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This Easy Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe requires just four ingredients and there’s no prep work involved beforehand. Simply add everything into the slow cooker and walk away!
The BEST Slow Cooker Pot Roast
This is our new favorite slow cooker Mississippi pot roast recipe and it’s only 3 ingredients! I cannot even believe how perfect and juicy it was!! All you need is a great cut of beef, a slow cooker, and three simple ingredients and you’ve got the best slow cooker pot roast! It’s basically a Mississippi Roast recipe, which we all know and love.
Except, making a pot roast was turning out to not be rest for me. I was trying to figure out how to make a juicy roast by searing it, marinating it, injecting it, and so on and nothing was really hitting the spot for me. So I did what any normal person would do after an extended period of failures — I gave up.
Okay, maybe everyone doesn’t give up, but I just decided that maybe a beef roast wasn’t my thing. I took up pork and it totally went well. We made carnitas, tender shredded pork and finally a juicy shredded beef. But it still didn’t taste like that classic pot roast. And the gravy wasn’t that brown gravy I wanted.
It ends up so juicy and tender you won’t even be able to lift it out of the slow cooker (we use Hamilton Beach).
And there are wonderful drippings that make the best gravy. I just serve ours with the juices, but sometimes when we serve it with our favorite mashed potatoes I’ll whisk the dripping with a little cornstarch and water and let it thicken. It’s awesome.
Slow Cooker Pot Roast Ingredients
As we mentioned earlier, this CrockPot chuck roast recipe requires just four ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make the best slow cooker pot roast recipe:
- Beef chuck roast
- Dry ranch dressing packets
- Au jus seasoning packet
- Unsalted butter
What’s the Best Roast for Pot Roast?
Want to know which cut of beef is best for a slow cooker roast or pot roast? We prefer a simple chuck roast, but remember to look for one that has good marbling. But not so much that it’s all over in big pieces of fat, because without realizing it you’re paying for all of that weight and will end up with less meat than you expected.
How to Make Slow Cooker Pot Roast
It’s truly amazing how easy this slow cooker pot roast recipe is! Here’s how you make it:
- Place the chuck roast into the slow cooker insert.
- Sprinkle the two seasoning packets on top.
- Place butter on top of the roast.
- Place the lid onto the slow cooker, then let the roast cook on low for 8 hours.
If desired, you can shred the beef after 7 ½ hours and let it cook in its juices for another 30 minutes before serving.
Do You Add Water for a Slow Cooker Roast?
One of the biggest questions we about chuck roast CrockPot recipe is why we don’t add any water to the roast. Maybe I’m wrong, but I feel like a lot of older CrockPot recipes wanted water added to a roast recipe, which is completely unnecessary. If you’re cooking a roast and looking for moist, fall apart meat, then adding water is just going to boil the meat, and no one wants boiled meat.
Can I Freeze Pot Roast?
Yes, this slow cooker pot roast freezes very well. Once it’s cooled completely, shred the pot roast and pack it into freezer bags. Spoon some of the juices into the bags as well. If desired, you can freeze the juices in freezer bags and use them to make gravy in the future.
Tips for Making the Best Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Many have been told to first heat up a skillet and brown the meat on each side in order to seal in the juices. That’s completely false. Browning meat is to give that color and caramelized flavor to the meat, but unless you’re braising it’s really going to disappear a bit in a slow cooker, so I don’t see any need to brown a roast.
The real secret to a roast is to cook it low and slow. In an oven, you’re looking for 225-250 degrees Fahrenheit, and on a slow cooker you want to use the low setting. We never cook a chuck roast or even a pork butt for anything other than low temperature for 8 hours. I promise, it will fall apart.
You technically can cook this easy slow cooker pot roast for 4 hours on high if you’re short on time, but your roast won’t be anywhere near as fall apart tender as it’d be if you let it cook on low for the full 8 hours.
