Dutch Oven Mississippi Pot Roast is a widely popular beef roast recipe with 5 simple ingredients perfected by cooking it in cast iron.
Looking for more Dutch Oven Recipes? Our Dutch Oven Corned Beef and Cabbage is a great slow cooked dinner option, or enjoy a hearty breakfast with Dutch Oven Mountain Man Breakfast. Finish off these delicious options with a delicious Cola Chocolate Cherry Cake!
Jump to:
- What is Mississippi Pot Roast?
- Why is it called Mississippi Roast?
- What is in a Mississippi Pot Roast?
- What cut of meat is best for a pot roast?
- Dutch Oven Pot Roast
- What to Serve with Pot Roast?
- Making a Pot Roast in the Dutch Oven
- Our favorite tools to make a Dutch Oven Mississippi Pot Roast!
- Other Related Dutch Oven Recipes
- Get the Recipe
- Notes on making Mississippi pot roast in the Dutch Oven
What is Mississippi Pot Roast?
If you're like anyone else who has come across this recipe, you're probably wondering what it is and why it's called that.
Well, a Mississippi pot is one of the easiest pot roast recipes ever. You toss in 5 simple ingredients, put it in the oven, and a few hours later, dinner is done.
Why is it called Mississippi Roast?
Like everyone else, I have been super curious about why this roast is given the moniker Mississippi.
I assumed someone from Mississippi developed it and made it for someone who wasn't from Mississippi. Then that person gave it the name to differentiate it from the classic Sunday pot roast.
Turns out I wasn't too far off the mark. A woman by the name of Robin Chapman from Ripley, MS. adapted a roast her aunt was 'famous' in the family for. Voila, a new recipe was created.
Ms. Chapman made the roast for a friend. That friend shared it with her church and it ended up in their church cookbook. The recipe was made by a congregant, then shared to another friend. That friend then shared to another.
Internet famous pot roast
That last 'other' was a blogger and now the recipe is one of the most famous pot roast recipes ever. You can read about it in detail here in the New York Times.
What is in a Mississippi Pot Roast?
To make this recipe, you only need 5 ingredients:
- 3 pound chuck roast
- 1 packet dry Ranch dressing mix
- 1 packet au jus
- 1 stick of butter
- 3-10 peperoncini peppers with brine or jar 'juice'
That's it. Technically I used some salt and pepper, making it 7 ingredients, and a little oil for searing makes it 8.
What cut of meat is best for a pot roast?
There are a lot of cuts of beef to choose from when at the grocery store, it's hard to know what kind to buy.
Chuck roast is the best cut of beef to make a pot roast. It has incredible marbling that slowly renders away producing a juicy meal. When reading the labels, if you see the word chuck, that's the one you want. Unfortunately, there are so many combination of names with chuck. There isn't an industry standard on these things.
Dutch Oven Pot Roast
For as long as pot roasts have been made, they've been made in Dutch ovens. For me, there isn't any other way to make one.
What to Serve with Pot Roast?
The classic pot roast has onions, carrots, and potatoes cooked right in with the meat. But this Mississippi roast doesn't.
You can add the traditional pot roast ingredients of carrots, onions, and potatoes, but honestly, I love serving it over mashed potatoes.
Make this Dutch Oven pot roast - Mississippi style a complete meal:
- Yukon Gold Buttermilk Thyme Mashed Potatoes from The Complete Savorist
- Green Salad
- Buttermilk Biscuits
- Steamed Corn on the Cob
- Watermelon Limeade from Wet Whistle Drinks
- Skillet Apple Pie
Making a Pot Roast in the Dutch Oven
Here's step by step directions on how to make Dutch Oven Mississippi Roast.
First off, pre-heat your oven.
Liberally season both sides of the chuck roast with salt and pepper. Honestly, I always season with granulated garlic too, it's habit and won't hurt, but I didn't do that this time.
Heat the Dutch oven on medium high heat on the stove, then add your favorite high heat cooking oil (vegetable, canola, sunflower, safflower, etc.)
Sear each side of the roast for at least 2-3 minutes. You really want to get a nice browning on each side.
Searing the roast can be skipped if you're in a hurry. It won't ruin the recipe. Searing or browning only enhances the flavor.
You want to achieve a deep browning on your roast. Now it's ready to be turned into the famous Mississippi Pot Roast.
Evenly spread the the pack of Au Jus mix over the roast.
Spread the Ranch dressing/dip mix over the Au Jus mix on the roast. Try to get it as even as possible.
Cube the stick of butter and place it on top of the seasonings. Add the desired amount of peperoncinis. Use at least 3, but add as many as you like. Then pour ¼ cup of the liquid in the pepper jar over the roast.
Replace the Dutch oven lid and put it in an oven. You can bake it as low as 200°F for 8 hours. If you'd like to cook it faster, you can roast it at 300°F for 5 hours.
If your oven hasn't been calibrated lately or your roast is on the smaller side, check for doneness at 5-6 hours. Each oven and each roast size varies. More marbling i.e. less meat could cook quicker.
All cooked and ready to serve.
This post has been updated from its original earlier publishing with new text, clarified recipe card, and photography.
Our favorite tools to make a Dutch Oven Mississippi Pot Roast!
