Meet Mississippi Pot Roast: A Southern Spin On An Old School Meal Everyone Loves

If you've been poking around online in search of a new comfort food recipe to try out, chances are solid that you've encountered the Mississippi pot roast. It hit viral fame across Pinterest, TikTok, and food blogs alike. It's simple, with a no-frills ingredient list that still manages to check a host of flavor boxes, offering a meaty meal that's rich, tangy, and just a little spicy.

Despite its recent online fame, the dish isn't brand new, although it's hardly from another era: Robin Chapman, a woman from the small northern Mississippi town of Ripley, is credited with creating it in the '90s. That said, it's apparently an adaptation of a pot roast recipe from her aunt, with Chapman creating a less-spicy dish that would be more kid-friendly. Instead of getting flavor from wine or mirepoix, Mississippi pot roast takes a hunk of beef and adds packaged supermarket mixes (ranch dressing mix and au jus gravy powder) alongside butter, and pepperoncini peppers (which are spicier than banana peppers). That means you get some herbs from the ranch, a medium-spicy kick from the peppers, plus a rich sauce from the gravy and butter.

While Mississippi pot roast is a simple recipe, it's still a pot roast, which means you'll need time up your sleeve. Thankfully, it's a "set it and forget it" kind of dish. A lot of recipes recommend using a slow cooker, which can take upward of eight hours. Chuck roast is commonly recommended because its fat content and marbling will make for a flavorful final product. That said, other cuts, such as chuck or rump roast, will also work fine, even if there are some small differences. 

If you're the kind of cook who prefers not to rely on pre-mixed flavors, you can even whip up the gravy and ranch mixes yourself. For the au jus gravy, you'll generally need beef stock powder, granulated onion and garlic, and herbs like rosemary and thyme. Ranch seasoning powder recipes aren't far from what you'd use to flavor a classic pot roast. Simply create a blend of powdered garlic and onion, plus herbs like tarragon, chives, and dill, and some buttermilk powder.

As for the pepperoncini, ideally, they'll still be in the jar with their brine, which you can add to the roast for extra flavor. When all these ingredients come together, you'll have a dish that can be transformed into several other recipes. The meat should be tender and easily shredded, so you can have a classic roast dinner (perhaps with mash and other veggies) and use the rest to make tacos or sandwiches the next day.