I’m sure you’ve seen Mississippi roast recipes ALL over the internet – and for good reason – it’s SO VERY delicious. However, most recipes you’ll find are made with packets (ranch dressing as well as au jus). I’m ecstatic to report that I have perfected the ultimate roast, WITHOUT using any packets!
Packets of questionable ingredients?
While the packets may be convenient, they also tend to have a number of extra ingredients that I’m not particularly fond of – including monosodium glutamate (MSG), modified food starch, maltodextrin, calcium stearate, dextrose, hydrolyzed corn, corn syrup solids, and carboxymethycelulose (thickener).
I mean.. if I don’t have to have ingredients that I can’t pronounce and that aren’t benefiting me in any sort of nutritional way, then by all means I will avoid them. It’s so easy to do!
So have no fear, I’m here to walk to you through all the right ingredients, products, and steps for you to get a delicious roast, each and every time!
What are the must have’s I need from the grocery store?
- I love Better Than Bouillon for all of my broth needs. It’s so darn convenient. It’s a concentrated paste-like substance you keep in the fridge ready to use anytime you need broth. Just add water! The beef & chicken varieties are available at Costco.
- My go-to “keto favorite” butter is Kerrygold Irish Butter (another Costco staple). It’s an all-purpose, all-natural salted butter and it’s flavor is unmatched.
- Avocado oil is the new olive oil in my kitchen. It’s a super healthy fat that only has one ingredient – avocado oil. Boom. It also has extremely great flavor. Additionally its got a really high smoke point, so it’s great for all types of cooking! And you guessed it.. it’s also available at Costco!
How to make Instant Pot Keto Mississippi Pot Roast (step-by-step)
1. Gather your ingredients. You’ll need a chuck roast steak (2-4 lbs.), beef stock, onion powder, garlic powder, dried dill, dried parsley, dried chives, butter, and avocado oil.
2. Remove your chuck roast from the packaging and dry with a paper towel.
3. Carefully season the roast with a light dusting of salt and black pepper. It’s important not to oversalt the meat during this step.
4. After you’ve seasoned one side of the meat, flip and season the other side.
5. Press the Sauté button in the lower left hand corner of your Instant Pot.
6. Wait until the indicator light shows “Hot”.
7. Add the avocado oil to the hot pot; making sure the entire surface is coated.
8. Carefully place the roast steak in the Instant Pot.
9. Brown for 8 minutes on each side. Do not disturb until ready to flip (I promise you it isn’t burning, just trust the process!).
10. After the roast has browned on each side, remove and set aside.
11. Pour in the beef broth.
12. With a wooden spoon, deglaze the bottom of the pot completely.
13. Add the spices and mix well.
14. Add roast back to the Instant Pot. It will not be submerged completely in the liquid, only partially.
15. Top with pepperoncini peppers.
16. Add butter.
17. Secure the Instant Pot lid and make sure the steam release handle is moved to the “sealing” position.
18. Cook on High Pressure for 45 minutes for a 2 lb roast (50 minutes for a 3 lb roast & 55 minutes for a 4 lb roast) + allow time for a Full Natural Release (which will take anywhere from 25-30 minutes).
19. Open the lid carefully (once the pressure has released naturally and the float valve has dropped), then transfer the roast to a cutting board.
20. Shred beef & discard fatty pieces.
21. Drain liquid from the pot through a strainer to separate fat from the broth.
What’s the best way to separate the fat from the broth for a gravy?
- If you have a fat separator on hand that is one option.
- Another option is to place the strained liquid into a bowl and carefully (without stirring) spoon off the greasy fat later. This may take a little time, but trust me it’s worth it.
- Once you’ve removed most of the fat manually with the spoon, the rest can be removed once the liquid has been refrigerated. The fat layer will harden into a disk & the broth will remain liquid making it super simple to separate.
Important Tips for Making Instant Pot Keto Mississippi Pot Roast
- You will want to be sure to choose the right cut of meat: boneless beef chuck roast. It is the most tender & shreds easily. The tenderness of your shredded beef is dependent on the cut of meat you select.
- The cross-rib roast is a cut off the shoulder. It’s best used in stews.
- The chuck tender roast is also best used in stews.
- Look for marbling (white lines of fat) in your meat. Visible marbling generally means a more tender meat & higher quality.
- Depending on how many people you are feeding will determine the size of roast you want to buy. It will also change the cooking time slightly. For a 2 lb. roast you’ll only need 45 minutes, for a 3 lb. roast you’ll want to bump the cooking time up to 50 minutes and for a 4 lb. roast you’ll want to cook for 55 minutes.
