Smothered Pork Chops

Crock Pot Smothered Pork Chops is a hearty dinner of juicy pork and caramelized onions covered with rich bacon gravy. Make this slow cooker recipe for dinner tonight!

After a long day, it can be really satisfying to walk in the door to a hearty, comforting dinner that’s ready to eat.

That is the beauty of using a slow cooker to make this pork chops and gravy recipe.  It takes just a few minutes to caramelize the onions for the pork chop gravy, but the remaining time is hands off. As a result, you can have 4 hours of time to get other things done!

If you like to cook pork in a crock pot, be sure to also make some Root Beer Pulled Pork!

Choosing the best pork chops for a slow cooker recipe

When you purchase the ingredients to make this recipe, be sure to buy bone in pork chops. There are two specific reasons for this.

1. Higher percentage of fat. Boneless pork chops are trimmed of any visible fat, but when you cook in a crock pot, you need chops with some fat on them. The fat will help to prevent the chops from drying out during cooking.
2. Better flavor. When you cook meat with its bones, you will always end up with a tastier meal. This is because where there is fat, there is also flavor!

Q &A for making crock pot smothered pork chops

• Why do you cook the onions first?

The key to the best tasting pork chop gravy is caramelizing the onions, which makes them sweeter and much more delicious. Plus, caramelized onions have a beautiful golden color. The only way to properly caramelize onions is to saute them in a skillet on the stove top.

Technically, you can add the raw onion to the slow cooker without cooking them. However, keep in mind that they won’t caramelize, so you’ll have less flavor in the final dish.

• Can you prep the recipe ahead of time?

To save time, you can caramelize the onions up to 3 days in advance. Then, store them in a covered container in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the rest of the smothered pork chops recipe.

• Can you freeze pork chops and gravy?

Slow cooker smothered pork chops is definitely freezer friendly! It’s perfect for easy meal prep, too. You can store individual servings in meal prep containers, or freeze the entire batch. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To reheat for serving, you will need to thaw the frozen meal in a refrigerator overnight.

Serving suggestions

This meal is rich and hearty. I like to serve it with tender cooked egg noodles. It would also be delicious with white or brown rice.

For a true comfort food meal for a cold day, it is delicious with some creamy roasted mashed potatoes.

For a well rounded meal, be sure to serve it with some vegetables. My favorites are steamed broccoli or Glazed Mint Carrots. Or, to lighten the meal up a bit, consider serving a light garden salad.

Watch the Smothered Pork Chops video below!

Crock Pot Smothered Pork Chops

Crock Pot Smothered Pork Chops is a hearty dinner of juicy pork and caramelized onions with rich bacon gravy. Make this easy slow cooker recipe!

4.91 from 11 votes

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Course: Main

Cuisine: American, Western

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours 10 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours 25 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 968kcal

Author: Kevin Is Cooking

Ingredients

• 2 lbs pork chops (See Note 1)
• 1 tsp salt divided
• 2 tsp black pepper divided
• 6 slices bacon (See Note 2)
• 1 large white onion halved and cut 1/2 inch slices
• 3 garlic cloves smashed and minced
• 2 tsp fresh thyme chopped
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp Tabasco or favorite hot sauce
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
• 1 lb egg noodles

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• In a large skillet over medium heat render and cook the bacon pieces until crispy. Set aside to drain on paper towel and reserve bacon fat in skillet.
• Add onions to skillet and cook for several minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and season with half of the kosher salt and black pepper. Cook another 2 minutes and pour mixture in a slow cooker.
• Season both sides of each pork chop with remaining salt and pepper. Lay on top of the onion mixture.
• Mix together the chicken stock, soy sauce and Tabasco. Pour over pork chops. Close slow cooker lid and cook on low for 4 hours.
• Bring heavily salted water to the boil and cook pasta per package directions, about 7 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water for gravy.
• Remove pork chops from slow cooker and tent with foil to keep warm. Turn slow cooker to high heat. Mix together the cornstarch and water and pour into onion mixture with the reserved pasta water and apple cider vinegar. Stir to mix and cook. Gravy will thicken.
• On serving platter, lay pork chops on top of drained pasta and pour onion gravy over all. Sprinkle with crispy bacon and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Notes

1. I use four 8-10 oz bone in blade cut pork chops that are about 1 inch thick. Also, make 1 or 2 slits in the fat on the outer side of each chop so they don't curl when cooking.
2. I like to place my bacon in the freezer for 2-3 minutes to firm up and it makes it easier to slice into strips, optional.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.

Nutrition

Calories: 968kcal | Carbohydrates: 90g | Protein: 70g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 268mg | Sodium: 1235mg | Potassium: 1343mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 405IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 4.2mg

Have you made this recipe? Let me know on InstagramTag @KevinIsCooking and hashtag me #keviniscooking!