Crock Pot Mississippi Pot Roast Sandwiches are an easy and delicious slow cooker recipe that is perfect for busy weekdays or even Sunday dinner! Slow cooked beef with spicy pepperoncini peppers and Italian seasonings, gets shredded, then topped with cheese and served on crusty rolls for an satisfying family meal.
If you love shredded beef like this, you might also want to check out our Shredded Beef Chimichangas and Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef.
You'll love this recipe for Mississippi Pot Roast
We're getting close to the start of a new school year and that means we are going to be getting used to schedules and busy days, afternoons, and evenings as we settle into our new routines.
One way to ease the stress of this time of year is by having an easy dinner ready to go each day when we get home from gymnastics or piano or ice skating.
I love using my slow cooker and some of my favorite, easy meals with it are this spicy steak, rice, lentils, & quinoa, or this sauerkraut and sausages with apples. Today I'm sharing another great one that my family loves.
I first tried a version of these crock pot Mississippi pot roast sandwiches years ago when some friends had us over for dinner and made the pepperoncini beef sandwiches from Our Best Bites.
I liked it so much that I started making it at home, but eventually discovered it was sort of a modified version of a popular, super simple roast recipe called a Mississippi pot roast.
It's similar to my favorite french dip sandwiches (another great slow cooker recipe!), but different enough that it is totally worth trying both recipes. I can't decide which one is my favorite between the two!
What is Mississippi Pot Roast?
Mississippi pot roast is a delicious, easy dinner made with punchy pepperoncini peppers, butter, and a packet of ranch or Italian dressing mix and au jus gravy mix. It’s a great twist on a classic Sunday pot roast.
Ingredients for Mississippi Pot Roast in Crock Pot
- Chuck roast - Look for a nicely marbled roast with good color for the best flavor and most tender texture.
- Ranch dressing mix - You can also use Italian dressing mix if that’s all you have on hand. The savory herbs in either mix give wonderful seasoning to the roast.
- Au jus gravy mix - This helps thicken the sauce slightly and adds wonderful beefy flavor.
- Salted butter - For richness and a delicious taste.
- Pepperoncini peppers - These mild peppers are deliciously tangy and cut the richness of the butter and meat. They are so yummy!
Mississippi Pot Roast Slow Cooker Directions
A Mississippi pot roast is ridiculously simple - just dump a 3-lb chuck roast, italian dressing mix, au jus gravy mix, some jarred pepperoncini peppers with a little bit of their juice, and butter into the slow cooker in the morning and walk away.
Then 6-8 hours later, you will have the tastiest, most tender pot roast that is so incredibly flavorful ready for dinner!
You can brown the roast in a pan with a little oil before putting it into the crock pot, if you have time. I think it makes the meat extra succulent and juicy.
But really if you are pressed for time, you can skip this step and still get a wonderful roast.
Honestly, I don't even know if it really makes a difference or I just have convinced myself about it. But I keep doing it when I have the time because it just smells so amazing!
I did cut back on the butter a bit in this recipe compared to the traditional Mississippi pot roast recipes which call for a full stick of butter.
I think ½ a stick of butter is plenty to give the shredded meat a wonderfully luxurious texture and richness, but if you want to go whole hog, by all means, double the amount included in the recipe below and go for the full stick!
Once the meat it cooked, it shreds easily with two forks. Just remove and discard any extra fat from the meat when shredding it.
Mississippi Roast Pot Roast Tips and Substitutions
- Sear the meat. Sure you can skip this step if you are using a slow cooker, but it seals in the juices and really does improve the flavor.
- Let it cook low and slow. If it isn’t shredding easily, it’s because the meat hasn’t cooked long enough for the meat to dissolve.
- If you don’t have a packet of ranch dressing mix or Italian dressing mix, you could even get away with adding ¾ cup of prepared ranch dressing.
How to make Mississippi Pot Roast Sandwiches
Toast some buns or crusty rolls by buttering them and grilling them in a pan. It makes such a big difference! Then pile the shredded meat on top, and lay a slice of cheese over the meat.
If you stick the sandwiches under the broiler, the cheese will be melted in less than 30 seconds!
What to serve with this Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe
Serve with extra pepperoncini peppers on the side!
Serve it with mashed potatoes and a vegetable, if you are making Sunday dinner, or shred it and pile it on buttered and toasted crusty rolls with some provolone cheese for a juicy weeknight sandwich.
Mississippi Pot Roast FAQ
A regular pot roast is typically made with carrots, onions, and potatoes with salt, pepper, and maybe some thyme for flavor. A Mississippi pot roast has a bigger, punchier flavor thanks to the seasoning packets and pepperoncini peppers.
If your meat is tough it’s usually one of two things. The first is choosing the wrong cut of meat. You want a nicely marbled chuck roast. As the fat melts out it leaves ultra tender shreds to be devoured. The second issue would be not cooking the roast long enough or cooking it on too high of a temperature.
If your pot roast isn’t shredding, it probably needs to cook longer. Throw it back in the slow cooker or oven for an hour before trying again.
If you love slow cooker meals, I hope this will be as big of a winner in your house as it is in ours!
And if you are looking for even more easy crock pot recipe inspiration, keep scrolling past the recipe for some other great crock pot dinner ideas from some of my favorite food blogging friends!
More Slow Cooker Recipes
- Slow Cooker Applesauce Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
- Slow Cooker Tuscan White Bean Soup
- Slow Cooker Cuban Mojo Pork
- Slow Cooker Homemade Apple Cider
- Slow Cooker Creamed Corn
- Slow Cooker Little Smokies in Honey Garlic BBQ Sauce
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Mississippi Pot Roast (Slow Cooker Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 (3- to 4-pound) beef chuck roast
- 1 packet ranch dressing mix
- 1 packet au jus gravy mix
- 8-10 pepperoncini peppers + ¼ cup juice from the jar
- ¼ cup salted butter
Instructions
- Place roast in a large slow cooker. Sprinkle the ranch dressing mix and au jus gravy mix over the roast. Add the pepperoncini peppers and juice from the pepperoncini pepper jar along with the butter.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or on HIGH for 5-6 hours, until the beef shreds easily with a fork. Serve with mashed potatoes or on toasted buns with provolone cheese for sandwiches.
Notes
- Sandwiches: Serve on buttered, toasted ciabatta rolls spread with a thin layer of mayonnaise along with sliced provolone cheese melted on top of the shredded meat under the broiler.
- Optional sear: If desired, you can season the roast with pepper (no need to salt it as there will be plenty of salt in the seasoning packets already). Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add the oil. Brown the roast on all sides in the hot oil, then transfer to a large slow cooker and add remaining ingredients.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
This would definitely go over well in our home! When I saw all those peppers, I was quite the happy lady 😉 We use our slow cooker year round so this one has to go on the menu soon!
Love it! Makes a pot roast so simple and easier to eat, love the variation on the classic roast
Yes to buttered buns. And yes to pepperoncinis. A big yes to ALL of this! Looks phenomenal!
These are so good! Best hot beef sandwiches ever!
My husband is NOT a fan of pot roast. I've made it numerous times with different recipes with different Seasonings and veggies. This one IS IT!! IT IS THE BEST DANG SANDWHICH I HAD EVER HAD IN MY LIFE. My husband loved it too. It's perfect.
My dog busted our crock pot so I cooked in a big soup pot, boiled then simmered for 6 hours on low. Seared it first. Delicious.