Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast

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!

Not just for weekends anymore, you can make this deliciously flavored and melt-in-your-mouth Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast in a fraction of the time of traditional cooking methods.

Gone are the days of waiting 6 or more hours for a tasty pot roast meal made in your slow cooker, oven or even your stovetop. Pot roast is definitely not a wait until the last minute type of meal. I don’t know about you, but I can barely get out the door on a busy morning, so prepping a pot roast for a home-cooked meal is just not on my A.M. to-do list, even on a weekend.

Good news! No need to prep when you own an Instant Pot. And if truth be told, I prefer this Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast over the other traditional methods of preparation. Your pressure cooker will tenderize this meal to succulent perfection as well as infuse the awesome flavors right into the meat. The best part is it only takes about 1.5 hours from start to finish. Plus, it’s a great recipe for Instant Pot beginners. Win-win!

If you have leftovers, they’re perfect for using as another meal later in the week, or even freezing. Intentional leftovers are my number one secret to weekly meal planning. Make it once, eat it twice!

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.

IS MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST SPICY?

Not at all! The pepperoncini peppers give this recipe is a tangy taste to balance out the fatty meat but it’s not spicy. If you’re worried, just add less peppers but definitely don’t skip the juice.

INGREDIENTS FOR INSTANT POT MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST

• Chuck Roast – 3-4 pounds
• Oil – vegetable oil, canola, sunflower are all fine
• Pepper (ground) – seasoning that gives it some a little heat
• Onion (diced) – for flavoring that’s infused with the broth
• Beef Broth – for flavoring the meat
• Butter – use unsalted
• Ranch Dressing Mix – for flavoring
• Au Jus Gravy Mix – for flavoring
• Pepperoncini Peppers (and juice) – integral to the recipe – don’t skip!

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!

Looking for more Instant Pot recipes? Try Instant Pot Beef Stew or Instant Pot Butter Chicken

WHAT CAN I SUBSTITUTE FOR AU JUS GRAVY MIX?

Make your own Au Jus Gravy Mix:

• 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. Use 1 and 1/2 tablespoon for this recipe and store the rest.

WHAT CAN I SUBSTITUTE FOR PEPPERONCINI PEPPERS?

If you can’t find pepperoncini peppers at your local store, you can substitute them with any type of pickled peppers. Banana peppers are a great alternative.

If you can’t find pickled peppers, 2-3 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar or pickle juice might work.

HOW TO MAKE MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST IN THE INSTANT POT

(Detailed instructions are down below in the recipe card. This is an overview.)

Prep the chuck roast. Add ground pepper to each side of your chuck roast. Sear it in your pre-heated and oiled Instant Pot; about 3 minutes for each side until golden brown. Remove from the Instant Pot and set aside.

Sauté And Deglaze. Add and sauté the chopped onion until tender. Deglaze the Instant Pot by adding the beef broth and scraping the bottom of the pot to get up all the brown bits of beef and onion.

Layer In The Ingredients. Add the chuck roast back in, followed by the ranch dressing mix, au jus gravy mix, butter, and pepperoncini peppers and its juice.

Close, Seal And Cook. Place the lid on, seal, and pressure cook on high for 60-70 minutes. When done, let the pressure naturally release until the pin drops down and the lid can be opened.

HOW DO I THICKEN THE GRAVY?

1. Once the roast has finished cooking and you’ve removed it from the Instant Pot, turn the sauté function on. The liquid should start to simmer.
2. 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 Instant Pot and simmering liquid.
3. Stir well until thickened. Use more cornstarch if needed by using a 1 to 1 ratio of cornstarch and water. Turn the Instant Pot off and serve gravy over the shredded beef and over mashed potatoes or rice.

CAN I MAKE THIS WITH A FROZEN ROAST?

Yes, but you will skip the searing step since you can’t sear/brown frozen meat. For a frozen roast, you’ll need to add 10 minutes to the cooking time, as well.

I DON’T HAVE AN INSTANT POT. CAN I STILL MAKE MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST?

Yes, of course! See below for slow cooker and oven methods.

HOW TO MAKE MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST IN A SLOW COOKER

Using the same ingredients, sear the pot roast on the stove top in a skillet before adding it to the slow cooker. Follow the directions for layering all the ingredients, cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8-10 hours.

HOW TO MAKE MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST IN THE OVEN

Using the same ingredients, sear the pot roast on the stove top in a skillet before adding it to a deep, heavy pot such as a Dutch oven or deep baking pan. Cover tightly with the oven-safe lid of the Dutch oven, or foil, if using a baking pan. Bake at 300°F for about 1 hour per pound, or until the beef shreds easily with a fork

WHAT TO SERVE WITH INSTANT POT MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST

Any comfort food vegetable will be an awesome accompaniment to this beef meal. You’ll want one of them to be a veggie that will be the perfect vehicle for the gravy and juices, too!

• Mashed Potatoes
• Baked Potato
• Rice
• Egg Noodles,
• Riced Cauliflower
• Roasted Vegetables (such as cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, bussels sprouts)
• Green Beans
• Peas
• Bread, rolls or cornbread
• or make them into Mississippi pot roast sliders.

If you are looking for something Keto-friendly, you could do mashed cauliflower or cauliflower rice.

TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST INSTANT POT MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST

• Look for a chuck roast that is well marbled.
• Searing the meat helps it stay juicy and tender. While this step isn’t necessary, it only takes a few minutes, so I usually make sure and do it.
• Beware of hidden salt. The ranch and au jus packets already contain sodium, so use unsalted butter and low sodium beef broth. Add salt at the end if you find you need to.
• Make sure you actually deglaze by scraping the bits and pieces off the bottom of the Instant Pot when you pour in the beef broth. This will avoid the “burn” error message!
• Here’s how to calculate how long to cook the roast, based on its size: 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). The thickness of the roast matters, too. This recipe is for a roast that is around 1-1/2 to 2 inch thick. If yours is thicker, round the cooking time up and add an extra 10 minutes.
• For the most tender meat, let the Instant Pot naturally release once it’s done cooking.

HOW DO I STORE LEFTOVERS?

Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Cool completely before tightly sealing beef and any gravy/juices and adding to the fridge.

You can also freeze the leftovers for up to 2 months. Cool completely before tightly sealing beef and any gravy/juices and storing in the freezer.

LEFTOVER SERVING IDEAS

I love re-running the meal just like we ate it the first time, but sometimes it’s fun to change things up. Here are some delicious ways to use your leftover pot roast and any gravy.

• The shredded beef is perfect tacos, burritos or even quesadillas.
• Make it into a Philly cheesesteak with cheese, caramelized onions and peppers.
• Make a roast beef sandwich and dip it in the leftover gravy or make an open-faced roast beef sandwich with gravy over the top.
• Turn it into beef stroganoff and serve it over noodles.

Easy prep with easy steps will earn this Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast a place in your regular meal planning. Simple, yet incredibly tender, this beef recipe will quickly become a family favorite.

Have you made this recipe? Rate it below and tell me what you think.