- The longer you cook your roast the more tender & easier it will be to shred. It will also be easier to remove & discard the fatty pieces that are less than desirable to chew.
- Don’t skip the step of drying off your meat with a paper towel. Not only does this help the seasoning to stick, it will also help braise the meat for a beautiful brown coloring.
- I love using avocado oil for the high smoke point. When prepping the pot on the saute setting you don’t have to worry that your oil will burn!
- Have patience and let your roast brown & braise for the full 8 minutes on each side without disturbing. You may think it’s burning but I assure you it’s not.
- Deglazing the pan is important because it gets all those yummy bits that are crusted to the bottom of the pan and incorporates them in your broth for extra flavor which will infuse into your meat while it’s cooking.
- Don’t have sliced pepperoncini peppers? No problem, whole peppers can be used interchangeably.
- This is a set-it-and-forget-it meal. Be sure to plan enough time to allow for the natural release, this is necessary for the meat to be completely ready to be shredded.
- While the au jus packet would give you a thick & golden brown gravy, this Keto version is simply the broth that the meat was cooked in (fat removed).
- If you’d rather have it thickened you could try and use almond flour or physilium husk powder as a thickener.
- Avoid cornstarch or arrowroot powder as they have more carbs than recommended/preferred for a Keto friendly dish.
- This Keto Mississippi Pot Roast is fantastic served over a bed of cauliflower mash (instead of mashed potatoes) for a well-rounded Keto meal.
- Storing the shredded beef separate from the broth would be the method I would recommend for refrigeration. That way you can control how much gravy is used over each portion.
- Leftovers can be stored for up to a week in the refrigerator or frozen for up to 3 months.
- To reheat the shredded roast on the stovetop add desired portion to a stockpot with 2-3 tbsp. water & cover with lid. Cook on med-high until steaming and heated throughout.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. I don’t have an Instant Pot, can this be made in a slow cooker?
A. Sure can! It will take 6-8 hours on high. The longer you cook it (try to avoid lifting the lid during cooking) the more tender it will be.
Q. What is Mississippi Pot Roast?
A. According to the NY Times, “Mississippi Roast is traditionally made by placing a chuck roast in a slow cooker and simmering it beneath a stick of butter, a package of ranch dressing mix, another of “au jus” gravy mix and a handful of pepperoncini.”
Q. What makes this Instant Pot Keto Mississippi Pot Roast… Keto?
A. This mouth watering roast clocks in at just 1 carb per serving! A serving also has 37 grams of fat, and 29 grams of protein. The Keto diet is all about consuming high amounts of fat, moderate amounts of protein, and low amounts of carbohydrates. This recipe fits the bill perfectly!
Q. Can you make Mississippi Roast without butter?
A. You could, it just wouldn’t be as juicy and tasty.
Want more Keto recipes?
- Cheesy Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
- Riced Cauliflower
- Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken Skewers
- Keto Friendly Lemonade
Instant Pot Keto Mississippi Pot Roast
A fork-tender roast, made with quality ingredients (no packets!) and ready in less than two hours from start to finish made in the Instant Pot. The perfect keto dinner especially served over mashed cauliflower!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Choice Angus boneless beef chuck roast 2 in. thick
- 3/4 c. Better Than Bouillon Roasted Beef Base (or beef broth of choice)
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. dill dried
- 1 tsp. parsley dried
- 1 tsp. chives dried
- 1 1/2 tbsp. Chosen Foods Avocado Oil (can sub olive oil if preferred)
- 8 tbsp. Kerrygold Grassfed Butter
- 1/3 c. pepperoncini peppers
Instructions
-
Remove your chuck roast from the packaging and dry with a paper towel. Carefully season the roast with a light dusting of salt and black pepper. It's important not to over salt the meat at this step. After you've seasoned one side of the meat, flip and season the other side.
-
Press the Sauté button in the lower left hand corner of your Instant Pot. Wait until the indicator light shows "Hot". Add the avocado oil to the hot pot; making sure the entire surface is coated.
-
Carefully place the roast steak in the Instant Pot. Brown for 8 mins. on each side. Do not disturb until ready to flip (I promise you it isn't burning, just trust the process!).
-
After the roast has browned on each side, remove and set aside.
-
Pour in the beef broth. With a wooden spoon, deglaze bottom of the pot completely. Add spices and mix well.
