San Francisco Pork Chops {Slow Cooker}
These tender San Francisco pork chops, cooked in a rich, flavorful sauce, are insanely easy to make thanks to the slow cooker!
I am frantically trying to share with you all of my slow cooker/soup recipes I have in queue before the weather turns warmer (which for some has probably already happened but for me, alas, it has not).
I couldn’t let another minute slide before offering up this amazing slow cooker recipe for you to make.
Although on second thought, I’m realizing that I actually use my slow cooker more in the summer months than I do in the winter.
Not having to heat up my entire house by turning on the oven is a huge plus. Slow cooker for the win ALL year long!
Probably one of the best pork recipes I have for the slow cooker, these San Francisco pork chops in question bathe in a simple, rich sauce that has an ending depth of flavor that belies the every day ingredients.
Thanks to the quick cornstarch slurry in the final steps, the sauce becomes more like a glaze that envelopes the tender pork in a delicious, mouth-watering gravy.
Please make this. And please, brown the pork chops before adding to the slow cooker. And please, don’t omit the red pepper flakes. You may reduce them to a pinch, but the dish needs them. And please try not to lick your plate when you are done eating.
Ok, I’m done with the pleases.
And for those of you that are wanting an Instant Pot conversion for these San Francisco pork chops – I haven’t made this recipe in the IP yet, but I’m guessing about 15-20 minutes high pressure (natural release for 10 minutes and then quick release remaining pressure) should be a good starting point.
These are perfect with this brown rice and a nice green veggie, like roasted broccoli.
One Year Ago: Cheesy Garlic Bread
Two Years Ago: Toasted Orzo with Peas and Parmesan
Three Years Ago: Black and White Bean Dip
San Francisco Chops {Slow Cooker}
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 pork chops, about 1-inch thick
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- ¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- Hot Cooked Rice, for serving
Instructions
- In a large 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is simmering and hot. Season the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Brown the pork chops for 1-2 minutes on each side in the hot oil until golden. Transfer the chops to the slow cooker. Add the garlic to the drippings in the skillet and stir constantly over medium heat until the garlic is aromatic and golden (but not burned or it will turn bitter!). Stir in the soy sauce, broth, brown sugar and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over chops.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours until the meat is tender. If using bone-in pork chops, fish out the bones from the slow cooker. Remove the chops from the slow cooker to a shallow pan or plate – they will most likely be falling apart in tenderness at this point.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce in the slow cooker. Return the chops to the slow cooker. Turn the slow cooker heat to high and cook for 30 minutes to an hour longer, until the sauce is slightly thickened. If you want a super duper thick sauce, once you remove the chops from the slow cooker, pour the sauce into a pan and place it over medium heat on the stove. Add the cornstarch slurry and bring the sauce to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes until the sauce is thick. Add the pork and heat through.
- Serve the tender chops over rice and garnish with green onions, if desired.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Jane Deere
This was my introduction to your recipe’s. I sent my husband to the store the other day to get pork chops (he’s not a fan, he usually has sausage instead). My kids and I enjoy fried pork chops and thin cut chops just do not work. So when he saw only thin ones he asked the butcher to cut some. I have to say they were beautiful, but just not for frying. They were 1 1/2 in. thick! The next day he came home with your S.F. chops recipe. I liked the idea but wanted to use wine instead of soy. I thought better of it and only added sliced onion that I sauteed with the garlic and mushrooms near the end. We served it over orzo with parsley and green onion.
IT WAS AMAZING!!!! My husband enjoyed the meal and my kids 9 & 7 loved it! We had the leftovers for lunch the next day!
It’s in the crock pot at home now, I am at work. I wish I was home to smell the goodness that will be dinner. Cannot wait to try it!
So I’ve been following you for a little over a year now and my husband just commented the other night that in the last year or so my cooking has really improved! Yay, I’d take the credit, but it’s totally you and these amazing dishes. This one we love! Seriously I could eat the pork all by itself, so good! Thanks for the great recipes we love them.
Looks good can’t wait to try it ! 🙂
just made this tonight, awesome! thanks so much served it with brown rice and steamed broccoli, i cooked it too long i think but it was still so yummy! thanks again!
Oh yes, this is so good! I ended up using a 2 lb. pork loin roast (cause that’s what I had in the freezer) and also added an onion that needed to be used, but it was still delicious. The pork was so tender and the sauce was perfect over rice. I think it was the quietest meal time we’ve had in awhile. The boys were too busy eating to argue 🙂
I made this for dinner and boy is it yummy! So moist and full of flavor. I didn’t have any boxes of chicken broth open and since it called for such a small amount I used apple cider instead. mmmmm
Mel–Thought I’d let you know that I made this tonight using my electric pressure cooker and it was met with rave reviews. I used 1″ pork loin chops and cooked them for 12 minutes on high pressure. They weren’t falling apart, but they were fork tender and very tasty! My husband loved them. Thanks again for sharing another great recipe.
