Pot roast slow cooker recipe with hidden valley ranch

Q: Do you have to brown a roast before putting it in the crockpot?

Slow cooker recipes dont always instruct you to brown meat before adding it to the pot, but there are some advantages to doing so. If you sear meat to a crusty brown with a little oil in a hot skillet, the meat develops more complex flavors and improves the dish.

Sunday Morning

Table of Contents Show

About the Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
Making the Recipe
Reader Interactions
Why is it called a Mississippi pot roast?
Do you put vegetables in bottom or top of crock pot roast?
Do you have to brown a roast before putting it in the crockpot?
How can I add flavor to my pot roast?

November 20, 2021 / 12:06 PM / CBS News

The folks at Hidden Valley Ranch share with "Sunday Morning" viewers this slow cooker recipe.

Don't miss Luke Burbank's report on the origins of ranch dressing on "CBS Sunday Morning" November 21!

Mississippi Roast for the slow cooker. Hidden Valley Ranch

Mississippi Roast - Slow Cooker

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs. Boneless Chuck Roast
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
¼–½ cup All-Purpose Flour, as needed (optional)
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
½ cup Beef Broth
1 packet (1 oz) Hidden Valley Original Ranch Seasoning, Salad Dressing & Recipe Mix
1 stick (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
8 Whole Pepperoncini
Bread, Cooked Egg Noodles, or Potatoes for serving

Instructions:

Season chuck roast generously with salt and pepper. Rub enough flour over the roast to evenly coat the surface.
In a large skillet pan, warm oil over high heat until very hot but not smoking. Sear the roast until browned and crusty on all sides, about 10 minutes total.
Place roast in the pot of a slow cooker. Pour beef broth around the roast, then sprinkle with seasoning mix, top with butter, and scatter pepperoncini over and around the roast.
Cover the slow cooker and set on low heat for 7 to 8 hours. When ready, shred the meat, mixing with the sauce in the slow cooker, and serve over bread, egg noodles, or potatoes.

Check out the "Sunday Morning" 2021 Food Issue Recipe Index for menu suggestions from the chefs, cookbook authors, flood writers and restaurateurs featured on our program, as well as the writers and editors of New York Times Cooking.

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Recipe courtesy of Robin Chapman

Level: Easy

Total: 8 hr 5 min
Active: 5 min

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Level: Easy

Total: 8 hr 5 min
Active: 5 min

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Deselect All

One 3- to 4-pound boneless beef roast, your choice of cut (see Cook's Note)

1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter

1 package au jus gravy mix

1 package dry ranch dressing mix, such as Hidden Valley

Pepperoncini peppers, number to your liking, and a little juice

Salt and freshly ground pepper, if desired

Put the roast in a slow cooker. Add the butter, au jus gravy mix, ranch dressing mix and pepperoncini peppers and juice. Add salt and pepper if you like and cook on low until tender, about 8 hours.

Sometimes we use chuck, sometimes sirloin tip, sometimes rump. Sometimes we sear it. Sometimes we don't.

Ultra tender Slow Cooker Ranch Pot Roast with herby, zesty ranch seasoning and lots of vegetables. To make it, simply “dump and start” by putting all the ingredients in the slow cooker and turning it on. Oh, did I mention it’s also Whole30 & Paleo, with an easy Keto adaptation?

About the Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
Making the Recipe
More Slow Cooker Recipes
Slow Cooker Ranch Pot Roast

About the Recipe

It’s officially fall here in central Virginia! There’s a chill in the air, so my kids are actually keeping their shoes on when they play outside, and my husband’s new favorite hobby is raking leaves. It’s my favorite time of year, and I’m breaking out the slow cooker to celebrate!

And what better way to ring in the start of slow cooker season that this Slow Cooker Ranch Pot Roast? It’s an absolutely wonderful recipe for fall apart tender meat that’s ultra savory and super comforting.

I love everything about this recipe, but my favorite thing is how it makes the whole house smell wonderful as it simmers away throughout the day.

You may also like: Buffalo Chicken & Ranch Casserole, Simple Dutch Oven Chicken.

Anyone who loves hearty, comforting beef recipes will really enjoy this fun spin on classic pot roast. The secret to making it absolutely wonderful? Ranch seasoning and pickle juice!

Ranch seasoning gives pot roast recipe a zesty, herby, bright flavor. The pickle juice may sound strange, but it adds a salty, briny flavor that really helps balance the whole thing out.

If you’re looking for great recipe using dill pickle juice (besides my Dill Pickle Chicken Salad!), this is it!

Recipe Ingredients

Get your shopping lists ready! Here’s what you need to make it happen.

