Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast

Name: Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 4 pound rump roast (or chuck roast); 16 ounce jar pepperoncini peppers; 1 stick unsalted butter; 1 package dry ranch seasoning; 1 package dry au jus gravy

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My Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast recipe comes together in just over an hour using only five easy ingredients! You'll never believe how flavor-packed this easy pot roast recipe is, with melt-in-your-mouth beef and zesty pepperoncini peppers.

mississippi pot roast with peppers and au jus

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Mississippi Pot Roast Instant Pot Style
Ingredients in Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast
How to Make Mississippi Pot Roast in the Instant Pot
Tips for Making Instant Pot Mississippi Roast
Leftover Storage and Reheating
FAQ
What to Serve with Mississippi Pot Roast
Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe
Reviews

Mississippi Pot Roast Instant Pot Style

This recipe was made with ease and flavor in mind! Mississippi pot roast is one of my favorite variations of pot roast recipe, but I don't always have time for three hours of slow roasting. That's why I love Instant Pot Mississippi roast- it's all the flavor of a classic Mississippi roast, done in just over one hour.

This recipe for Mississippi pot roast in the Instant Pot is based on my classic Mississippi roast recipe, which has always been a family favorite in my house! Then I tweaked the method until it was the perfect pressure cooker pot roast. And with only five super easy, budget-friendly ingredients, it's hard to justify not making it week after week!

The result was exactly what I was hoping for: Pepperoncini pot roast with all the flavor, cooked up up in a third of the time. The pressure cooker keeps the beef tender despite the low cooking time, and the pantry-stable ingredients mean that you can whip up this roast without even a trip to the store.

Ingredients in Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast

Chuck roast: Beef chuck roast is incredibly tender when slow cooked or pressure cooked, making it ideal for pot roast! You can also use rump roast or even stewing beef.
Jarred Pepperoncini Peppers: Typically sold already jarred and ready to use, pepperoncini peppers have a bright, juicy, peppery flavor without too much spice, making them perfect for this roast.
Unsalted butter: My secret weapon and the reason this pot roast is so darn good. I don't recommend salted butter as the roast can quickly get too salty.
Ranch seasoning mix: Packet ranch seasoning mix is cheap, easy to find, shelf-stable, and contains just about every seasoning you want for this roast. It's practically magic!
Au Jus gravy mix: Much like the ranch, packet mix is easy and affordable while containing all the flavors we want. You can also use brown gravy mix for a thicker sauce, or onion soup mix for a sweeter twist.

all the ingredients for instant pot pot roast with labels

Hi, I'm Isabel! I've been sharing my recipes online, in cookbooks, and in TV specials since 2012. The most important thing to me is Sunday supper with my family, and inspiring togetherness with my recipes!
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How to Make Mississippi Pot Roast in the Instant Pot

Optional: Sear the meat! Heat up a big heavy-bottom pot or skillet over medium-high heat and add just a tablespoon or so of oil. (Alternatively, use the Instant Pot's saute function!) Then place in the chuck roast and sear it well on all sides, until it has a nice brown crust. This is optional, but adds a ton of flavor, so I highly recommend it.

Step 1: Add the roast to the Instant Pot, plus all other ingredients. Don't worry too much about getting them all mixed evenly! The melting butter will help everything mix together. If you want, however, you can mix the seasoning packets together and rub them over the chuck roast.

Step 2: Pressure cook! Place on the lid and seal, then set to high pressure and pressure cook for 1 hour.

Step 3: When the cooking time is up, let the pressure natural release for 15 minutes. Then carefully manually release any remaining pressure.

Step 4: Remove the cooked beef to a cutting board and shred with two forks- the beef should be perfectly fork tender and shred easily. Serve with peppers and the liquid from the pot, and enjoy!

Tips for Making Instant Pot Mississippi Roast

I highly recommend searing the meat before pressure cooking it. If you're using an Instant Pot, you can use the Saute function to achieve this while still only using one pot.
If you prefer thicker gravy, you can use brown gravy mix instead of au jus! Or, remove the solids from the pot, then add a tablespoon of cornstarch in water and turn on the saute function. Stir it up until a thicker gravy forms.
For extra flavor, you can sprinkle in some extra fresh herbs that would go into ranch dressing, such as dill, parsley, and chives.
If you prefer a less salty flavor, add in a few salt-soaking veggies to the pot like potatoes and carrots! They soak up the salty beef broth and taste great, too.

Leftover Storage and Reheating

Refrigerator: Let the roast cool completely, then store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, packed with extra juice from the pot and cooked peppers, for up to 4 days.
Freezer: Pot roast is a perfect meal to freeze and reheat later, and especially this one, as it doesn't have any vegetables that might freeze poorly! To freeze, shred the meat and place it in freezer-safe plastic containers or a freezer bag, ideally in serving-sized portions. Then freeze with extra juice and peppers for up to 3 months.
Thawing: Thaw frozen pot roast by placing it in the fridge overnight, or placing the frozen roast in a sauce pan over very low heat and stirring often until it's melted, hot, and bubbly.
Reheating: I recommend reheating leftovers in the microwave or on the stove with a little extra beef broth or water to ensure it doesn't dry out.

Of course, the best way to use up leftover pot roast is in leftover pot roast sandwiches!

FAQ

What's the difference between Mississippi Pot Roast and regular pot roast?

It's all in the seasonings and vegetables! A classic pot roast like my beef chuck roast tends to be seasoned with tomato paste, red wine, and bay leaves, then cooked up with firm vegetables like carrots and potatoes. This results in a very beefy, rich flavor. Mississippi pot roast uses Ranch seasoning mix and Pepperoncini peppers instead, giving it a zippier, zestier flavor!

Can I make this pressure cooker Mississippi pot roast in a regular pressure cooker?

Absolutely- this recipe doesn't use the saute function or anything exclusive to the Instant Pot, so any pressure cooker will work great.

Is this instant pot Mississippi pot roast gluten-free?

Due to the use if Ranch and Au Jus seasoning packets, it's not certain to be gluten free! Packet seasonings often use flour as a thickener, so be extra careful to check the ingredients thoroughly. Luckily, most stores tend to offer gluten free mixes as well.

Can I use pork or chicken for Mississippi pot roast?

You can absolutely use pork or chicken for this recipe. If you're using pork, I recommend a big, heavy cut like pork shoulder or rump roast. If you're using chicken, use chicken breasts, which shred similarly to chuck roast.

What to Serve with Mississippi Pot Roast

Mashed Potatoes are a classic for soaking up the gravy!
Fluffy white rice or flavorful Portuguese rice are favorites!
And of course, never forget some fluffy dinner rolls to soak up the juices!