This flavorful Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast is a great low carb dinner that will melt in your mouth! New to the Instant Pot? This is the perfect EASY, first recipe to make in it!
When you think of food from Mississippi, a Mississippi Mud Pie is likely the first thing to come to mind. Mississippi is also home to a famous pot roast that is genuinely one of a kind. While variations of this recipe have been found across the South, the real origin of this recipe dates back to Mississippi. The source of this delicious recipe comes from Robin Chapman from Ripley, Mississippi who had adapted a recipe that was given to her back in the late 1990s.
Robin Chapman was trying to make her aunt’s pot roast recipe a little less spicy for her children, and ended up developing a whole new pot roast recipe! Her family ended up loving this recipe, and so Robin Chapman shared it with her friends, and well, the rest is history!
WHAT IS MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST?
Before you think about making this delicious Mississippi pot roast, you may be asking what it is? A Mississippi roast is typically made using a slow cooking method in either a crockpot or a slow cooker. However, you can use your Instant Pot to speed up this recipe! To make this recipe, you cook your chuck roast in under a little bit of butter, ranch dressing mix, au jus mix, and pepperoncini.
What you get is a roast that is fork-tender and doesn’t require much prep work! I’m not sure if it’s the butter or the combination of the au jus gravy and ranch dressing mixed together but the gravy from the pot roast is unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before! I love eating my Mississippi pot roast with mashed potatoes and the gravy from this pot roast.
Looking for more Instant Pot recipes? Try Instant Pot Beef Stew or Instant Pot Butter Chicken
WHAT KIND OF MEAT SHOULD I USE?
Chuck roast is a popular choice for pot roasts since it’s so affordable and easily found in most grocery stores. It’s a lean meat with lots of connective tissue and very little fat. You’ll want to look for a chuck roast that has lots of marbling throughout. When this cut of meat is braised for a long period of time, the high amount of collagen breaks down and tenderizes the meat. This makes the meat super juicy, tender and delicious!
HOW TO MAKE MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST IN THE INSTANT POT
Step 1: Turn on the Instant Pot and set it to sauté mode (30 minutes should be enough time for you to brown the meat and saute the onions without the pot turning off). Put the oil into the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Next, add salt and pepper to each side of the chuck roast. Place the chuck roast into the inner pot. Cook on each side for about 3-5 minutes until golden brown. If you prefer not to brown your meat first, you can totally skip this step!
Step 2: Remove the roast from the Instant Pot. Add onion; cook and stir for about 2 minutes, or until onion is tender.
Step 3: Next, add in beef broth and deglaze by scraping the bottom of the pot. It is very important to layer in the ingredients when cooking in the instant pot so that you don’t get the “burn” message. First, place the chuck roast back into the pot. Then, add the ranch dressing mix powder, au jus gravy mix, butter, and pepperoncini pepper and its juice.
Step 4: Press “manual” (older model) or “pressure cook” (newer models) and set it on high pressure for 60-70 minutes (see tips below for cook time). When it is done cooking, let the pressure naturally release until the pin drops and the lid can be opened. The result will be the best Mississippi Pot Roast you’ll ever have!
TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST INSTANT POT MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST:
- Look for a chuck roast that is well marbled
- It’s easy to over-salt this dish since the ranch packet and au jus packet already contain sodium. Use unsalted butter and low sodium beef broth. You can always add more salt at the end, if needed.
- Sear the meat on all sides to ensure it stays juicy and tender. This step isn’t necessary if you’re short on time. It’ll still be very flavorful using the “dump and start” method.
- When deglazing the pot, make sure you scrape off all the bits stuck to the bottom. This will avoid the “burn” error message.
- 60 minutes for 3 pounds of chuck roast. Add an extra 10 minutes of cook time for every pound. (3 lbs = 60 minutes, 4 lbs = 70 minutes)
- Let the Instant Pot naturally release once it’s done cooking. This will make the meat more tender.
