Smothered Pork Chops {Slow Cooker}
These slow cooker smothered pork chops are fantastic. They are the perfect way to get a great meal on the table without heating up the whole house.
I’ve tried no less than eight smothered pork chop recipes in the last year. That may not sound like very many, but let me tell you, when eight smothered pork chop recipes fail miserably, you might get in what I like to call a “Smothered-Pork-Chop-Recipe-Funk.” It’s an official diagnosis. I’ve had it for a while.
But I’m happy to report I have been cured of my funk thanks to this recipe.
Oh, it is wonderful. Tender, fall-apart pork chops are, well, smothered in a flavorful gravy enhanced with smoky bacon, aromatic onions and garlic, a hint of thyme and a little soy sauce.
The flavor in this meal is out of control. Which is why I have to insert here – right here – that although you may weep and wail and gnash your teeth at the advance prep work to get the pork chops in the slow cooker, it is worth it. Worth it, I tell you! So please don’t skip those essential steps.
The browning of the pork and onions (sweetened by a touch of brown sugar – heaven!) adds a depth of flavor you won’t want to miss. And to make it up to you, I’ll send a special blog fairy to wash that skillet for you since you followed my wishes and the recipe.
Ok, not really. But I will think good thoughts for you while you do it.
Even though the weather has finally warmed up here to full summer force, I’ll be using my slow cooker all hot season long. Perfect way to get a great meal on the table without heating up the whole house.
I don’t know what it is about smothered pork chops but they just kind of scream Sunday Dinner to me, which is why these babies are going straight into the Sunday Dinner Rotation.
What To Serve With This:
I’ve served this a few ways; with these salt-crusted rosemary potatoes and we’ve also enjoyed it with our favorite cheesy potatoes. Throw in a steamed vegetable, dinner roll if you are so inclined, and/or a fruit or green salad and wow, that’s one delectable meal.
Smothered Pork Chops {Slow Cooker}
Ingredients
- 5 slices bacon, chopped
- 6 bone-in pork loin chops, about 3/4-inch thick
- Salt and Pepper
- 2 yellow onions, peeled, halved and sliced into 1/2-inch thick half moons
- 1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, fry bacon until lightly browned, about 5-6 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels, leaving the drippings in the pan. If you have more than 2 tablespoons drippings, drain the excess. If you don’t have quite that much, supplement with canola oil. When the bacon is cool, transfer to a small bag or tupperware and refrigerate until later.
- Heat the skillet with the drippings over medium or medium-high heat until rippling and hot. Meanwhile, pat pork chops dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook pork chops until they are golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes per side, cooking them in batches in the skillet if your skillet isn’t big enough to hold all six at a time in a single layer. When golden on each side, transfer the chops to the slow cooker and repeat with remaining pork.
- Pour off all but 1 teaspoon of fat from the skillet; add onions, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup water to empty skillet. Using a wooden spoon, scrape browned bits from bottom of the pan and cook over medium-high heat until onions are soft, about 4-6 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour onion mixture over chops in the slow cooker. Add broth, soy sauce and remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar to skillet, bring to a boil and add bay leaves. Pour mixture over onions in slow cooker.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on low until pork is tender, about 8 hours (or cook on high for 4 hours).
- When ready to serve, carefully transfer chops to serving platter with a large spoon and tent with foil. Discard bay leaves and pour liquid through a mesh strainer into a saucepan, reserving the solids. Transfer solids to a food processor or blender with 1 cup liquid and blend until smooth. Stir the blended mixture back into remaining liquid in the saucepan. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and remaining 2 tablespoons water together in a small bowl and stir into sauce. Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar, season with salt and pepper, pour over chops and sprinkle with reserved bacon and parsley. Serve.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from The Cook’s Country Cookbook
121 Comments on “Smothered Pork Chops {Slow Cooker}”
Help! Mine turned out dry 🙁 How do you know when they’re done? Do I cook them til they reach a certain temperature (my thermometer says 170 for pork), or beyond that to get tender?
How thick were the pork chops that you used?
These were so tender and flavorful! Everyone in my family raved about them. They’re going on my list of meals I’ll make again for sure.