This recipe has become a houshold favorite, and I love not using a can to make a great meal in the crockpot. This one is a homeroom with the kidlets, thanks!
Made this today. Flavor was good but the pork was definitely overcooked and dry. I admit I used chops that were less than an inch thick (mine were about 3/4 inch or so). I will try again and be sure to use chops that are at least an inch thick if not a little more. I buy large loins and slice it myself into chops. I’ll have to remember to slice some thick ones next time. If you have thinner chops on hand you can still use them just reduce the cooking time. Check them after a couple of hours and see where you’re at. **To attempt to salvage my own chops I have them soaking in the left over liquids. I know it won’t rehydrate them or anything but it might make them palatable.
Hi! I just wanted to say this is on my menu for this week. I love your site! I have a lot of your recipes on my to-try list. Thanks for posting such goodness!
after browning the meat this morning, i put my crockpot on WARM and went to work. (slaps forehead). surprisingly, after a day on warm and a couple hours on high it tasted delish. the meat was a bit dry (from not actually cooking) so i sliced it up in the sauce after i added the corn starch. i was glad i could save this one-i will be making it again! and in maine we are supposed to get snow tomorrow, so keep posting crock pot recipes!
I tried this recipe last night and it was delicious! Everyone in my family (all 6 of us) really enjoyed it. I’m always looking for great slow cooker recipes!! Thanks.
I tried this recipe this last week. It was such a hit that I had to ration it out because the kids kept trying to sneak extras. I thought I had made twice as much as I needed, but I guess I should have make double that! I had to substitute stir fry sauce for the soy sauce because I was out of soy. I think it was a good substitution. The kids begged me to make it the next day for dinner! Thanks for the great recipe.
I actually added about 1-1 1/2 cups water…maybe thats why mine didn’t dry out
I just threw away $15 of pork chops…I cooked them in my crock pot on low per this recipe but checked them at the 5 hour mark….over-cooked and dry as a bone….hmmm….I used boneless center cut chops about 1/2 inch thick each. just a “beware” for anyone who might be using the same cut/thickness….
Melanie – sorry this didn’t work out for you. I’ve always used pork chops at least 1-inch thick, per the recipe, and it sounds like the thinner pork chops may cook too quickly. Thanks for adding your review so others will know to look for the thicker chops.
hi was wondering if anyone has tried these on high heat, thanks
It might be your crockpot {slow cooker). Ours is very hot — even on low settings. I have to scale down the time.
Loved, loved, loved this recipe….so simple and so wonderful!! Even my two year old asked for seconds and she seldom ever even eats firsts! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was a winner! Thanks for yet another great recipe. It smelled so good in the house today. Even my two picky boys tried it! I added the corn starch slurry and cooked it for an additional hour on low. The sauce turned out pretty thick. Perfect to serve over a bed of brown rice (like you suggested). Love, love, love your blog!!! Keep these great recipes coming.
I made this tonight and it’s a total winner! My husband even loved it and he is rather picky…especially about things I make in the crock pot. The flavor was outstanding. And oh, the smell in our house today was so so wonderful. I served it over brown rice. And with some great crockpot carrots and broccoli. I forgot about adding the cornstarch as thickener at the end but it was fine without it.
I just discovered your blog but I will be back 🙂
I will probably put a link to this recipe on my blog in the next day or so.
THANK YOU.
This was so yummy!! I loved it! It was so easy to throw together in the morning, and I’m already getting excited about leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Love slow cooker recipes! This sounds so delicious!
Great blog; happy I found you!
Mary xo
Delightful Bitefuls
I made this for tonight’s dinner and it was great. I did double the sauce as well as the amount of pork chops, so I could freeze it for a later date. I used my rice cooker for the rice and put a bag of frozen broccoli in the steamer bin. It was a perfect meal and very filling. Thanks again for sharing all your yummy recipes. You are the first place I look when menu planning.
WOW!!! I just made this tonight is it is, indeed, extraordinary! What a wonderful recipe. I will definitely double the “sauce” recipe though…..I would have preferred it a bit juicier. And that rice!!!! Holy smokes, just the best EVER!!! (I did the lemon/Parm/sugar/apple variation). This will definitely be showing up in this house on a regular basis! Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!
