Smothered Pork Chops

If you’re like me, pork chops have been a staple of your life. I know Texas is known for barbecue, but we’ve all sat down at the table for a meal that featured pork chops. My mother had a signature “Pork Chops and Rice” dish that we enjoyed countless times throughout my life. It was a simple dish with pork chops, rice and cream of mushroom soup, but it sure was good after a long day at school or helping outside with my dad. This is a different take on smothered pork chops that I make at my house, and we rarely have any leftovers.

To begin, I’ve moved on from precut, packaged pork chops. I prefer to buy a pork loin and cut my own boneless chops at home. The meat seems cleaner and fresher, and you have more control over the thickness of your chops. For this recipe, I cut my chops an inch thick, and I season them with an all-purpose seasoning. There are a thousand different choices out there, so use the seasoning you like. 

Put some olive oil on medium-high heat and sear your boneless pork chops just long enough to get some good color on both sides. This usually takes 2-3 minutes on each side. You aren’t trying to cook your chops right now, just give them a little personality. Once that’s done, remove your pork and put a half stick of butter and a whole chopped onion in the pan. Cook the onion for about 2-3 minutes until it softens up. Keep stirring your onion so it doesn’t stick and burn. When the onion is tender, add enough flour to soak up all the butter. Make sure you don’t add too much. It will turn solid on you and that ain’t good. After the butter is soaked up by the flour, start adding chicken stock. Keep stirring. Add stock until you have a gravy that’s the consistency you want. There is no wrong or right answer here. Don’t forget to season your gravy. Again, don’t forget to season your gravy. Personally, I add garlic powder, salt and pepper. Keep it simple. Simple is good.

Now we’ve come to easy part. Turn your heat to low and add your pork chops back in. Cover and simmer for two hours. If you don’t have enough gravy to cover your chops, then flip them halfway through. After two hours, you’ll have the most tender pork chops you’ve ever had. These go great with some mashed potatoes. When I was a kid, my dad always made “Gravy Lake on Potato Mountain”, and I find myself copying him 30 something years later. I can’t explain why, maybe it’s just the memories, but I swear it makes the whole meal taste better. I’ll throw the list of ingredients below, and I hope you take the time to cook and sit down with some family and friends while you enjoy a meal.

Seasoned Boneless Pork Chops

Olive Oil

Half Stick of Butter

Chopped Onion

Flour

Chicken Stock

Garlic Powder

Salt and Pepper

- Martin Bryant