- Thicken up the gravy: Make a cornstarch slurry by adding 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and an equal amount of cold liquid in a small bowl. Stir until a smooth paste forms and then add this mixture into the Mississippi Pot Roast. Use more cornstarch if needed by using a 1 to 1 ratio of cornstarch and water.
WHAT CAN I SERVE WITH IT?
There are so many options for serving this Mississippi pot roast. Some of my favorite things to serve with it include:
- mashed potato,
- baked potato,
- rice,
- egg noodles,
- or make them into Mississippi pot roast sliders.
If you are looking for something Keto-friendly, you could do mashed cauliflower or cauliflower rice.
Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast
Equipment
- Instant Pot, 6 quart or 8 quart
Ingredients
- 3-4 pound Chuck Roast
- ½ tablespoon Oil
- ½ tablespoon Pepper
- 1 large Onion (Diced)
- 1 cup Beef Broth
- 4 tablespoon Butter
- 1 packet Ranch Dressing Mix (approximately 1 ½ tablespoon)
- 1 packet Au Jus Gravy Mix (approximately 1 ½ tablespoon)
- 5-6 Pepperoncini Peppers and ¼ cup of it's juice
Instructions
- Turn on the Instant Pot and set it to "sauté" mode (30 minutes should give you enough time to brown the meat and cook the onions). Put the oil into the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Next, add pepper to each side of the chuck roast. When the instant pot reads "hot" on the display screen, place the chuck roast into the inner pot. Cook on each side for about 3 minutes until golden brown. (Skip this step if you prefer not to brown your meat. But be sure to add 2-3 extra minutes to the pressure cook time.)
- Remove the roast from the Instant Pot. Add onion; cook and stir about 2 minutes, or until onion is tender. Next, add in beef broth and deglaze by scraping the bottom of the pot. Then, layer the ingredients in by adding the chuck roast; followed by ranch dressing mix powder, au jus gravy mix, butter, and pepperoncini pepper and its juice.
- Place the lid on and make sure the knob is set to "sealing". Press "manual" (older model) or "pressure cook" (newer model) and set it to cook on High Pressure for 60-70 minutes. (60 minutes for 3 pounds of chuck roast. Add an extra 10 minutes of cook time for every pound. For example, 3 lbs = 60 minutes, 4 lbs = 70 minutes). Once it is done cooking, let the pressure naturally release until the pin drops down and the lid can be opened.
Notes
Tips for making the best Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast:
- Look for a chuck roast that is well marbled
- It’s easy to over-salt this dish since the ranch packet and au jus packet already contain sodium. Use unsalted butter and low sodium beef broth. You can always add more salt at the end, if needed.
- Sear the meat on all sides to ensure it stays juicy and tender. This step isn’t necessary if you’re short on time. It’ll still be very flavorful using the “dump and start” method. If you’re doing the dump and start method, be sure to add a few minutes to the pressure cook time.
- When deglazing the pot, make sure you scrape off all the bits stuck to the bottom. This will avoid the “burn” error message.
- 60 minutes for 3 pounds of chuck roast. Add an extra 10 minutes of cook time for every pound. (3 lbs = 60 minutes, 4 lbs = 70 minutes)
- Let the Instant Pot naturally release once it’s done cooking. This will make the meat more tender.
- Thicken up the gravy: Make a cornstarch slurry by adding 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and an equal amount of cold liquid in a small bowl. Stir until a smooth paste forms and then add this mixture into the Mississippi Pot Roast. Use more cornstarch if needed by using a 1 to 1 ratio of cornstarch and water.
Have you made this recipe? Rate it below and tell me what you think.
NCA
Absolutely delicious. Made it as stated in the recipe and we loved it. Would not change a thing.thx for posting how to make your own Au Jus because my husband went to 3 stores and could not find a package of it. SOOO YUMMY‼️
Mary Ellen
I made this but used pork pot roast oh my was it delicious! I added carrots as well.
Treon Beavers
We had this at a family members house on Father’s day and my son loved it so much he wants me to make one. I unfortunately do not have an insta-pot. Is it possible to make it slow roasted in the oven and if so would I need adjustments to the recipe?
