country Fried Steak.
We’ve tested many freezer-friendly recipes recently, and this Mississippi Pot Roast quickly became a favorite. This version keeps the classic elements—dry ranch mix, au jus mix, and pepperoncini—but swaps the butter for beef broth and adds onions, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper for deeper flavor. A cornstarch slurry at the end turns the cooking liquid into a thick, spoonable gravy.
What’s a Mississippi Pot Roast?
Traditionally, Mississippi Pot Roast is a chuck roast slow-cooked with a stick of butter, a packet of ranch dressing mix, a packet of au jus mix, and a handful of pepperoncini peppers. The result is tender beef with a tangy, savory sauce.
This variation retains the roast, ranch, au jus, and pepperoncini, but uses beef broth in place of butter and includes onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper to enhance the savory profile. At the end of cooking, a cornstarch and cold water mixture is whisked in to thicken the cooking liquid into a glossy gravy.
A Great Freezer Meal
This recipe works well cooked immediately or prepped ahead and frozen. To freeze, place all ingredients except the cornstarch and water into a gallon-size zip-top bag, remove excess air, and freeze the bag upright on a flat surface (a cookie sheet works well). Freezing upright keeps the liquid pooled at the bottom, making it easier to empty into the slow cooker and preventing the bag from freezing to the rack.
For best results, slow cook the roast on LOW for 8–10 hours. If cooking from frozen, start on HIGH for 1 hour to help thaw, then switch to LOW for the remaining time. During the last 10–30 minutes of cooking, whisk together cornstarch and cold water and stir the slurry into the cooker to thicken the sauce. Once the gravy reaches your desired consistency, shred the meat and serve.
Mississippi Pot Roast
Pin
Rate
Save
Ingredients
- 2–3 lb beef roast (chuck, rump, or cross rib)
- 1 oz packet dry ranch dressing mix
- 1 oz packet dry au jus gravy mix
- 1/4–1/2 tsp ground black pepper (pepperoncini add heat)
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 6–8 whole pepperoncini peppers
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp cold water
Instructions
- TO FREEZE (OPTIONAL): Place everything except the cornstarch and water into a gallon-size zip-top freezer bag. Remove excess air and freeze the bag upright on a flat surface. Freeze up to 3 months.
- TO COOK FROM FROZEN: Empty the freezer bag into the slow cooker. Add 1 cup beef broth. Cook 1 hour on HIGH, then 7–9 hours on LOW, or 8–10 hours on LOW total, until meat is tender.
- Mix the cornstarch and cold water to form a slurry. Stir it into the slow cooker during the last 10–30 minutes of cooking and cook until the sauce thickens. Shred the meat and serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles.
- TO COOK IMMEDIATELY: Place the roast in the slow cooker and sprinkle the remaining ingredients on top, except the cornstarch and water. Cook on LOW for about 8 hours, until the meat is tender. Add the cornstarch slurry during the last 10–30 minutes, thicken, shred, and serve.
Notes
Sharing this recipe with a link is encouraged. Copying full recipes or photos without permission is prohibited. Content and photographs are copyright protected.
Did you make this?
Leave a rating below and follow for more recipes on social platforms.