Mississippi Pot Roast

No one likes being stuck in a rut, especially when it comes to cooking. Many home cooks are familiar with cooking routine meals week after week. However, every once in a while you might find that a routine dish can be easily transformed into something completely new. My husband and I love pot roast, but our kids haven't warmed up to it very much. They will eat it but I would be lying to you if I said they love it. They find traditional pot roast to be boring and too similar to the flavor and textures of beef stew. Okay, I'll give them that. 

You can imagine my intrigue when I read about the popularity of the Mississippi Pot Roast and its unusual pairing of common ingredients I would normally never pair together. The original recipe calls for dry ranch dressing seasoning mix and pepperoncinis. Seems like an odd couple, but Mississippi Pot Roast is one of the most pinned recipes on Pinterest and has become a viral sensation across the internet. This is pretty good street cred, so I had to investigate further. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. 

Using a two pound top round roast, I chose to use ranch dressing instead of the dry mix, pepperoncinis and its pickly liquid, chicken broth, and a couple tablespoons of butter. Eight hours later this seemingly strange concoction produced an exciting, different, and very un-boring pot roast even my kids loved. The beef was fork tender and the broth was unlike anything Ive ever had. Unlike traditional au jus, this variation was tangy, savory, delicious, and unexpected. Instead of serving the roast over vegetables, I opted to toast French rolls that I slathered with garlic butter. I piled a nice generous portion of shredded beef between the two halves and served each sandwich with a small serving of au jus. As odd as it may seem to pair these ingredients together, this recipe is a keeper and will win over the toughest of kid critics. Enjoy!