The BEST Keto Slow Cooker BBQ Pot Roast with Pepperoncinis

This is by far the BEST Keto Slow Cooker BBQ Pot Roast that I have EVER eaten! Cooked low and slow in a slow cooker, this beef chuck roast or shoulder roast becomes a fall-apart tender pot roast. Then, with a couple of quick and simple ingredients added at the end, this delicious keto BBQ chuck roast is ready to eat!

Keto Mississippi Pot Roast

Until recently, I had never heard of a Mississippi pot roast. If you are like me and have never heard that term either, let me briefly enlighten you!

A Mississippi pot roast is simply a chuck roast that is cooked with pepperoncini peppers. Supposedly, the woman who is thought to be the original creator of the recipe was from Mississippi.

Yup...that's the entire story behind the name!

Since Mr. Grumble LOVES pepperoncini peppers, I knew a keto Mississippi pot roast would be a hit. Wanting to put my own twist on a classic, I decided to make create a Keto BBQ-style version of this classic recipe.

And honestly? It is one of our ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE recipes that I have EVER created! Fork tender, delicious, salty and sweet, I can honestly claim this to be the BEST Keto Slow Cooker BBQ Pot Roast you will ever make!

What cut of meat is a "pot roast"

Pot roast isn’t really a specific recipe or cut of meat — it’s more of a method. Take a big cut of tough beef, brown it and cook it nice and slow with some type of aromatics. Most "pot roast" recipes call for adding extra liquid to the roast and submerging the roast but not this recipe! (I will explain why later!)

The actual roast is usually a big, tough beef cut (usually a cheap cut perfect for slow cooking), that when cooked properly, is transformed into a moist, tender, fall-apart piece of meat. A good pot roast recipe can be made with any cut of beef roast: chuck roast, round roast, or brisket.

All these cuts are on the leaner side with lots of connective tissue When cooked properly, the high amount of collagen in tough cuts eventually breaks down into gelatin, tenderizing the meat, making it succulent, and adding richness and body to the braising liquid to turn it into a velvety sauce.

Meat Choices for this Keto BBQ Pot Roast

Now that we know the details behind why tough cuts make the best pot roast, let’s get into the specific cuts. The following three cuts will all make a fine pot roast:

1. Chuck: this cut of meat is from the front portion of the animal. Like all cuts of meat, a chuck roast can also be called a shoulder steak, boneless chuck roast, chuck shoulder pot roast, chuck seven-bone pot roast, or beef chuck arm.
2. Brisket: This cut of meat is from the breast or lower chest with long strands of meat. The flat cut is leaner, and the pointcut has more fat. Brisket is best sliced against the grain of the meat for maximum tenderness. It is a more expensive cut of meta.
3. Round: This cut of meat is from the rear leg area of the animal. It can also be called a rump roast or bottom round.

Ingredients for this BBQ Chuck Roast Recipe

This amazing keto BBQ recipe only requires a couple of ingredients.

Roast - I found a chuck roast on sale that was 4 lbs but anywhere between 3 and 4 lbs will work. I trimmed off any large pieces of fat and cut the roast into 6 large pieces.

Pickled Pepperoncini Peppers - I used a 16 oz. jar of pepperoncini peppers. You can find these pickles at any grocery store near the pickles. If you only have an 8 oz jar, that will work as well (you will just have fewer peppers sprinkled throughout this keto Mississippi pot roast). You are going to add about ½ cup of the pepperoncini juice to the BBQ chuck roast.

Soy Sauce - Soy sauce adds an extra depth to the sauce by adding an umami twist. Umami means “essence of deliciousness” in Japanese, and its taste is often described as the meaty, savoury deliciousness that deepens flavour.

Seasoning - I kept things basic with the flavouring for this BBQ chuck roast and only used salt, pepper and garlic powder. Pat dry the chunks of the roast and sprinkle them with the seasoning.

Once the Keto slow cooker pot roast has finished cooking, you are going to a couple of ingredients to transform it into a bbq chuck roast.

Sugar-Free BBQ sauce - It is such a blessing that there are very tasty and readily available sugar-free and keto BBQ sauces today. My favourite brands are Sticky Fingers, G. Hughes and Ray's. If you want to keep this recipe Whole30, Paleo and Keto, you can always make my Smokey Onion Bacon BBQ Sauce recipe

Sweetener - You will add anywhere from 2-4 tablespoons of sweetener to the recipe. This helps to balance the flavours from the meat and pepperoncini peppers

All of this comes together to make the tastiest, tenderest, most delicious pot roast ever.

The BEST Keto Slow Cooker BBQ Pot Roast Instructions

This style of recipe is one of my favourites because it’s so easy. It’s a great dump-and-go kind of recipe.

