Dave loves most meat, but I do believe he really enjoys a pork chop best of all- which is good since he is married to me!! This is an simple meal in my old friend, the crock pot, that can be done with fresh or frozen pork chops. I found it a life saver when my plans suddenly changed Saturday afternoon. I love buying those pork chops that are as thick as steaks- and I always buy bone-in chops because I know that bone allows for the chops to stay moist and well, you know, it just helps with the flavor!
The meal normally takes between 4-5 in the crock pot depending on state of chops- whether frozen or not. With this recipe, I am basically making my own semi sweet barbecue sauce so I suppose you could use barbecue sauce instead, but by making your own sauce, you can adjust it to your personal taste. Believe me, this is a "crowd pleaser" served with mashed potatoes and cornbread. And with all my meals, it's Dave tested and Dave approved.
Smothered Chops with onions
2-3 thick bone-in pork chops
1 1/2 cups water
1 small onion chopped/diced
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 cup ketchup
1-2 tablespoons light brown sugar (use 1 tbsp at first)
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced onion
1. Add 2 or 3 good thick bone in chops to crock pot with 1 1/2 cup water, onion and cumin. Cook on high for one hour-if frozen- or low for 2.5 to 3 hours if not frozen. After an hour on high, turn temp down to low and allow to cook for an additional 1.5 to 2 hours.
* IF adding more than 3 chops, you might want to adjust the amount of water in the crock. The water will help to form the amazing gravy/sauce we will get from these chops.
2. Next add the ketchup, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, mustard, worcestershire sauce, and ground pepper. Taste your sauce and adjust- add more brown sugar if you'd like to sweeten the sauce or more mustard to cut the sweetness. The chops should be showing signs of being very tender at this stage and might begin to break apart a bit- but there is nothing wrong with that!
3. Once the sauce is combined, check your personal feeling. It should be more liquid, but if you feel there is not enough, add water to adjust. To finish the sauce, collect about 3 tablespoons in a bowl and whisk in corn starch to form a thickening paste. Make sure it is smooth before returning it to the crock. I tend to add 1 tablespoon minced onion to thicken the sauce more. Allow the chops to cook in this finished sauce 15-20 more minutes- I actually turn the crock to warm at this point depending on what I am seeing with the chops/sauce.
Serve the chops and gravy with mashed potatoes- you will not believe how good it is! Just keep it simple as the gravy is the real star!
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