When do you put the cider vinegar in? I don’t see it in the recipe
It’s in the very last part of step #5.
Sorry didn’t love it
My husband has made these both ways for us – slow cooker and Instant pot like the poster below. I prefer the instant pot, the chops just get sooooo tender and juicy!
I made this in the instant pot tonight. Followed all the prep work using a skillet on the stove. Browned the chops before nesting them side (by side in the IP, not one on top of the other, due to size. Cooked for 13 min high pressure and did natural pressure release. Worked like a charm. I would love to try it in the slow cooker sometime, but it’s great to know it works well in the IP!
Thank you for this review! I was just looking to see if there was another option because it sounds delicious and I’d like to make it tonight, but I don’t have time for the slow cooker. Instant Pot is a great solution!
My life changed in regards to my crock pot when we bought one after Thanksgiving last year that has the insert you can put on the stovetop. I have been *seeking out* crock pot recipes now that I don’t have to dirty a separate skillet beforehand! I recommend anyone who needs to replace their old crock pot to buy one with the insert that is stove top safe!! It’s been wonderful. We’re making these chops this week. No cleaning fairy needed! (If anyone is curious, I bought a Hamilton Beach.)
These were so good. Everyone in the family loved them. Definitely a make-again:) and again.
This is a delicious winner!! I made it in my InstantPot. It worked like a dream! My porkchops were an inch thick, and half frozen. I set it to Pressure Cook for 25 minutes. They came out tender and full of flavor!
Awesome!
If my chops are ~1/2 thick (bone in) would you recommend changing the cook time so they don’t dry out? If so by how much? Thanks!
You might try taking an hour off the cooking time and see if that helps.
These are delicious. A regular in my Sunday dinner rotation. They take a bit of preparation at the beginning, not much, but it’s not a dump-everything-in-the-crockpot type of meal. So so worth it.
I made this recipe for dinner a few nights ago… delicious! I used boneless 3/4″ chops and cooked them in my Instant Pot for 15 minutes. I added the extra T cornstarch but it could’ve used another 1-2 T, in my opinion. I’ll make them again!!
I am needing to triple this recipe. I’m planning on using both a larger oval crockpot for maybe 12 of them and the normal, circular one for the remaining 6 pork chops. Does this sound reasonable? Also, should I triple the gravy? Double it? Any suggestions appreciated …. but only if you have time! Thanks!
Hey Nicole – if you are tripling the pork chops, I’d definitely triple the sauce. It’s the yummiest part. 🙂
This is one of our favorite recipes! Curious if you’ve tried porkchops in your instant pot? I got some boneless ones on accident and wanted to see if you had any recommendations on cooking time. Boneless and bone-in (for future reference)? Thank
you
Hi Katie – yes, I’ve made pork chops quite a bit! If they are about an inch thick, I usually do about 12 – 15 minutes high pressure.
Mel, I’ve had friends rave about this recipe, but I don’t hardly use my crock pot now that I have an instant pot. Would this exact recipe translate to the instant pot if I adjust to the 12-15 minutes on manual? Would you NPR? Thanks! I might have to break down and use my crock pot if you don’t recommend this recipe for the IP. 🙂
I haven’t tried this in the IP, but I think it could work really well (double check the recipe to make sure there’s enough liquid). Sorry I don’t have an exact tried-and-true method but yes, I’d let the pressure naturally release.
I would also like to prep everything night before and slow cook next day. Frying the pork chops 2 minutes each side and keeping them overnight in the fridge with the other ingredients will be ok?
If I were prepping it the night before, I’d probably skip the browning step – mostly for food safety issues.
Thanks Mel!
It’s delish! Thanks so much for sharing, Mel!! I asked the butcher to cut the chops, because the ones in the case were only about 1/2 inch thick. He went way overboard and my chops were about 1 1/4 inch thick. No problem with this recipe, they simply fell off the bone… and the gravy is really wonderful. The kids are already asking when we can have it again.
Excellent recipe Mel…the only change I made was to lightly flour the chops before browning. I really think it helped in keeping those chops tender and moist.