More Slow Cooker Recipes:
- Asian Sticky Slow Cooker Ribs
- Chili Sauce and Grape Jelly Slow Cooker Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Pineapple Mexican Shredded Chicken
- Slow Cooker Korean BBQ Beef
- Slow Cooker Ham
Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 3 Pounds Beef Chuck Roast with good marbling, (ask your butcher for help)
- 1 Dry Ranch Dressing Packet
- 1 Au Jus Seasoning Packet
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
Instructions
- Sprinkle the top of the meat with the ranch seasoning and then the au jus packet.3 Pounds Beef Chuck Roast with good marbling, 1 Dry Ranch Dressing Packet, 1 Au Jus Seasoning Packet
- Place the butter on top.1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
- Cover with the lid and cook on low for 8 hours, shredding into the sauce after 7 1/2 hours if desired.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. Using the butter, the ranch dressing, and the au jus seasoning works great together but I think you need to add some garlic and onion to kick this up a few notches. I also add 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes for added zing. Especially if I plan to serve this over rice! Delish!
BTW, 8 hours is a long, long time to wait, and you need to be certain that your Slow Cooker is working properly and shuts off after your designated cook time or you risk drying out the roast! Yes, it can happen, so be certain to “test” your Slow Cooker every now and then. You do know how, don’t you? You are certain that it doesn’t get too hot or it doesn’t shut off too soon, aren’t you? You do take an internal temperature measurement of your roast, don’t you? Happy cooking!
Hi Robin! You can definitely add some garlic and onions to this dish! Cooking a roast in a slow cooker on low for 8 hours should be plenty of time to cook the roast to a safe temperature. You’ll know a roast is done when it starts falling a apart or when you take a fork to it and it just melts apart. There are plenty of juices in the roast to keep it from drying out, and most slow cookers have a warming feature now so that when it reaches the end of the designated cooking time, it automatically switches to warm. I hope this helps!
OMG…best and easiest pot roast ever! Loved it and sent the recipe info to a couple of friends already. My husband enjoyed it very much. Served it with scalloped potatoes. Will definitely make this again…and again!
Thank you so much Barbara! This is a favorite in our house!
What is the au jus packet. I never have heard of this. Please help
Thank You
Hi Pam! IT is a packet of seasoning you can find by all the gravy and seasoning packets at the grocery store. It will look something like this: https://www.amazon.com/McCormick-Jus-Gravy-Mix-Pack/dp/B007S7OONW/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2E1EX4MGTK019&keywords=au+jus+gravy+mix&qid=1675827107&rdc=1&sprefix=au+jus%2Caps%2C137&sr=8-2
The quickest, tastiest, roast beef I’ve ever made. Leftover meat & sauce freezes perfectly. We’ve eaten it as part of a roast dinner, in rolls, added to a grilled cheese sandwich & individual sized pies. So versatile & absolutely delicious! Thank you.
You’re the best! Thank you so much for the feedback! And repurposing leftover pot roast is one of my favorite things!
This is GOOD. And EASY! The first time I made this, I was shy about the ranch seasoning as I was taking it to my mom who had sprained her ankle, and she’s not a big ranch fan. It was really good (and my mom loved it and asked how I made it – and she’s picky about roast!), but the drippings weren’t quite as flavorful as I wanted. So this time I used the written amount of both seasonings (although only about half as much butter) and it was SO GOOD. It doesn’t taste like ranch at all, it just tastes like delicious roast. And I was lazy and instead of putting the drippings into a saucepan, I just turned the crockpot onto high after the meat was done and added the cornstarch right into the crockpot and it worked fine. Not as thick as normal gravy, but I wasn’t worried about it. It tasted so good and is so easy, I don’t think I’ll ever cook roast any other way!
Thank you so much for the feedback Kelsey! I’m so glad it was a hit! Now I’m craving roast!
Can this be made in the instant pot on the pressure cook function? I want to make this because it’s sooo yummy but I want it made quickly in the instant pot. If this is possible, what are the directions/modifications? 🙂
Hey Lauren! Great question! I haven’t ever tried it and it’s the slow cooking that makes the gravy. If I were to try it, I would do 60-80 minutes depending on size.
Quite salty but nice flavor!
Thanks Joan! Everyone tastes salt differently but you could reduce the amount of ranch you put in next time. Thanks for taking time to leave a review!
Can you use regular butter instead of unsalted? How will that affect it?
Hey Brooke! Great question! Regular butter combined with the ranch and the au jus just gets a little salty for me so I like to use the unsalted butter. That will be the only difference…how salty it is.
I have made this 8 times. The BEST and easiest roast to make ever. I don’t think I have ever had one more flavorful! Even made it for our COVID stuck at home Easter with fantastic reviews from the pickiest eater. Thank you so much for sharing your amazing recipes!
Yay! LOVE to hear this! Thank you Renee!