My sister and I went halves on a pot roast in the grocery store yesterday. The cost of the whole roasts was outrageous and they had no small ones, so we just asked the butcher guy to cut one in half for us. It was still $9 each, but a lot better than $18.
I had had my eye on this recipe for a Mississippi Pot Roast that I had seen over on How to Feed a Loon for several months now. In fact I think I bought a jar of pepperoncini peppers back in November of last year with the idea in mind that I was going to make it.
And that is exactly what I did today and I have to tell you, this was one of the most fabulous tasting pot roasts I have ever cooked or eaten. I kid you not!
I did make a few major changes from their recipe, but I will let you know all about them!
If you are looking for a great supper that is not only delicious but very easy to make, read on! This one is destined to become a family favorite!
The original recipe made enough to serve 8 people so I cut the recipe in half to make only four servings, or to serve two people with leftovers. I don't know about you, but I enjoy pot roast leftovers. They come in really handy for pot pies, hash, etc.
I also cooked mine in an oven rather than a slow cooker, which meant that it was done sooner. You can certainly cook this in a slow cooker/crockpot however. It will take roughly 8-10 hours on low or 3 to 5 hours on high.
I did it in the oven for 3 hours at 350*F/180*C.
You are probably wondering what Pepperoncini are. They are a type of Italian hot pepper, packed in a pickle brine.
They are green, and not as spicy as a jalapeno pepper. I find them to be quite pleasant. I bought mine on Amazon, but I think in American they will be available in the grocery stores.
Sweet and hot they are not as hot and spicy as some other peppers and they work very well in dishes such as this one. I suppose you could use some hot sauce in their place and some ordinary pickle brine, if you can't find them.
You could also use jalapeno peppers, seeded and skinned, but do expect that they will be a lot hotter, and you will have to substitute the brine with something else. Again, I suggest regular pickle brine.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST
Only seven basic ingredients, that's all!
- 2 pound pot roast (chuck, brisket, bottom round, etc. a braising roast)
- 1 packet dry onion soup mix
- 1 packet dry ranch dressing mix
- 6 pickled pepperoncini peppers
- 1/4 cup (60ml) brine from the pepper jar
- 1/4 up (60ml) apple juice
- 4 TBS butter, cubed
The roast I used was a large bottom round roast that had been cut into two smaller roasts. It was just large enough to serve four people comfortably or two with plenty of leftovers.
Dry onion soup mix is readily available in the shops. When I was was in the UK, I used to buy it online via Amazon. I think the brand was Knorr. Here in North America it is Lipton.
Also the dry ranch dressing mix, in the UK you can buy it online. Here in Canada I used Club House brand which I bought on Amazon. You can also make your own from scratch. There are a great many recipes for doing so to be found online.
The apple juice was my own addition and not included in the original recipe. It is something I always use in my regular pot roast recipe and I knew it would work well with the other ingredients.
It also helps to tenderize the roast and makes for a very flavorful mix to toss the shredded roasted meat in at the end.
The butter adds a lovely richness. Altogether all of these flavors work beautifully and there is no need for any additional seasoning whatsoever.
HOW TO MAKE MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST
One thing which I really loved about this roast was its easy of preparation. Whether you choose to use a crock pot or to cook it in a casserole dish as I did, nothing could really be easier.
I did not bother to brown the roast as they did in the original recipe. It worked perfectly fine without doing so and was very flavorful regardless.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4.
Pat the meat dry and place into a heavy casserole dish (with a tight fitting lid). Sprinkle the onion soup mix and dry ranch dressing mix over top of and around the roast in the pan.
Place the pepperoncini around the roast. Add the cubes of butter, making sure some are on top of the roast.
Mix together the pepperoncini brine and the apple juice. Pour around the roast. Cover tightly.
Roast for 2 /2 to 3 hours, turning the roast around in the pan juices occasionally.
Remove from the oven and shred the meat in the casserole with two forks, stirring to incorporate the juice. Serve warm.
The juices from this roast are beautifully flavored and the meat is fork tender. Mixed together they were both incredibly delicious.
Added into the mix those slightly spiced peppers, and then with the melted butter . . . . heavenly bliss indeed!!
You can serve this with rice or whatever you want, but ideally a nice mound of beautifully mashed potatoes goes very well. My recipe for Perfect Creamy Mashed Potatoes is an excellent choice and what I enjoyed with it today.
You can enjoy whatever vegetables you like on the side, but today I had buttered carrots and swede. Altogether this was a really wonderful meal. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and am really looking forward to the leftovers!!!
Mississippi Pot Roast
Yield: 4
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 3 HourTotal time: 3 H & 10 M
This fabulously delicious pot roast is probably one of the easiest pot roasts you can make. With only a few ingredients, it is sure to become a family favorite.
Ingredients
- 2 pound pot roast (chuck, brisket, bottom round, etc. a braising roast)
- 1 packet dry onion soup mix
- 1 packet dry ranch dressing mix
- 6 pickled pepperoncini peppers
- 1/4 cup (60ml) brine from the pepper jar
- 1/4 up (60ml) apple juice
- 4 TBS butter, cubed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4.
- Pat the meat dry and place into a heavy casserole dish (with a tight fitting lid).
- Sprinkle the onion soup mix and dry ranch dressing mix over top of and around the roast in the pan.
- Place the pepperoncini around the roast. Add the cubes of butter, making sure some are on top of the roast.
- Mix together the pepperoncini brine and the apple juice. Pour around the roast. Cover tightly.
- Roast for 2 /2 to 3 hours, turning the roast around in the pan juices occasionally.
- Remove from the oven and shred the meat in the casserole with two forks, stirring to incorporate the juice.
- Serve warm.
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I’ve made this ….in a crock pot….it’s DELICIOUS !! I did not add the apple juice but I certainly will next time. Thanks for the tip! xo, V.
ReplyDeleteI'm getting away from crockpot cooking and very glad to see an oven braise recipe for it. I make it without the ranch and onion soup mixes but think adding apple juice is brilliant.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Carol! I think there are benefits to both types of cooking. I prefer oven roasting/braising over crockpot cooking, but you can't beat a crockpot when you know you are not going to have time to cook and yet still want to have a hot meal on the table, or in the summer months when you don't want to heat up the kitchen! xo
DeleteDear Marie,
ReplyDeleteLast night I served your Mississippi Pot Roast for our Sunday dinner. It was magnificent! I don't think I've ever had such wonderful roast! I've seen this recipe many times before, but the ingredients seemed so strange that I never made it, even though I live only 300 miles from Mississippi. However, I trust your recipes and advice so much that I knew I had to try it. Very glad I did!
I followed your recipe to the letter, although I used a crockpot (per your suggestion) since I didn't have a suitable pot to put inside my oven. Served it with mash potatoes and creamed spinach. If I had realized how rich the roast was going to be, I would have substituted a plain green vegetable. Next time I will, and there definitely will be a next time.
As always, I've donated to your flour, butter, and culinary research & travel fund. No such thing as a free meal! I encourage others to do likewise. The cook has to eat too, you know, and the price of food is dang near ridiculous! Toodles!
So pleased you made and enjoyed this William! The leftovers make great tacos as well. (just saying!) This is my favorite pot roast of all time, and something which I always enjoy! My family enjoys it also. Once again, many thanks for your generosity. I am totally grateful for it! xo
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