Mel, you are a Godsend girl and this Canadian “loves” your tried and true recipes!
Would it alter the flavor too much if I omitted the brown sugar? I’m a diabetic and can’t use any type of sugar. This recipe sounds delicious! Thank you!
The flavor would change a bit but you could definitely experiment leaving out the brown sugar.
One of my favorite recipes. The tastiest smothered pork chops ever. My family is always impressed with these and there’s no way I wouldve ever replicated this taste on my own.
When you want to eat the gravy by itself in a bowl, it is time to make it into a soup! I am going to use the onion, garlic, chicken stock, bacon steps as a base for a mushroom vegetable soup. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Thank You for this divine recipe! Gorgeous and the chops were so tender and not dried out. Oh yum. More work then I prefer to put into a Slow-cooker recipe but so worth it!
Hi Mel, may I know if a 4quartz slow cooker will fit all 6 pork chops? 🙂
I usually use my larger oval crockpot, I think it’s 6 or 7 quarts.
Hey Mel!
Could I double this recipe ? If so, should I cook it for a longer time ?
It kind of boils down to the size of your slow cooker. If it can fit a doubled batch, it should work fine – maybe add an hour onto the cooking time (I’ve never doubled it so I don’t know for sure).
Can’t wait to try this recipe. Im new to cooking and will be trying this out for my husbands first fathers day dinner. 🙂 thanks!
I made these tonight. I have newer crockpot, and it must cook really hot, because both times I have done chops they have gotten dry. Anyways, that point aside, if the chops would have been juicier, this would have been phenomenal. Totally the crock pot’s fault 🙂 The sauce is to die for. I literally could eat it with a spoon.
I made these tonight using thick cut boneless pork chops because that was on sale and they were fantastic! One of the best pork dishes I have ever made. Thanks Mel for a great recipe!
This smothered pork chop recipe is outstanding! I’ve made it on 3 different occasion and everyone has loved it. They could believe how fork tender the meat was. If you are wondering I use 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick cut. Depends on what’s available at the market. In any case at gravy is so flavorful don’t waste it by throwing it out. I freeze the extra gravy and use it a when I make split pea and ham soup, and to make white bean chicken chili. Both come out extra delish when I add the gravy to the recipes. Thank you so much.
This was a hit at my house last night for dinner! Kind of time consuming (when I see slow cooker I assume I’m going to actually save time) but worth it anyway. The only problem I had was the pork chops fell apart when I was trying to take them out of the slow cooker. How did you get yours out whole? I just ended up with a bunch of bite sized pieces of pork because it just fell apart. It was definitely delicious though!
Julia – I used a really wide, flat spatula and kind of scooped them out very carefully.
So, I make simpler smothered pork chops often…even without a recipe, pan searing, smothering and baking them were always instinctually the way to go and SO loves them. What originally stood out about this recipe was the bacon. I hadn’t really even noticed the how time consuming the steps would be. I’d added the ingredients I didn’t have to my list thoughtlessly, especially since they seemed common ingredients. Broth, herbs, corn starch…uh bacon. I didn’t do my usual homework of pre-reading this. Smothered pork chops? I got this. I got to work frying up some baco , easy peasy…by the time I’d got to the thyme and garlic part I was beyond frustrated. All this and still have more prep work AND cook time? I was nearing delirium over how time consuming it felt. Finally, after popping the dutch oven in the stove…all I could think was “Still parsley, cut bacon, strain, blend, mix, corn starch…low boil…vinegar. I was so over it. I ranted and raved and was tempted to just call out for dinner. “These better be pure heaven on a freakin’ plate.”, I swore out loud while SO consoled me. (And I’m typically the rational peacable one…) SO gave me a mini pep rally and swore that I’d get through it. (I wasn’t entirely sure.)
FINALLY, I finished this meal, and…
HO-LY COOOW.
My son was confusedly trying to make sense of what this bone thing was (Kid seems to never make it that far into any meat that doesn’t start with chicken and end with nugget.) (So now ‘all we eat is chicken’. You know, ‘chicken ribeye steaks’, ‘chicken chops’…brocco-er…’green tree chicken’. Ok no…that one doesn’t work, sadly.