Quynh
Yes, you can definitely make it in the oven but you’ll want to cook it slowly so that it doesn’t dry out. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake at 300°F for about 1 hour per pound, or until easily shredded with a fork. Enjoy! Let me know if the oven method works for you.
Careen Porter
I’ve done very same recipe without the browning in a crockpot…delish
Krisala Frazier
Oh my goodness!! Followed the recipe exactly and this was the best roast I have ever made!! I can’t wait for another rainy day to whip up another one! Thank you for the fabulous recipe!!
Heather
This was my first time using my instapot and it was kinda scary. I wasn’t sure whether or not to push cancel before I started deglazing or after I was finished or just go ahead put the lid on and push pressure cook. So I would suggest to any other first timers to figure out those little details before you start. This baby is cooking right now so we shall see how it turns out.
Debra Luis
I added carrots and small potatoes. Hoping for a good outcome 😊
kristen goodwin
Aloha! I have 2 1/2 lb chuck rib roast. Do I need to adjust the cooking time? TIA
Quynh
Hi! The chuck roast that I used for this recipe is usually about 1 1/2 inch thick. If yours is about the same thickness, I would just round it up 3 pounds and do 60 minutes on high pressure. Hope this helps!
Charn Konrath
I haven’t tried this yet but in the process of running to the store for the onion I forgot. I just wanted to say how I love all the detail you’ve put in this recipe. I’m new to Instant Pot cooking and really feel confident to bash on! Thank your for your tips to this newbie. Will let you know how it turn out.
Quynh
Thank you! I can’t wait to hear the results! The instant pot takes a bit of a learning curve at first but it’s well worth it. GOOD LUCK!!!
Cassandra
Added a few potatoes cut pretty big so they didn’t get too soggy. They turned out amazing!!
Lydia Freeman
Can I substitute brown gravy mix for the au jus gravy?
Quynh
Yes, brown gravy mix should work.
If you would like to make your own dry au jus mix, I found this recipe online:
4 tbsp beef bullion granules (or 12 cubes)
4 tsp onion powder
2 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp garlic powder
4 tbsp cornstarch
Put it all in a food processor or blender until the mix is a fine powder
KS
If you use gravy mix instead, would you increase liquid at all?
Quynh
I used a 1 oz packet of dry gravy mix (about 1.5 tablespoons – reduce if you want it to be less salty) and the amount of liquid was perfect, with lots of extra gravy at the end. The roast will also let out lots of liquid too. If you’re worried about the instant pot not coming to pressure correctly, the rule of thumb is that a 6 quart instant pot will need at least 1 cup of liquid and an 8 quart instant pot will need at least 1.5 cups of liquid. Hope this helps!
Lizzie Dolan
Could you do this with a frozen roast, and if so what would the cooking time be?
Quynh
Yes, just add 10 extra minutes to the suggested cook time.
Johanna Genge
Pepperoni Is hard to find here. Can I leave them out?
Quynh
You can use any pickled pepper as a substitute for pepperoncini peppers. Banana pepper is a similar alternative.
If you can’t find pickled peppers, 2-3 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar or pickle juice might work.
Good luck! Let me know if you try to substitute it with something else!
Suz
My family loves this-. my kids are grown and on their own…but if I make this…run in the door!
Quynh
Awww…that’s so sweet that you’re still able to enjoy family dinners with them!
Victoria
Love this recipe. Made broccoli mash potatoes on the stove to serve with the roast
Quynh
Glad you like it! 🙂
LYNDA M.
Rating 5 star — LOVE THIS , SO JUCY AND TENDER ! I broasted white potatoes sweet potatoes carrots in my oven while the roast was cooking it was a wonderful meal and the gravy was delicious !! Will make again often..
Quynh
Roasted veggies – that’s a great way to incorporate some veggies to this dish. I’ll have to try that next time!
Nazie Chung
This is the second recipe I’ve made of yours (also the baked salmon recipe). Both were delicious and easy to make! Looking forward to trying more!