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Shredded Mississippi pot roast with pepperoncini peppers in savory gravy on a serving platter

Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast

Just 5 ingredients — chuck roast, ranch, au jus, butter, and pepperoncini — cook into the most tender, savory shredded beef, with its own gravy and no added liquid.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 8 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 480
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3½ lbs beef chuck roast
  • 1 packet ranch dressing mix 1 oz
  • 1 packet au jus gravy mix 1 oz (or brown gravy mix)
  • ¼ cup butter ½ stick; cut into pats
  • 8 whole pepperoncini peppers
  • ¼ cup pepperoncini juice from the jar
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

Equipment

  • 6-quart slow cooker
  • Large skillet (optional, for searing)
  • Cutting board
  • Chef's knife
  • Tongs
  • Two forks for shredding

Method
 

  1. Pat the roast dry, sprinkle with the black pepper, and sear it in a hot, lightly oiled skillet for 4–5 minutes per side until deeply browned. Set it in the slow cooker and pour any skillet juices over the top. Short on time? Skip this step entirely — put the raw roast straight in. The recipe works beautifully either way.
  2. Sprinkle the ranch mix evenly over the roast, then the au jus (or brown gravy) mix. No stirring, no liquid.
  3. Lay the butter pats across the top of the roast, scatter the pepperoncini around and on top, and pour the pepperoncini juice over everything.
  4. Cover and cook on LOW for 8–9 hours or HIGH for 5–6 hours, until the beef shreds effortlessly with a fork. Keep the lid on — this roast makes its own moisture, and peeking lets it escape as steam.
  5. Lift the roast onto a board (or shred it right in the pot), pull it apart with two forks, discard any large pieces of fat, and return the shredded beef to the juices. Stir, rest 5 minutes so the meat drinks the gravy back in, and serve hot.

Notes

Use a 6-quart cooker. For the low-sodium version, use brown gravy mix and unsalted butter. Leftovers keep 4 days in their juices.