Point blank, one bite into the pork chop…after I collected myself from the mouth born orgasm of delicious, I said out loud, “I would do it all over again. And over and over.”
Hands down…best pork chop I have ever ever had. You can’t get flavor quite like this any other way. It was the PERFECT balance of rich deep flavor without being overwhelming.
Oh, and the magic SO whisperer showed up and did a little SO whispering…and my sweet darling of a significant other did the entire load of dishes. No lie.
I will be re-making this. This will be my go to cooking for others choice…because the end result is worth it a million times over.
And I’m pretty sure I’m not exaggerating.
I meant “pork”
Could this be made with chicken instead? Our daughter won’t eat port.
Hi Jane – I’ve only ever made this recipe with pork but it’s certainly worth a try with chicken. Good luck if you decide to try it!
Come to think of it, yeah, they were a little too thin. Thanks!
Just made these for my husband and me last night. They tasted amazing! My only problem is that they feel apart too easily (I can’t believe I’m saying this!) What I mean by that is that when I took them out of the crock pot, they wouldn’t stay together long enough to be put on the serving dish. It ended up being a big delicious mess of pulled pork. I cooked it on low for about 7 hours. Should I cook it for less time or brown it more before I put it in the crockpot or do something else?
PS I love your blog! It’s my definite go-to place when I can’t decide what to make for dinner.
Ashleigh – You could certainly try to cook for less time although I’m not sure the pork chops would be as tender. Did you use really thin chops?
I made these last night, and they were so delish!!! I love your blog and know that whenever I try one of your recipes, I am guaranteed a yummy dinner! Thanks for doing all the hard work for us!
I just made this for my family for Valentine’s Day and they loved it! I have a lot of the tasty gravy left over but no pork. Is there another good recipe for the leftover gravy or a good way to use it?
Missy – I’ve never repurposed the gravy but maybe you could do a simple biscuits and gravy type meal?
Thanks, Mel! I made this ahead and took in out of my fridge to warm up a bit before I started the slow cooker. I started it on low at 11 and they were completely done at 3. My chops were about a 1/2 inch thick, so that is the difference. THEY ARE OUTSTANDING!! This is totally worth making, just watch them closely.
Mel, I can’t wait to try this. Do you (or anyone) think it can be prepped and refrigerated the night before?
Stephanie – yes, I think that should work. I haven’t specifically tried it that way but I have made other slow cooker recipes like that -prepping the night before – and it’s worked. Good luck!
I cook a lot and I NEVER EVER find a recipe that all 3 of my little boys rave about and go back for seconds. I am serious it has never happened. I also rarely comment on cooking blogs unless I have a question. So please understand when I tell you this dish was so awesome. Requests for this meal as a birthday dinner was even thrown around by a few of them. The bad news, the prep work is a little more than I prefer for crock pot, but this will be made again and again. Oh and for the record I used boneless pork chops with no problems. 🙂
Oh my gosh! These are to die for!! I wanted to keep you to your promise that the extra work was worth it… you were right!! My picky kids even loved them! Thank you!
Made the slow cooker pork chops last night and they were terrific! I stuck to the letter for the recipe and had rave reviews. It had a sweet vinegary flavor that was great and reminded me of some of my mom’s old German dishes. I served the chops and gravy over mashed cauliflower “potatoes” to watch the calories. Great site and looking forward to more recipes. Thanks
I made this last night and wanted to thank you. When I told my husband I was making pork chops last night- his response was “I don’t like pork chops” (he is a very picky eater). I told him just to try. Needless to say- he ate seconds he loved it so much! The only change I made was not to puree all of the solid onion mixture- I saved some to top as texture on the pork chop itself. The gravy was awesome. I did have about 1 1/2 cups leftover, which I am going to use for tonight’s meal.
We had this tonight. So good! My husband said it is better than awesome. Thanks for another fantastic recipe–and thanks for all your time finding the perfect smothered pork chop recipe!
This was the best pork recipe I have ever tasted! Since I found your blog 2 weeks ago I have cooked one of your recipes every night and each one is better than the one before! Thank you!