Chuck Roast. Chuck roast is the perfect cut of beef for pot roast. Because it’s a tough cut and has lots of fat, it cooks beautifully in the slow cooker to make tender, flavorful pot roast. I got this one from Porter Road. You can also use brisket, bottom round, or rump roast to make pot roast.
Ranch Seasoning: Use your favorite store-bought blend or make your own with: dried parsley, chives, onion flakes, dill, sea salt, and garlic powder.
Veggies. You’ll need Onion, Garlic, Carrots, and Petite Gold Potatoes. Other root vegetables would make great additions like radishes or sweet potatoes.
Pickle Juice: This is the liquid inside a dill pickle jar. The briny, salty flavor is beautiful against the rich beef flavor! You probably know by now that I love Grillo’s pickles from Costco, so that’s the pickle juice I used here!
Beef Stock or Water

*Low Carb / Keto Adaptation: The majority of this dish would work perfectly for a low carb or Keto way of eating. However, you’d need to omit the carrots and potatoes. Instead, serve the pot roast with other vegetables that are lower in carbs like green beans, spaghetti squash, asparagus, roasted radishes, or mashed cauliflower (You can also try my Keto Mississippi Pot Roast).

Making the Recipe

The steps to making this recipe are crazy easy! It’s basically a dump and start recipe, and a prime example of why a slow cooker is one of my favorite kitchen appliances.

Wash the vegetables. Cut the carrots into 3 inch long pieces, cut the onion into quarters, and mince the garlic.
Place the vegetables and liquid in the slow cooker. Place the roast on top.
Sprinkle the roast with the ranch seasoning.
Cover and turn the temperature to high for 6-7 hours or low for 8-9 hours, until fork tender. Shred the beef with two forks.
Last but not least, make the gravy. Don’t skip the gravy, because the ranch and dill pickle flavors in the cooking liquid take this to the next level!

To store leftovers: Transfer the meat, vegetables, and gravy to an airtight container. Store covered in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

A cozy and comforting dinner made in the crock pot with herby, zesty ranch seasoning and lots of vegetables!

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Calories 501kcal

Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes

Ranch Pot Roast

▢ 2.5 lb chuck roast
▢ 4 Tablespoon ranch seasoning
▢ 2/3 cup dill pickle juice
▢ 2/3 cup beef stock or water
▢ 1/2 lb. carrots about 4-5 medium carrots
▢ 1 lb. petite gold potatoes
▢ 1 onion
▢ 2 cloves garlic

Gravy

▢ 2 Tablespoon arrowroot powder
▢ 2-3 cups reserved cooking liquid from the slow cooker

Cook the Pot Roast & Veggies

Wash the potatoes and carrots well vegetables. Cut the carrots into 3 inch long pieces, cut the onion into quarters, and mince the garlic.
Place the vegetables, dill pickle juice, and beef stock or water in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the roast on top. Sprinkle the roast generously with the ranch seasoning.
Cover and turn the temperature to high for 6-7 hours or low for 8-9 hours, until fork tender. Use two forks to shred the beef into bite sized pieces, setting aside any large fatty pieces.
Use a slotted spoon or tongs to remove the beef and vegetables. Set them aside on a large plate or platter and cover to keep warm and moist while you make the gravy.

Make the Gravy

Use an immersion blender to blend up the liquid, drippings, and any vegetable pieces that's left in the slow cooker. All of this is FLAVOR! Transfer the liquid to a medium saute pan and bring to a simmer.
Whisk in the arrowroot power, stirring constantly to keep it from clumping, for about 5 minutes. Season to taste, and pour the gravy over the meat an vegetables. Enjoy!

To Store Leftovers: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Instant Pot Adaptation: Add all of the ranch pot roast ingredients to your Instant Pot, close, and set to High Pressure for 80 minutes. Allow for a natural pressure release (NPR). Remove the meat and shred with two forks.

Keto/Low Carb Adaptation: Omit the potatoes and carrots and serve with lower carb vegetables like green beans, asparagus, or radishes.

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Why is it called a Mississippi pot roast?

Why is it called Mississippi pot roast? This recipe originated from a home cook who lives in Mississippi. That being said, the home cook never referred to it as a Mississippi pot roast, she simply called it a roast.

Do you put vegetables in bottom or top of crock pot roast?

Prepare vegetables and add to the bottom of a lightly greased 6 qt. (or larger) slow cooker. Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large cast iron skillet. Using tongs, sear meat on all sides until browned and place on top of vegetables in the crockpot.

Do you have to brown a roast before putting it in the crockpot?

Slow cooker recipes don't always instruct you to brown meat before adding it to the pot, but there are some advantages to doing so. If you sear meat to a crusty brown with a little oil in a hot skillet, the meat develops more complex flavors and improves the dish.