My kids are in the kitchen devouring this right now and loving it!! Another great recipe, I knew it would be. Thanks again Mel, keep em comin!!!
Can’t wait to try this one. YES, PLEASE keep the crock pot recipes coming!!
My sister in law and I love your blog. She had us over for dinner and made this. So good. Thanks for sharing all your recipes, please never stop.
this one seems worthy of some summer-crockpot usage! i don’t know what’s san francisco-esque about it, and i don’t care. 🙂
I made this today and we loved it. I made the brown rice too and it was the perfect combo. The meat didn’t have a lot of extra sauce so I might double the sauce next time because the kids like lots of sauce for their rice. Yummy. I love easy meals.
We just finished this meal – YUM! It was a hit, I doubled it easily. Typically, I don’t love pork chops, but this is amazing….so tender, just the right amount of flavor. This will definitely be a repeat!
Bring it on with the slowcooker recipes! Softball season starts in 2 weeks and I DO NOT cook on game nights. In fact, I don’t think I even put the slowcooker away durning the season. LOL!
This looks so good! I will definitely be trying it soon. Please bring on the slow cooker recipes! I have a 2 year old and 6 month old twins, so the slow cooker has been a life saver these days! I’ve loved all your recipes.
Another winner! I can’t wait to try this. I actually use my crockpot more in the summer because it doesn’t heat up my apartment as much as my stove…plus it saves on electricity 🙂
Thanks so much for posting such delish and family friendly meals, I use a recipe from your blog at least once a week.
Oh and I used boneless chops and they were so tender and moist. Thanks again!
We just finished eating this meal and it was wonderfully delicious! I didn’t have soy sauce on hand and used low sodium teriyaki instead, it has a bit of heat behind the sauce and was a bit much for my toddlers. Otherwise so good and it will be added to our rotations! Thank you! I served it with roasted potatoes and carrots, peas. It was an easy fuss free meal. Perfect for a busy mom like me!
I never buy pork chops and just had an inkling to buy them at the store today. I’m so excited to have a yummy use for them. I have become hooked on your blog lately. You just sound wonderful! Thanks for sharing.
I have to agree with Carie, your blog is my “go to” place when I’m looking for a new/different recipe. Of all of the food blogs that I follow, the majority of the new recipes I have tried have been from your site. Haven’t tried one yet that I didn’t like. Keep up the good work!
Keep posting slow cooker recipes! I’m spending my first winter in Alaska, so spring’s still a ways off here! This looks so yummy!
This sounds great and is something I think everyone would love! Thank you 🙂
I LOVE to use my crockpot! A trick I came up with while in Arizona is to just plug in my crockpot on the deck outside when it’s hot and I still want to use it. No heat in the house and when its ready I just bring it in and serve it up!
I just found your blog. And I really can only say: Where have you been all my life?
I am not an amazing cook, but I like to cook and your recipes/tastes/cooking style are all right up my alley. I made your “best” lasagna recipe and loved it. Can’t wait to try many many more.
I’m always on the hunt for good crockpot meals! YUM!
Posted just in time for my meal planning/shopping trip day 🙂 Making it on Sunday – I can’t wait! I’m going to try the brown rice recipe, too, and double it.
Sounds wonderful. Keep the slow cooker and soup receipes coming please!!! I live in Idaho where the next season is mud season and sometime in late June it turns warm!
Going to try these next week. I made your slow cooker stew last night and it was very yummy! Even my husband who is not a big stew lover liked it. I love the fact that both recipes use regular pantry ingredients, are low in sodium, and I don’t have to buy a lot of additional ingredients to make them work! Thanks & keep the slow cooker recipes coming – it’s still cold where I live too!
Yum! Looks awesome. Adding it to next week’s menu. Thanks!
This is a meal I AM going to be trying, STAT! Thank you so much!
Hi Mel,
I know this will be good. I have a similar recipe that uses round steak, peppers, onions and beef broth. It rocks over rice or lo mein noodles. You are so right about browning the meat first too, it really does add a richness to the dish. Can’t wait to try your pork version.
Oh yum! We’re not big pork chop people but I bet we would LOVE this!
I love when I come across a recipe that not only sounds delicious and easy, but that I already have all the ingredients for in my pantry! It makes me do a little happy dance. 🙂 I’m going to make these tomorrow.
Browning the pork chops first is a “must”- brown food tastes good!
This looks delicious, Melanie! I’m so excited that you are sharing your slow-cooker recipes. You know how I feel about turning my oven on in the summer heat! 😉