This Whole30 Mississippi Pot Roast is an easy, mostly hands-off slow cooker meal that delivers big flavor without relying on any packaged seasoning mixes. Using simple, pantry ingredients, this Whole30 compliant recipe gives you all the classic Mississippi pot roast flavor with clean ingredients and minimal prep.
Mississippi pot roast is one of my all-time favorite things to make in the slow cooker. It's hearty, reliable, and always a crowd-pleaser in my house. With the traditional version you simply toss a chuck roast into the crock pot with ranch seasoning, au jus gravy mix, butter, and pepperoncini peppers, let it cook low and slow, and end up with an incredibly flavorful, fall-apart tender roast.
The problem? If you actually flip those seasoning packets over and read the labels, you'll find a lot of additives and unpronounceable ingredients that can make the dish a little less appetizing (that au jus packet is particularly yikes). The good news is you don't have to give up this classic. Using simple Whole30 and Paleo-compliant pantry ingredients, this cleaner version delivers the same bold, tangy Mississippi pot roast flavor with just as much convenience. It's a Whole30 recipe that is easy to make, tastes amazing and always hits the spot!
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Other Whole30 recipes you will love.
Equipment
- Large Slow Cooker: I love this All Clad Slow Cooker.
- Skillet
- Tongs
Whole30 Mississippi Pot Roast Ingredients:
- Beef Chuck Roast: You'll want about 3-4 pounds of chuck roast for this recipe. Grass fed is best if it's available!
- Olive oil, salt & pepper: You will heavily season the chuck roast with salt and pepper and then give it a good sear before transferring to the slow cooker. I personally like the taste of olive oil for this recipe but feel free to use Avocado oil or another compliant oil if you prefer. The only oil I suggest avoiding is coconut oil. It just gives everything a weird taste.
- Whole30 "Ranch Packet": To recreate the packet of Ranch Seasoning this recipe combines dried chives, garlic powder, onion powder, dried dill and salt and pepper. I promise you won't be able to tell a difference!
- Whole30 "Au Jus Gravy Mix": It took me a second to figure it out how to "replicate" the original but once I did I felt very silly, haha. A standard packet of au jus mix contains a bunch of crazy ingredients ranging from Caramel Coloring to Corn Syrup Solids to Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose as a thickener. All to make a beef pot roast taste more like, well... beef. So rather than combine a bunch of ingredients I simply add 1 cup of beef broth to the pan of drippings from searing the chuck roast and let it cook down for a few minutes. This results in a beefy flavor that directly comes from the source. Huzzah!
- Ghee: To make this recipe fully Paleo/Whole30 compliant I replaced the butter with ghee. If you're not strict Paleo then feel free to use normal butter. I just recommend going for high quality such as Kerrygold.
- Pepperoncini Peppers: I LOVE Pepperoncini peppers and almost always have a jar somewhere in my kitchen. They give this dish fantastic acidity and heat and make a Mississippi Pot Roast what it is! You will want to get the whole pepper rather than sliced if possible. Just be sure to check that the ingredients are Whole30 compliant as some brands to have additives.
Recipe FAQs
Indeed you can! Pot roast is a great to freezer because it can be easily reheated without drying it out. Simply shred the pot roast and let it cool completely. Then place in an airtight container or freezer bag along with a cup or 2 of juices. It lasts up to 3 months so be sure to label it!
To reheat simply take the pot roast out of the freezer and let it thaw overnight. Then cook warm it up on the stove, in the slow cooker or even in the microwave.
This recipe results in a pot roast that should be fall apart tender with a soft buttery texture.
When it's done, it should take almost no effort to shred. If the meat still seems a little tough this is probably due to 1 of 2 reasons.
(1) You might not have purchased the right cut of meat. Some cuts of meat works better in a slow cooker which is why I highly recommend you use beef chuck roast.