All you do is:

• Heat up a large skillet on high and add the oil to the hot skillet. You want it really hot here to brown or "sear" the beef quickly. Note: I have a Ninja Foodi All-In-One that has a "sear" option, which means I can brown the meat right in my crockpot and not dirty up any other dishes. However, if you are in a rush, just skip the browning step altogether.

• Take a paper towel and make sure you dry both sides of the pot roast (drying the meat helps it brown easier.) Then season with some garlic powder, salt and pepper. Once the skillet is nice and hot, add the roast. Allow the roast to cook for about 2-3 minutes until it is golden brown. The browning of the outside of the meat just adds flavour. Using tongs, flip the meat over and sear the other side of the roast for another 2-3 minutes. If you are using a large cut of meat, it is easier to cut the meat into smaller sections to make searing it easier.

• Remove the meat from the pot and if using an all-in-one, turn on the "slow cooker" function. Pour all the juice from the pepperoncini jar into the slow cooker and add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Stir to mix and make sure to scrape any bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the roast the pot and top the pepperoncini peppers over the roast

• Place the lid on (make sure that the vent is not sealed if using an all-in-one) and set the slow cooker on low for 8 hours.

• After about 7 hours, open the lid and check the roast. If the roast breaks apart with a fork, it is done. If not, allow it to continue to slow cook for the remaining hour. Once the roast is done, carefully remove the chunks of meat and set them in a large bowl to cool slightly. You can use forks to pull the roast but I prefer to let it cool and use my fingers to do the work so letting it cool helps to prevent my fingers from burning!

• Turn the slow cooker function to "high" or "sear" if using an All-in-One. While whisking, add in 1 teaspoon of xantham gum. Next, stir in the BBQ sauce and sweetener. Taste the mixture and add additional sweetener to suit your tastes. Return the pulled BBQ chuck roast to the cooker and stir it into the sauce until the roast is warmed through.
• Lastly, if you want to crisp up some of the roast, turn your Ninja Foodi to "Broil-Hi" and let it broil for 5-10 minutes, stirring the roast halfway through.

How Much Liquid Do You Need?

You may be shocked to hear that this BBQ chuck roast only requires the liquid from the jar of pepperoncini peppers. When you look at most keto Mississippi pot roast recipes, they add MUCH more liquid to their keto slow cooker recipe but I have found that in general, less is more!

Why does this work?

Beef is about 60 to 70% water (the rest is protein and fat). So if you keep the heat very low and the pot tightly covered, the beef will release water as it cooks, and it will cook in its own juices.

The result?

A deeper beef flavour for your pot roast. The key is keeping the temperature low and making sure the lid is tight-fitting which is why a Ninja Foodi on "slow cook" mode works so well. Otherwise, too much steam will escape from the pot and you'll have a dry pot roast.

Can I Make This Pot Roast Other Ways?

My mother cooks her pot roast on the stovetop, but you can make it in the oven, a slow cooker, or a pressure cooker.

• If you're cooking in the oven, brown the meat, and bring it to a simmer first on the stovetop. Then put it in the oven, start the temp at 350°F for 15 minutes, then drop it to 250°F for the next hour, and then to 225°F after that until the internal temperature of the keto Mississippi pot roast reads 145 degrees F.
• If you're using a slow cooker, brown the meat, and transfer it to the slow cooker (unless you have an All-in-One whereby you can sear the meat on "sear/saute" and then turn the all-in-one to "slow cook"). Follow the recipe as written, and although you could cook it on high for 4 to 5 hours, I personally think it turns out much better on low for 7- 8
• If you're using a pressure cooker, brown the meat (if using an Instant Pot you can do that right in the cooker itself), then cook at high pressure for 65 minutes, then allow a natural release for 15 minutes.

Can you freeze Mississippi Pot Roast?

Leftovers can be frozen. Just place it in a freezer-safe bag and remove all of the air. It will keep frozen for up to 2 months.

What if I want a thicker Keto BBQ sauce?

Since all meat contains varying quantities of water, the thickness of the Keto BBQ sauce may be more liquid than you would like. I like a really thick sauce so adding xantham gum helps to thicken the sauce. Make sure you thicken the sauce BEFORE adding in the pulled BBQ chuck roast otherwise it is hard to incorporate the xanthan well into the sauce.

More Easy Keto BBQ Recipes

• Delicious Keto Cranberry Jalapeno Meatballs in a Cranberry BBQ Sauce - Gluten-free
• Low Carb Skillet Cheesy Corn BBQ-Style
• Easy Whole30 Brisket BBQ Chili
• The BEST Baked BBQ Ribs (Whole30, Keto)
• Keto 30-Minute Chili with Olives - Whole30 and Paleo

Print