Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

This is a recipe with a long history.  About 15 years ago Robin Chapman from Ripley, Mississippi made this roast in her crock pot. It required a stick of butter, dried ranch dressing mix, dried “au jus” mix and a few pepperoncini.  As most good recipes do, it was passed around, eventually landing in a church cookbook.  But when it hit the Pinterest boards it went viral.  I can appreciate that fact because my Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken did the same thing with thousands of pins.

But what brought the Mississippi Roast to my attention, was an article in The New York Times.  This recipe had hit the big times. I was kind of wondering why The New York Times would be publishing a recipe with such weird and artificial ingredients.  But it turned out that the back story of the recipe was the real reason for sharing it.  You can read it here.  And true to their beliefs in more sophisticated ingredients, Sam Sifton modified the recipe cutting down on the butter, increasing the number of pepperoncini, and making a homemade ranch dressing to slather over the top of the roast.

The New York Times version of the Mississippi Roast is the one that I prepared on the day before we left our Florida house for our return to North Carolina.  It was a beautiful Spring day and it seemed fitting that we should eat outside.  The shredded beef can be served with mashed potatoes or buttered noodles, but I decided to make sandwiches with it.

This a very good roast indeed.

Happy Easter Everyone!  I saw this table arrangement on Pinterest.  Thought you might like it.

MISSISSIPPI ROAST

• 1 boneless chuck roast or top or bottom round 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 all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons neutral oil, like canola
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 8 to 12 pepperoncini
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoon dried dill
• ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon buttermilk, optional
• Chopped parsley, for garnish

1. Place roast on a cutting board and rub the salt and pepper all over it. Sprinkle the flour all over the seasoned meat and massage it into the flesh.
2. 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 the bowl of 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.
3. As the roast heats, make a ranch dressing. Combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, dill and paprika in a small bowl and whisk to emulsify. Add the buttermilk if using, then whisk again. Remove the lid from the slow cooker and add the dressing. Replace the top and allow to continue cooking, undisturbed, for 6 to 8 hours, or until you can shred the meat easily using 2 forks. Mix the meat with the gravy surrounding it. Garnish with parsley, and serve with egg noodles or roast potatoes, or pile on sandwich rolls, however you like.

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