(2) You might not have cooked it long enough. Because this recipe calls for 3-5 pounds of meat cooking times can vary. I suggest 8-10 hours on low, 5-6 hours on high. If you check the meat after cooking for around 8 hours on low and it's not fall apart tender, put that lid back on and let it have another hour or two. Similar if you've cooked on high heat for 5 hours.
Yes, you can. You will basically follow the same instructions except instead of putting everything in the slow cooker you will put it in the Instant Pot. Cook over manual high pressure for one hour then let the pressure release and wala!
This being said, I think this recipe works better in the slow cooker (as with most recipes if I'm being honest). I think it simply imparts more flavor into the meat. But if you are in a pushed for time the instant pot definitely works!
Serving Suggestions
I recommend serving this delicious pot roast with Whole30 Mashed Potatoes or, for a lower carb option, mashed cauliflower.
Other Whole30 recipes for you to enjoy.
Grilled Flank Steak Peperonata
Chili Lime Salmon with Sweet Potatoes and Cucumber Avocado Salad
Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Caper Pan Sauce
Made this Whole30 Mississippi Pot Roast recipe? Let me know what you think in the comments!
Recipe
Whole30 Mississippi Pot Roast
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 3-5 lb beef chuck roast
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tablespoon dried chives
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 6-8 pepperoncini peppers, whole
- 1-2 tablespoon pepperoncini pepper juice (from the jar)
- 4 tablespoon ghee
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Take the chuck roast out of the fridge. Remove from packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Generously season all sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.Heat a couple tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high to high heat in a large skillet until hot and shimmering.Once oil is hot, place seasoned chuck roast in the skillet. Sear for about 1-2 minutes per side to a deep golden brown. Transfer chuck roast to the bowl of the slow cooker.
- After removing the chuck roast, deglaze the pan over medium high heat with 1 cup of beef broth. Bring to a boil, scraping up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan continue to cook for 2-3 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half (doesn't have to be too exact).Pour the liquid from the skillet over the chuck roast.
- Sprinkle chives, garlic powder, onion powder, dill salt and pepper over the chuck roast. Arrange peppers around the meat and add a couple tablespoon of juice from the pepper jar. Then top with 4 tablespoon of ghee (or high quality butter).Cover with a lid and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 5-6 hours.The meat will be fork tender when it is done. If it still feels a little tough then put the lid back on and cook for an additional hour or two.
- Serve over mashed potatoes, polenta, rice, mashed cauliflower or on its own. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Andréa Janssen
What a delicious roast! My whole family loved it and I’m going to make this more often
Addison
This roast is extremely tender and flavorful! The best dinner!!
Amber
Hi! Could I add baby carrots to this recipe? If so, do I add them at the end?
Thank you!
jamjarkitchen
You can! I'd add them about an hour or two before finished if using low heat. About 30 minutes if cooking on high heat. Enjoy!
Amy
I love slow cooking food and this looks absolutely delicious. Love that I can just put it all in and come back hours later and it's all done! Love the addition of the pepperoncini. The colours are just gorgeous and I bet it really gives the whole recipe a lift. So good!
Jamie
The flavors in this is outstanding! I love how tender the beef is and the pepperoncini adds so much tang! Delicious!
Vanessa
Is it spicy? Asking for my kids. My husband and I can handle the heat but my kids not so much. I wanna make this for the whole family.
jamjarkitchen
Hi Vanessa - How spicy it is depends on the level of heat of your pepperoncini peppers and how many you add. When I make this for my kids I tend to choose mild peppers (you can even swap with mild banana peppers) and add less of them. Hope this helps!
Tara
A staple recipe in our family. Thank you.
jamjarkitchen
So glad y'all like it!
Alexandra @ It's Not Complicated Recipes
Absolutely delicious flavours! Such a comforting meal for the whole family to enjoy.
Julia
Wow, this roast was so tender and juicy! I usually end up drying out the meats that I cook, but this was just perfect.
Tyanne
Such a nice tender meat!