-
Add roast back to the Instant Pot. It will not be submerged completely in the liquid, only partially. Top with pepperoncini peppers and butter. Secure lid lid and make sure steam release handle is moved to "sealing" position.
-
Cook on High Pressure for 45 minutes for a 2 lb roast (50 minutes for a 3 lb roast & 55 minutes for a 4 lb roast) + Full Natural Release (which will take anywhere from 25-30 minutes).
-
Open the lid carefully (once the pressure has released naturally and the float valve has dropped). Transfer the roast to a cutting board. Shred beef & discard fatty pieces.
-
Drain liquid from the pot through a strainer to separate fat from the broth.
-
Serve shredded beef with the broth (gravy). Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- You will want to be sure to choose the right cut of meat: boneless beef chuck roast. It is the most tender & shreds easily. The tenderness of your shredded beef is dependent on the cut of meat you select.
- The cross-rib roast is a cut off the shoulder. It's best used in stews.
- The chuck tender roast is also best used in stews.
- Look for marbling in your meat. Visible marbling = more tender meat & higher quality.
- Depending on how many people you are feeding will determine the size of roast you want to buy. It will also change slightly the cooking time. For a 2 lb. roast you'll only need 45 minutes, for a 3 lb. roast you'll want to bump the cooking time up to 50 minutes and for a 4 lb. roast you'll want to cook for 55 minutes.
- The longer you cook your roast the more tender & easier it will be to shred. It will also be easier to remove & discard the fatty pieces that are less than desirable to chew.
- Don't skip the step of drying off your meat with a paper towel. Not only does this help the seasoning to stick, it will also help braise the meat for a beautiful brown coloring.
- I love using avocado oil for the high smoke point. When prepping the pot on the saute setting you don't have to worry if your oil will burn!
- Have patience and let your roast brown & braise on each side for the full 8 minutes on each side without disturbing. You may think it's burning but I assure you it's not.
- Deglazing the pan is important because it gets all those yummy bits that are crusted to the bottom of the pan and incorporates them in your broth for extra flavor infused into your meat while it's cooking.
- Don't have sliced pepperoncini peppers? No problem, whole peppers can be used interchangeably.
- This is a set-it-and-forget-it meal. Be sure to plan enough time to allow for the natural release, this is necessary for the meat to be completely ready to be shredded.
- While the au jus packet would give you a thick & golden brown gravy, this keto version is simply the broth that the meat was cooked in (fat removed).
- If you'd rather have it thickened you could try and use almond flour or physilium husk powder as a thickener.
- Avoid cornstarch or arrowroot powder as they have more carbs than recommended/preferred.
- This Keto Mississippi Pot Roast is fantastic served over a bed of cauliflower mash (instead of mashed potatoes) for a well-rounded keto meal.
- Storing the shredded beef separate from the broth would be the method I would recommend for refrigeration. That way you can control how much gravy is used over each portion.
- Leftovers can be stored for up to a week in the refrigerator or frozen for up to 3 months.
- To reheat the shredded roast on the stovetop add desired portion to a stockpot with 2-3 tbsp. water & cover with lid. Cook on med-high until steaming and heated throughout.
I made this for Sunday afternoon meal and it was so delicious! Got rave reviews from the family!
Susanne
Hi! I am at high altitude, 7000 ft. Any idea on recipe change? Can’t wait to try this, thanks!
Amy
This is soooo good! We’ve always made traditional meat and potato roasts…and were wondering what to do when we started keto. This has been a wonderful edition to our menu. We have this at least once a week now!!
Autumn Andahl
Hi I would like to double this and make two 3 Lb chuck roast. If I do the braising individually do you think they will cook thoroughly together? Perhaps an hour and a half?
Mary
This is so good! My husband and I both decided this needs to be our pot roast go to recipe! Thank you so much! Keto makes it even better as I am trying to shed some weight.
Kristy
This is my new favorite meal!! I just made it earlier in the week and I’m already going to make it again today!!
Melissa
How many peperoncinis does this recipe take? I read we are to add them but they aren’t jnclided in the ingredient list. Thank you!
Yvonne
Great catch – I’ll be sure to add that. It’s 1/3 c!
Julie Hannon
I’m so excited I have all of the ingredients for this! Will be cooking tomorrow after work. Thank you!!
Jenn
Ok so I made this today and it was sooooooo freaking good and so easy. I am not much of a cook so if I can do it, anyone can! Seriously amazing!!
Yvonne
Thanks Jenn for taking the time to comment on my recipe! I’m so glad you enjoyed it & so glad you found the recipe easy!!