Mel you make me soooo passionate about food! I started cooking like really cooking over six months ago and your recipes were the first I made, and I realized I don’t know what I was afraid of! You don’t need natural talent lol as long as you can follow directions. I’m making this today. The prep was a pain in my rear like a lot of your recipes. BUT other websites have recipes that I was ok with but not impressed tremendously and I am ALWAYS impressed by your recipes so it’s worth the trouble and it smells divine already. I believe with the right food you can change people’s lives. Those recipes you remember..like that one all those years ago that was better than any other before or after etc etc… Thanks for all the ideas I wish we were friends so you could teach me in person lol I have twin toddlers and I’m so happy to be able to make healthy homemade food now
My husband and I made this as a group effort, him working night shift, me working day shift. He did the prep and put it together in the crock pot, I came home and did a little spin on your final directions. He had overcooked the bacon so it was kind of dry, so i added it all ina few minutes before i took the liquid out, so that it got pureed up with the onions. I also replaced the vinegar with some tawny port wine i love to cook with and reduced the sauce so it was on the thicker side. I loved it, he loved it as leftovers the next day,and i froze the extra gravy as cubes and put it over veggies for my daughter and she loves it!
These are absolutely amazing! I wouldn’t have minded drinking the gravy plain haha I made these for Valentine’s day and I think I totally impressed my hubby. Thanks for sharing. Hope you don’t mind, I just shared on my blog too 🙂
I usually buy a huge pork tenderloin when they’re on sale, and slice them into chops and a roast or two. It’s just my BF and I, so that amount of pork could last us a few months. I tried this recipe the first time using rosemary, and less bacon as I only had a few slices left. It was awesome. My boyfriend was disappointed when he went out into the kitchen and saw the pan still had gravy in it, because he loved it so much. I froze the extra and used it over pan fried chops, again, amazing.
Last week I made a pork roast using more bacon, and thyme this time, and homemade chicken stock from a chicken dinner a week before. I doubled the sauce to have extra. It was the most flavorful pork roast, ever.
Tonite we’re having some very thinly sliced chops that I’ve had marinating in milk, brown sugar and soy sauce for a few hours, to be pan fried and served with the leftover sauce from the pork roast. This recipe just keeps on giving!
I must admit that I have not eaten this one yet…but it was all we could do to put it in the freezer bag. My 13 yo chef was not happy that this was not for dinner! I hereby nominate this one to be a perfect freezer meal. To be a perfect freezer meal, in my mind is that it is 1. good to eat, 2. freezable, 3. Sort of time consuming so you want to make more than one when you make it. This recipe has several steps and running back and forth to the computer is a pain…however, as I was making 6 of them, I had it DOWN by the third one and didn’t even need to consult the recipe. It would be a great recipe to give as a gift to a new mom or to make for a freezer club such as mine. Those receiving it know that some time (but not a lot) went into it and will appreciate your efforts. This one is going on our Spring Break trip with us!! (I did everything as Mel directed, but stuck the cooked bacon in a baggie and the corn starch in another baggie and shoved them in with the main dish to freeze.) I usually try all my recipes before duplicating but this Mel gal is brilliant. I have loved all her best recipes so far.
HI Beth, I would like to make this recipe ahead of time but as I have never done a crock pot meal ahead of time. Did you do all of the steps as if you were going to actually make it, then cool it and freeze it? Do you put it in the crock pot frozen? If so how much extra time do you need to allow because its frozen? Sorry for all the questions but appreciate your feedback! Best, Sue
Added beans! I made this recipe tonight and we loved it. My hubby is reluctant to pork chops because of previous hard and dry pork chop meals. Bit he really liked this one. I made it with thick boneless center cut chops, veggie broth instead of chicken broth, fresh thyme and a few sage leaves, and also added an extra splash of white wine. After 4 hrs cooking I added a can of rinsed Navy beans and cooked another 2 hrs. For the gravy I just collected some of the liquid without the solids, that way I could serve the chops with white rice and top it with the beans and onions and then cover with gravy. Meat was tender and everything so tasty.