Zesty Mississippi Roast

By Susan52

Ingredients

• 3 to 5 pound boneless beef rump or chuck roast
• 3 cloves of garlic, cut into slivers
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings or vegetable or canola oil
• 1 stalk (rib) of celery, cut into chunks
• 1 medium size onion, halved and sliced
• 1 envelope of dry ranch dressing mix
• 1 envelope of dry brown gravy or au jus mix
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 cup of Coca Cola Classic
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 whole jalapeno (I used pickled)
• 4 golden peperoncini peppers
• 1/2 cup of Italian mix giardiniera, optional
• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch

Details

Preparation time 25mins
Adapted from deepsouthdish.com

Preparation

Step 1

Stud the roast by using the tip of a knife to cut multiple small slits in areas all over the meat and inserting slivers of garlic into each cut. Season roast on both sides with pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of fat or oil in a large skillet and brown roast on both sides. Add the celery chunks to the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker and place roast on top. Add onion to skillet and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer to top of the roast.

Meanwhile, whisk together the ranch dressing, gravy mix, thyme and rosemary. Add the Coke and whisk in until well blended; set aside. Add the bay leaf, whole jalapeno, pepperoncini and giardiniera to the top of the roast and pour the Coke mixture over the top. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, or on high 4 to 5 hours. Total time will be dependent on size of roast.

To thicken gravy, use a long fish spatula to remove the roast and loosely tent with foil to keep warm. Skim any excess fat off the top of the juices and carefully transfer the contents of the crockpot to a saucepan. Stir in the tablespoon of butter. Make a slurry of a tablespoon of cornstarch with just enough water to dissolve the cornstarch. Whisk into the gravy, bring up to a boil, reduce and simmer until thickened.

Serve with the gravy and my Everyday Mashed Potatoes or Steamed Rice and Southern Green Beans or a nice mixed garden salad.

Cook's Notes: Substitute 1 cup of water, low sodium beef broth, wine or beer, in place of the Coke, or if you're adventurous, eliminate the liquid and add that whole stick of unsalted butter on top, like in the original "Mississippi Roast." There's plenty of sodium present in the packaged mixes, so use unsalted butter, and don't be tempted to add any additional salt to the roast, either way. This roast does have a nice spicy bite to it. Golden pepperoncini are a milder, sweet pepper with just a hint of heat, but to make it milder leave them out, along with the jalapeno and giardiniera. Puree the veggies and add those to the gravy for extra flavor.