Lodge Blacklock 5.5 quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven
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BuzzyWaxx Original Blend - Cast Iron and Carbon Steel Seasoning
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If you tried this Dutch Oven Mississippi Pot Roast or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Get the Recipe
Dutch Oven Mississippi Pot Roast
Equipment
- 5.5 qt. Dutch oven with lid
Ingredients
- 3 lb beef chuck roast 3-5 lbs will work
- ½ teaspoon salt +/- to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper +/- to taste
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 pkt au jus gravy mix
- 1 pkt Ranch dressing mix
- ¼ cup butter
- 6 peperoncini peppers +/- to taste
- ¼ cup pepper brine
Instructions
- Season both sides of the chuck roast with salt and pepper
- Heat 5.5 quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat on the stove.
- Once hot, add the oil.
- Sear each side of roast, 2-3 minutes per side; remove from hot burner.
- Sprinkle the au jus mix on top of roast.
- Sprinkle the Ranch mix over the top.
- Add the peppers and cubed butter.
- Pour the pepper brine from the jar over the roast. (see notes)
- Cover and bake 8 hours or until the roast reaches 145°F using an instant-read thermometer. (see notes)
- Remove from the oven, place on a cutting board covered (with foil or similar) and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- Shred and serve.
Notes
Notes on making Mississippi pot roast in the Dutch Oven
I used salted butter, but use unsalted to decrease the salt content. The butter can be omitted. If oven cooks hotter, check doneness after 6 hours. If concerned about the spice level, decrease brine to ⅛ cup and use ⅛ cup of water. If roast is smaller than 3 lbs. check for doneness after 5 hours using a thermometer.Nutrition
Dutch Oven Daddy is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Ann Lima
This recipe is delicious with venison! Even venison haters have no idea this isn't beef.
Ned Adams
So glad you enjoy this recipe! That’s really awesome that it was so good with venison! Thank you for sharing.
Jeff
Can u do this over a campfire
Ned Adams
Great question. You can definitely do it over campfire, you will just need to monitor the heat and make sure it is a slow and low temp.
Amy
I’m doing I’m Dutch oven at 350 convect. As the regular oven isn’t working right. It’s 3.34lbs
What do you think?
Ned Adams
Should be fine, just watch it closely as your cook times will be different.
Kim
I love this recipe and it NEVER FAILS ME!!
I accidentally bought an arm roast this time. Will I get the same results?
Mary Ann
Seriously, the BEST roast I’ve ever made!! I’ve tried making roasts before, with little success. Having a Dutch oven (and the right recipe with commentary) makes a world of difference! Thank you!!
Ned Adams
I'm so so so glad you found success with this recipe! Happy cooking and thank you for the feedback!
Eddie Freret
Can I wrap foil around cast iron skillet since I don’t have a Dutch oven?
Ned Adams
Yes, that should work. Make sure you have a big enough skillet to hold all the ingredients.
Christine Whipple
Made last night for the first time. Was absolutely delicious
Ned Adams
Thank you for sharing! I’m so glad you enjoyed.
Chris O’Dell
Love this recipe!!! I came across it probably 10 years ago and use it mostly with venison roast or pork or even chicken...it seems to work with all. I altered it slightly by using Onion Soup mix in place of the Aux jus and serve it over rice. Occasionally, I will use a couple jalapeños with juice or Tabasco peppers with a little juice.
Ned Adams
Thanks for sharing Chris! Onion soup mix is a great adjustment. I bet it is incredible with venison and pork!
Nikki RS
This recipe was so delicious! The meat is very rich, like short ribs, so the brine and peperoncini cut it perfectly. I will be pairing this tonight with mashed potatoes. This is going to make a great sandwich too!
Ned Adams
So glad you are enjoying and you have found great ways to use the left overs!
Jamie
I've never tried this with the au jus I know a lot of people do is that the original recipe? When I started making it the recipe I found was French onion soup mix I think since I got a Dutch oven for Christmas I'm going to try it tomorrow with the au jus ☺️
Ned Adams
Oh French Onion Mix will work great too! I like the way you think. Can't wait to see how it turns out for you.
D. Moore
Was a great and easy recipe but WAY too salty! I think leaving out one or both of the packets OR just using a small amount of each might help. I actually might try using a small amount of onion soup mix next time along with the salt, pepper, unsalted butter and peperoncini peppers. Maybe a dash of garlic powder too. Otherwise, great recipe. Meat came out VERY tender.
Ned Adams
Thanks for the feedback! Sounds like a great edit to reduce the amount of salt for you. I'm glad it came out tender for you.
Cowboy Cook
This was very good was expecting it to be spicy but wasn’t maybe next time I’ll add red pepper flakes for my tastes.
Ned Adams
Absolutely! Its more on the beef-gravy side then spicy. Feel free to add spice as desired! 🙂 Happy cooking!
Sharon Fenske
New to the Dutch oven way of cooking. It turned out dry ☹️ Guess I will have to try again. May have had my temperature too high.
Michelle De La Cerda Nash
I am sorry to hear that. Did you use a chuck roast or other cut? Chuck roast is best because of its high marbling (i.e. fat, lol) content that renders while cooking. What temperature did you cook at it? How long?
Terry V.
This a simple recipe and a perfect dish. Remember to follow the instructions carefully. If it comes out dry, you did something terribly wrong. This has to be cooked in a dutch oven with a lid on it. Don't open it unless it's close to the full cook time or it's a smaller roast as the instructions indicate. This has been perfectly moist every time I've cooked it. 5 hours at 300F or 8 hours at 200F! Don't rush perfection and use Chuck Roast!
Rick
I am a little new to this, I am not familiar with Pepper Brine, vinegar ?
Ned Adams
Great question! The Pepper Brine is the juice that the peperoncini peppers comes in.