Mississippi Roast

My dear friend and colleague, Kim Howard, sent me this recipe from the NY Times for my week’s worth of slow cooker recipes. I was very grateful for the recipe since it was for a pot roast. I had a serious need for a new pot roast recipe because my dad loves pot roast and had already requested it for our Sunday supper.

My “go-to” slow cooker roast recipe for my dad is This One, I was beyond excited to try something new. A huge plus was that it is by far simpler and even tastier than the old standby.

I minimally changed the original recipe, but the change I made was a major health change. How I did that was to remove a majority of the fat after cooking.

Kim, I thank you!

My dad thanks you.

Basically, we all (Dad, Dave, Connor, my visiting brother-in-law, Roger, and I) thank you for the great recipe! xoxo

By the way, the recipe for the lovely asparagus you see on the plate above will be posted later this week. It is A. MAZ. ING!

Mississippi Pot Roast

• 1 boneless chuck roast, 3 to 4 pounds
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• ¼ cup flour
• 3 tablespoons neutral oil, like canola
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 8 to 12 pepperoncini peppers
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoon dried or 2 teaspoons fresh dill
• ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon buttermilk
• Chopped dill, for garnish
• Mashed potatoes, to serve alongside

Place roast on a cutting board and rub the salt and pepper all over it.

It may look like too much salt and pepper, but it is not, be sure to get it all on there!

Sprinkle the flour all over the seasoned meat and massage it into the flesh. The same thing with the flour, get it all massaged in, and don’t leave any behind on the board.

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan set over high heat until it is shimmering and about to smoke. Place the roast in the pan and brown on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes a side, to create a crust.

Remove roast from pan and place it in a slow cooker. Add the butter and the pepperoncini to the meat. Put the lid on the slow cooker, and set the machine to LOW.

As the roast heats, make a ranch dressing.

Combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, dill, paprika, and buttermilk in a small bowl and whisk to emulsify.

Remove the lid from the slow cooker and add the dressing. Replace the lid and allow to continue cooking on LOW, undisturbed, for 7 to 8 hours, or until you can shred the meat easily using 2 forks.

Remove the meat from the slow cooker and place it on a plate, set aside. Pour the liquid and solids left in the slow cooker into a bowl or a 4-cup glass measuring cup and place in the refrigerator to allow the fat to rise to the top.

After 1 hour, use a spoon to remove the fat from the liquid, then return the liquid and solids back to the slow cooker, and discard the fat.

Slice or shred the meat.

Return the meat to the slow cooker and turn the heat to HIGH for 20 to 30 minutes to rewarm. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper if needed.

When heated through, serve with mashed potatoes and garnish with fresh dill.

Serves 6 to 8