Lighter Mississippi Roast (Slow Cooker)

By msippigrl

Boneless beef chuck roast is seared then topped with dry Ranch Dressing and Au Jus Gravy mixes, butter, and pepperoncini peppers and slow cooked until crazy, fall-apart tender.

Ingredients

• 1 (3 to 4 lbs) boneless beef chuck roast
• 1 - 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup water
• Half of (1 oz) packet Hidden Valley Original Ranch Dressing and Seasoning mix
• Half of (1 oz) packet McCormick Au Jus Gravy mix
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 5-6 pats
• 6 - 8 pepperoncini peppers (comes in a jar)

Preparation

Step 1

Trim as much fat from the roast as possible.

Preheat slow cooker on High setting (remove lid first).

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat; add roast and sear on both sides. Lightly spray slow cooker then place roast in it. Pour the water around the edges. Sprinkle the dry Ranch dressing over top of roast, then the dry Au Jus mix on top of that. Top roast with butter slices and pepperoncinis.

Cover slow cooker and cook for 3 - 4 hours on High setting, or until meat shreds easily with a fork.

*NOTE:
While still not classified as a healthy dish, I did modify the original recipe which called for a whole stick of butter and the entire packets of dry seasoning mixes. Even with my modifications, the gravy is salty even though no added salt was used. For gravy, I poured the slow cooker liquid into a saucepan and added about 1 cup water then brought to it a boil; then whisked in a mixture of 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup water, whisking and cooking until thickened, 3-4 minutes.