Who would’ve ever thought that this classic early ’70’s recipe would make such an enormous comeback! Only, we never called it “Mississippi Roast”, and the ingredients are more midwestern, (Chicago-style actually!), than anything anywhere NEAR the south! The first time that I had the original version, was way back when I was in the 4th grade when I slept over at a friend’s house back in about 1973 when I lived in Champaign, Illinois! But no matter what you call it, Crock Pot Roast Beef / aka Mississippi, College, Dorm Room & Dump Roast is worth dragging that old Crock Pot back out for! And the perfect choice for #NationalSlowCookerMonth!
I made one of my classic, ancient recipes for you, and I don’t use the “Au Jus” packet that the newer version calls for. We always made it using McCormick’s “Brown Gravy” packet.
The other difference is the “Ranch” packet. Back when this suddenly re-popular recipe first originated, “Hidden Valley Ranch” anything wasn’t even invented yet! The bottled dressing didn’t even hit the shelves until 1983. (Two years after I graduated from high school!)
So, along with the dry brown gravy mix, dry Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix was always used. So if that’s still available in your area, you can use either one. Sadly, ever since HV Ranch took over the market, Good Seasons packets have been snubbed. So it’s not always easy to find it in some areas. But HV Ranch works just fine too, and that’s what I used this time, as our stores didn’t carry GS Italian Dressing Mix either anymore.
I say there’s plenty of room for any and all products to have an equal chance. I just don’t like it when one company corners, owns, and decides what everyone can buy. Probably just me, but I always root for the littler guys.
So, to get this started, I do it the classic way. It just isn’t the same if you don’t season the outside, and sear it on all sides in a little oil! (*Go easy on the salt, as some packets are salty on their own.) If you use a smaller roast, just omit the extra salt.
Get your pan and oil screaming hot, so you can just brown the outsides. This only takes about 5 minutes and it’s a step that’s worth it! It will sputter a little, but please don’t skip it!
Then place your roast into your crock pot (or “slow cooker” if you prefer to say).
Next, sprinkle the top with the dry Ranch mix….
….then the brown gravy packet…..
……and we’re almost done! Just two more ingredients to go!
Which brings me to one of the last, but best ingredients…the butter! PLEASE use real butter and not “margarine” (which is solidified oil with “artificial butter flavorings” and “colors”, and TONS of ingredients that you cannot even pronounce, and don’t even want to know the definition of). Butter has just ONE ingredient…cream. And salted butter only adds salt. TWO ingredients. That’s it.
And the better the butter, the better the end results will be!
So I’m VERY happy and proud to announce, that I have just been made a Brand Ambassador for Minerva Dairy Butters and Cheeses! It’s the ONLY butter I’ll use and one of THE highest quality butters available to the public!
(*Available in wrapped sticks, and 2 lb. rolls!)
My hubby and I found them online after my baking suddenly started to fail. Every recipe that I had been making almost my whole life was suddenly a disaster! I finally narrowed down the culprit…regular store-bought “butter”. (*I use quotation marks when referring to the commercial brands, because the butterfat percentage is so low now, that I really don’t know how they even get away with calling it butter!)
Minerva Dairy’s butter is 84% butterfat, which makes an incredible difference in not only your baking, but your cooking, as well! They’re also GMO-free, and their cows are grass-fed only in pastures and not confined! What’s not to LOVE about that!
Once we found Minerva Dairy, my baking (and cooking!) has never been better! I am SO thankful for them! So if you have been having trouble also, you might want to consider switching to REAL butter, too.
Now, once you’ve topped the roast with that real, slow-churned, creamery butter, last comes the peperoncini peppers, stems and all! (*Don’t worry about slicing the stems off. They will tenderize and become soft just like the rest of the pepper. And you won’t even know that they’re in there.)
NO liquid is needed for this. As the roast cooks, and breaks down and tenderizes, it will create lots of juice! So don’t add any water or broth!
And here comes the sunrise!
Just place the lid on, and cook on High for about 8 hours until fall apart tender!
Pull the meat and peppers into bite-sized chunks and shreds, give it a nice stir, then place the lid back on and cook on Low for another 30 minutes so that the shredded meat can swim in all those yummy flavors!
Once fully cooked, you can serve this many different ways! The first day we enjoyed it over my Best Creamy Homemade Mashed Potatoes!
But this is also delicious over cooked rice or noodles, too!
Even this oldie but goodie came out better than it ever has!
SO good, that we took the leftovers and made these stellar beef sandwiches with melted white American cheese! These started with some frozen bread dough by Rhodes that I love to play with!
This half-loaf that I made for our hoagie-style sandwiches, came out a little funky, (my fault), and I loved him immediately!
This odd-looking little fellow was going to be PERFECT for a nice roast beef sandwich for two!
For this, I sliced the bread open and ladled the warm beef on top without toasting the bread on the inside.
This is important, because you want those delicious juices to seep down into the bread!
*That strategically placed pepper is my half! Sssshh! Don’t tell!
Those who do the work, get the perks, I say!
I simply placed the split open hoagie loaf onto a small baking sheet, topped with lots of the beef, then placed halved (Land O’Lakes) American cheese slices on top.
I prefer the slices that are NOT individually wrapped, though!
The slices are thicker and just seem to taste better! (They’re also cheaper purchased this way, too! And keeps all that extra, unneeded plastic out of our landfills!)
This was the perfect choice for this monster! Creamy, lightly salty, thick enough to stand up yet not overpower!
The combination was a match made in heaven!
And my hubby thoroughly enjoyed one of his favorite sandwich side-dishes, my simple oven-roasted potatoes with sour cream to dip!
What a wonderful lunch this was!!!
We were so stuffed, though, that we skipped supper!
You are SO going to want to make this!!!!
The creamy, melty, mild cheese went beautifully with the beef, and I am so glad that I didn’t use swiss, gouda, or mozzarella. I almost did, and at the last minute, I thought that the simple taste of the classic white cheese would better go with the beef and not over overpower and compete with it. Good decision. They were awesome!!
This would also make for a killer good Super Bowl Sandwich, too!! You could serve these as sliders, hoagies, subs, or make one giant long one and let your guests slice off how ever much they’d like!
You can certainly just keep the beef warm in a slow cooker if setting out an assortment of breads, too. Either way, your guests are going to LOVE this classic Crock Pot Roast Beef / aka Mississippi, College, Dorm Room & Dump Roast!
And the shredded beef is plenty juicy enough, that you don’t even need to make an au jus for dipping! They were perfect just the way they were!
So be sure to save this recipe, print it, Pin it, and keep it handy! Be it for a weeknight supper for the family, or hearty sandwiches for upcoming gathers and sporting events, classics are passed down for a reason, and truly pass the test of time! Hope you all enjoy!
And thank you so very much to Minerva Dairy for making me your Brand Ambassador! I am truly honored and proud to represent such a wonderful product!
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*Any and all opinions of Minerva Dairy (and any other products mentioned in this post) are solely my own.
Crock Pot Roast Beef / aka Mississippi, College, Dorm Room & Dump Roast
Ingredients
Optional for Sandwiches:
Instructions
