Smothered Crock Pot Pork Chops with Onion Gravy
Crock pot pork chops smothered in onion and mushroom gravy are about as comforting as a weeknight dinner gets. You brown the chops, soften some onions and mushrooms in the same pan, and let the slow cooker do the rest.
There is no canned soup and no gravy packet. The gravy comes from the pan drippings, broth and a little cornstarch at the end. This is the kind of dinner for a cold evening, with a pile of mashed potatoes underneath to catch the gravy. Four thick chops feed four people.
Why pork chops turn out tough in a slow cooker
This is the most common complaint about crockpot pork chops, and it almost always comes down to the cut.
Shoulder chops, sold as blade chops or pork steaks, come from the same part of the pig as our Crockpot Pulled Pork. They have fat and connective tissue running through them, and a long, slow cook melts that into something tender. These are the most forgiving chops for this recipe, and they are usually the cheapest.
Loin chops, sold as center-cut or rib chops, are much leaner. They have nothing to melt, so a long cook just dries them out. They still work, but they need far less time. Cook them to 145F, which is the USDA’s safe temperature for pork chops, followed by a 3 minute rest, and take them out.
Whichever you buy, get them thick. Aim for about an inch. Thin chops cook through before the gravy has time to develop flavor, and they dry out long before the slow cooker is done.
How long to cook them
- Shoulder (blade) chops: 5 to 6 hours on LOW, until a fork slides in easily.
- Loin (center-cut) chops: 2 and a half to 4 hours on LOW. Start checking with an instant-read thermometer at 2 and a half hours and take them out at 145F.
Slow cookers run hotter or cooler than one another, so treat these times as a guide and check early the first time.
A few things that make it better
- Brown the chops first. Slow cookers never get hot enough to brown meat, and those browned bits in the pan are where most of the gravy’s flavor comes from. It is worth the ten minutes here.
- Scrape up the pan with a splash of broth after the onions go in, so none of that flavor stays behind in the skillet.
- Use broth, not water. Water gives you a thin, flat gravy.
- Thicken the gravy at the end, not the start. Cornstarch added at the beginning breaks down over a long cook and the gravy goes thin again.
- Taste the gravy before serving and add salt if it needs it. Low-sodium broth leaves room to adjust.
Questions people ask
Can I use boneless pork chops?
Yes. Choose thick ones, about an inch, and start checking them earlier. Boneless loin chops are the leanest of all, so take them out at 145F.
Can I skip browning the chops?
You can, and the chops will still cook. The gravy will be paler and a little less savory, because the browned bits in the pan are a big part of its flavor.
Can I put the chops in frozen?
No. Thaw them in the fridge first. The USDA advises against slow cooking frozen meat, because it spends too long warming through the unsafe temperature range.
Can I cook them on high?
Yes. Roughly halve the times above, and check loin chops with a thermometer. Low gives shoulder chops more time to turn tender.
What goes with them?
Mashed potatoes, egg noodles or rice, anything that soaks up the gravy, with green beans or peas on the side.
How long do leftovers keep?
Three to four days in a covered container in the fridge. Reheat the chops gently in the gravy so they do not dry out.
More recipes you’ll love: Crockpot Pulled Pork, Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin, Mexican Pork Chops, and our full Easy Crockpot Dinner Recipes roundup.
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Smothered Crock Pot Pork Chops
- Total Time: 6 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Thick bone-in pork chops browned, then slow cooked with onions and mushrooms and finished in a from-scratch gravy. No canned soup.
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in pork chops, about 1 inch thick (about 2 1/2 pounds)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, to serve
Instructions
- Pat the pork chops dry and season both sides with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chops for 2 to 3 minutes per side, in batches if needed, and move them to the slow cooker.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the rest of the oil, the onion and the mushrooms. Cook, stirring now and then, for about 5 minutes, until they start to soften. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Pour in 1/2 cup of the broth and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Spoon the onion and mushroom mixture over the chops. Add the remaining broth, the Worcestershire sauce and the thyme.
- Cover and cook on LOW: 5 to 6 hours for shoulder (blade) chops, until fork-tender, or 2 1/2 to 4 hours for loin chops, until they reach 145F.
- Move the chops to a platter and cover loosely with foil.
- Pour the cooking liquid, onions and mushrooms into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Stir the cornstarch into the cold water, whisk it into the pan and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until the gravy is thick. Taste and add salt if needed.
- Spoon the gravy over the chops and sprinkle with parsley.
Notes
- The cut decides the cook time. Shoulder (blade) chops want the long cook. Lean loin chops dry out if they go much past 145F.
- On HIGH, roughly halve the times.
- Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat gently in the gravy.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
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