This fall-apart tender beef chuck roast uses a homemade seasoning mix and from scratch gravy to give you all the flavor of a classic Mississippi pot roast without gluten, dairy or other additives! Made in a Dutch oven, the meal is easy and hands-off, with instructions for a slow cooker method too!
There ain’t no shame in the store-bought shortcut game. Especially since becoming a mom, I’ve relied more than ever on pantry flavor starters and frozen options. The problem is when you follow a specific diet, like gluten-free or dairy-free, those shortcuts are a lot harder to come by.
A Mississippi pot roast is by definition a quick fix dish, usually involving only 5 ingredients: boneless beef chuck (a relatively affordable cut of meat), Hidden Valley ranch mix, au jus gravy packets, pepperoncini and butter. It’s a dump and stir, set and forget recipe in the best possible way. The only problem? The ranch mix has dried buttermilk (dairy) and the gravy has wheat (gluten).
Here’s the thing though: making a from scratch dairy and gluten-free Mississippi pot roast only takes a few minutes longer than opening the pre-measured packets. I discovered something similar when pioneering your fan favorite Jewish brisket recipe.
My gluten and dairy-free version still uses all pantry ingredients you probably already have in your cupboards.
Dutch oven Mississippi Pot Roast Step by Step:
Here are the ingredient swaps you’ll need:
- For the hidden valley packet: you’ll use a mixture of dried parsley, dill and chives. You can opt for two of the three if that’s all you have on hand. Dill and chives are the more pronounced herbs. Onion and garlic powder complete the flavor profile – it’s the same combo I perfected for my dairy-free ranch recipe!
- For the gravy packet: A good beef stock (or concentrate like this) is all you need. To thicken the sauce as it simmers, I’ve created a slurry with cornstarch or arrowroot starch and some gluten-free soy sauce for more umami.
- For the butter: You can use regular unsalted butter if you’re not dairy-free, otherwise choose a plant-based option. While the ranch mix has dried milk, I’ve found it to be such a small quantity you don’t need to replace it with anything. The butter adds all the richness you need. This recipe uses much less than the average recipe. This is not to be “healthy” but rather because the beef has so much natural fat you don’t need the butter for anything other than flavor. A little goes a long way. When I’ve tested this recipe, I’ve found the sauce is too fatty and doesn’t resemble a gravy when you use more.
My favorite element of this recipe is the pepperoncini, so don’t skip this! It adds acid and heat to cut the fattiness of the slow cooked beef chuck roast.
As for the meat itself, I’ve offered notes in the recipe below on how you can prepare your boneless beef chuck to cut down on the cooking time. You can easily use a brisket for this (though it might take a little longer) like in this slow cooker brisket recipe.
Since we are using a Dutch oven, I sear the meat first to add more depth to the gravy. If you are using the slow cooker method, you can skip this step for convenience.
If you’re using a thicker cut of boneless beef chuck, you’ll want to use an 8-quart oval braiser or Dutch oven, but if your meat takes up more surface area, you’ll want a 9 quart round.
Read on for this absolutely delicious homemade Mississippi pot roast that is easy to throw together for a weeknight or can feed a crowd.
With health and hedonism,
Phoebe
Dutch Oven Mississippi Pot Roast (Gluten and Dairy-Free!)
Regarding the cook time, you’ll need about an hour per pound of meat. However, this is more dependent on the thickness of your boneless chuck roast. To decrease the overall cook time, you can slice your roast in half width-wise to create two thinner pieces of meat. Sear each separately and then once they’ve shrunk, you should be able to nestle them side by side in your Dutch oven (choose one that has as much surface area as possible – like this 9 quart round).
To create the from scratch ranch blend, you’ll need dried parsley, chives and dill. However, I think the parsley is the least dominant flavor, so if you want to reduce your ingredient list, this is the one to cut. You can just up the quantity of the other two.
To make this in a slow cooker, place the beef chuck roast (searing optional) in the crock pot and cover with the seasoning mix. Reduce the beef broth to ½ cup and keep all the other measurements the same. Cook on high for 6 to 8 hours or until tender.
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 pound boneless beef chuck roast
- Sea salt
- Olive oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried chives
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley optional; see note
- 1 cup beef broth see note
- ¼ cup liquid from jar of pepperoncini
- 2 tablespoons tamari or gluten-free soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch or tapioca starch
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or dairy-free butter cut into pieces
- 8 pepperoncini
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
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On a clean work surface, season the beef all over with salt and pepper.
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Place a large (8 to 9-quart) Dutch oven over high heat. Add a thin layer of olive oil and sear the beef on all sides until browned, about 10 minutes total.
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Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine the garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, dill, and chives.
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When the beef is browned, remove the Dutch oven from the heat and add the beef broth. Use your spatula to scrape up any brown bits that have formed on the bottom on the pan. Use tongs or a spatula to lift the roast so you can get underneath it.
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Sprinkle the garlic herb mixture over the pot roast.
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In a liquid cup measure, combine the pepperoncini liquid and tamari or gluten-free soy sauce. Whisk in the cornstarch to create a slurry and add it to the juices in the pot, followed by the pepperoncini and pats of butter.
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Cover the Dutch oven and bake the gluten-free pot roast for 3 to 4 hours (depending on the weight and thickness of the roast, see notes) or until the meat is fork tender.
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Remove from the oven and allow the beef chuck roast to rest for about 10 minutes. Remove the meat to a plate and shred with two forks. Whisk the remaining sauce to reincorporate the fat into the gravy. Taste the sauce for seasoning and add more salt or pepperoncini brine as needed. Transfer the meat to a platter and drizzle the pan juices on top. Alternatively, you can shred directly in the pot and serve it right in there! The Mississippi pot roast tastes great served over dairy-free mashed potatoes.