Smothered Pork Chops

The reason the pork chops are so fall-apart tender is because they cook low and slow in the oven for just the right amount of time. You can’t recreate this method by cooking them in a crock pot all day because they will overcook and get tough and dry.

You can cook these on the stove-top on low for about an hour instead of baking them BUT they’re never quite as tender because the heat is more concentrated on the bottom instead of the milder, radiant heat in the oven.

Thick, bone-in chops are best for this recipe. The bone protects the meat from the heat and helps to make the pork chops extra tender. Plus the bones bring a LOT of flavor to both the chops and the gravy.

It’s completely OK to pick up the bone when you’re done and gnaw on it while gravy drips down your chin, forearm and onto the table. If anyone looks at you funny, tell them Mandy said it’s totally fine and considered a compliment to the cook.

I used to almost always cook my smothered pork chops with onions but now I only do it sometimes because some of those at my table don’t like onions.

If you’d like to add onions (or mushrooms!), just sauté them after the chops have browned, before you add the flour.

I especially like this with onions when I’m serving the gravy over white rice. Add a side of field peas or black-eyed peas and some fresh slices of tomato too?? Man, dang, that’s good eating right there. Add some cathead biscuits and potato salad and I might faint from pure joy.

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