Genevieve
I love pot roast, but I've never made it Mississippi style before. This recipe looks delicious!
Linda
A true definition of healthylicious! Healthy delicious in every bite
Freya
So full Of flavour, I adapted it so it was meat-free, and it was still absolutely delicious!
katie
I made this for dinner last night and it was so delicious! It's in the rotation for sure!
Katie xoxo
K
A little more bland than the OG Mississippi roast recipe but this is a lot healthier. I may try to add something to give it the extra flavoring needed
Patty Hancock
Made this version of Mississippi pot roast and it was devine. We did not miss any of the flavor from not using the premade seasoning packs. Meat was so juicy and tender. Will keep making this!
Liz
Great flavor but insanely salty! I'm thinking I must have done something wrong. I followed the directions exactly but used course kosher salt, could this be why? I really want to give this another go!
jamjarkitchen
Hi Liz, thanks for your comment. The recipe only calls for 1 teaspoon of salt which isn’t a particularly large amount for that much meat. Did you use the coarse salt the season the meat before you seared it? If so that might explain it as coarse salt has much denser pieces that regular table salt. Maybe if you try again use regular table salt to season the meat. Or you can simply reduce the added salt at the beginning and then add more salt to your taste later once it’s done. I hope this helps!
Emily
Great recipe, but I am following whole30 and blindly trusted the recipe without researching ingredients. I cannot find pepperoncini in a jar that is compliant due to sodium metabisulfite. I will be substituting fresh banana peppers in the future- but wanted to let others now that are following Whole30.
jamjarkitchen
Hi Emily- sorry you had a hard time finding compliant pepperoncinis but there are several brands that will work for whole30. Divina pepperoncini on thrive market are compliant, as are Jeff’s Garden and the Good & Gather Target brand pepperoncini. Hope this helps!
Emily
Thank you! I was able to get the sliced kind at Whole Foods made by their 365 label.
I wanted to come back to add that this is now one of my favorite recipes, that I have been making weekly now! Thank you!
Van
Oh my gosh my 3 year old, who eats nothing, asked for thirds! Such a delicious recipe without the guilt. This will be so delicious on a cold winter day.
Lea
I don’t typically like roast but this recipe is a game changer! My whole family loves it and it has become one of our most requested Sunday meals. It’s delicious!
jamjarkitchen
Yay! So glad y’all enjoyed it!
Maryanna
Looks tasty! What is the quantity of one serving for the nutrition information provided?
Holly
I found this recipe when I was doing Whole30 and had never had Mississippi pot roast before then, so nothing to compare it other than our standard pot roast. This was so good and the family devours it every time I make it! Even when I'm not doing Whole30 (which is once a year), this is the recipe my family and I love.
Kesia
This was by far THE BEST thing I’ve ever made, ever. Thank you for this perfect recipe!
jamjarkitchen
So glad you liked it!
Natalie
Super good and really easy!
Kim
This was delicious! Definitely will continue to make it after finishing the Whole30.
I cooked the roast in our InstaPot - 70 min on pressure cook. Let it slow release for 10 minutes, then after quick release I added potatoes and carrots; pressure cook for another 10 minutes and BOOM!
So glad there are leftovers!!
Thank you for sharing the recipe. 🙂
jamjarkitchen
Hi Kim- So glad you enjoyed it!
Emily
I have made this probably 6 times now. It’s SO simple and SOOOO satisfying. Can’t recommend it enough. Freezes great. Trying tonight with cauli mash for low carb option. Sometimes I throw carrots in the pot too while toast cooks.
jamjarkitchen
So glad you like it!
Lorie
This recipe was so easy to follow. I got all the ingredients together, and then my son put it all together and cooked it in the instant pot. It was delicious! (Although, he got a little overzealous with the pepperoncini juice ?)
I enjoyed mine with a nice crusty piece of sourdough bread.
jamjarkitchen
Hi Lorie- I'm so glad you enjoyed it!