How To Make Amazing Pork Chops In Your Slow Cooker

I’m so excited to share this recipe with you today! These pork chops are mouthwateringly tender and cooked over a bed of sweet carrots and onions in the most intense savory gravy. The flavor is like a gourmet meal, but your slow cooker does almost all the work for you. And that also means that there isn’t a pile of pots and pans to clean up after dinner.

If you’re following a low-carb way of eating, you can eliminate the carrots.

Usually, when I make pork chops, I like to grill them outside on the barbecue. But now that it is autumn, the weather is very chilly, and I’m back in the kitchen. The slow cooker is a fantastic way to make pork chops (along with a vegetable side!) without having to fuss over the stove, especially when you’re preparing a big meal.

Here are five steps to making amazing pork chops in your slow cooker:

1. Choose Bone-In Chops

My chops are center cut bone-in rib chops from Prairie Grove (I love their meat as it contains no antibiotics, no hormones, and no animal by-products). There’s a bone running along one side and sometimes a layer of fat on the outside. Meat on the bone is the juiciest cut.

2. Brine Your Meat

Before putting your chops in the slow cooker, make sure to brine them. I talked about how brining is the secret to juicy, tender pork chops here. Please don’t skip this step. Brining will leave you with tenderized, juicy chops.

To brine your chops, just soak the meat in salt water with a few peppercorns and bay leaves for an hour. This traps the moisture in the meat. Rinse and pat the salt water off when they are finished brining.

3. Add The Freshest Ingredients

Once your meat is brined, add chicken stock to your slow cooker. If you have a homemade stock already prepared, that would certainly enhance the flavor.

Next, add a little vinegar. I especially like Bragg’s Raw Apple Cider Vinegar because it contains the “mother” of the vinegar: strands of proteins, enzymes, and friendly bacteria.

Finally, stir in onions, carrot chunks, sliced garlic cloves, and a little salt and pepper to taste. Now here’s what I think makes this meal extra special: fresh sage and oregano. Toss those in too.

All of these ingredients will elevate the flavor of this dish.

4. Sear Your Meat

Before you place the brined pork chops into the slow cooker, season the dry chops with a little salt and pepper and sear them on either side for two minutes.

I like to use avocado oil because it has a very high smoke point. You could also use olive oil, but just be sure it doesn’t smoke. When you’ve finished searing the chops, place them in the slow cooker over the vegetables.

Then add a little wine to the skillet, scrape up the little brown bits, and pour the mixture over the chops.

5. Slow Cook On Low For Just 4 Hours (and don’t forget the mushrooms!)

Ready to start cooking your delicious meal? Pork chops only need to be slow cooked for 4 hours on low. As the meat cooks, the broth, wine, and juices from the vegetables will mix together and create an intense tasting gravy.

But there’s one more thing that makes this meal special! Mushrooms. Oh, yes, mushrooms sautéed in butter.

Just before the meat is done cooking, heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms (make sure not to overcrowd the pan as you want them to brown, not steam). Toss the mushrooms for about 5 minutes before adding garlic and parsley. Cook for 1 more minute and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss into slow cooker.

Now you’re done. Remove the sage and oregano from the slow cooker. Transfer meat and veggies to a platter. Set the uncovered slow cooker on high for 10-15 minutes. This will allow the extra moisture in the gravy to boil off. Serve gravy alongside your chops with the carrots and mushrooms. Isn’t it nice when the meat and veggies are all in one pot?

Slow cooker pork chops make an amazing autumn dinner. Don’t wait, friends. Make it this week. 🙂 Enjoy!

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How To Make Amazing Pork Chops In Your Slow Cooker

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

4 hours

Total time

4 hours 20 mins

 

For tender juicy meat, add 1 hour to prep time for brining. And if you’re following a low-carb way of eating, eliminate the carrots. Your slow cooker does almost all the work for you. And that also means that there isn't a pile of pots and pans to clean up after dinner. 🙂

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• For brine:
• 3 cups water
• 3 tablespoons salt
• 8 peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 center cut bone-in pork chops
• Add to slow cooker:
• 1½ cups chicken stock, homemade or store bought
• 2 teaspoons Bragg's vinegar
• ½ cup onions, diced
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks (optional)
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• 2 sprigs of fresh sage
• 2 sprigs of fresh oregano
• Sear chops:
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• ¼ cup white wine
• Sauté mushrooms:
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1-2 tablespoons butter
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. For the brine: Dissolve salt in water. Place meat in a large baking dish and cover with brine. Add peppercorns and bay leaf. Cover the dish and refrigerate for one hour.
2. Then take the chops out, discard the brine, rinse the chops off and pat them completely dry.
3. Add to slow cooker: Add chicken stock and vinegar to your slow cooker. Then stir in onions, carrots (optional), garlic, sage, and oregano.
4. Sear chops: Heat oil in a large skillet. Season the chops with a little salt and pepper. Sear the chops for 2 minutes on each side. Then place the chops over the vegetables in your slow cooker.
5. Add wine to the same skillet, scraping up the little brown bits and then pour mixture over the chops.
6. Cover and cook on low for just 4 hours.
7. Sauté mushrooms: When the meat is almost done, heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms (do not over crowd the pan so that they will brown and not steam) and toss for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and parsley. Cook for 1 more minute and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss into slow cooker.
8. Remove the sage and oregano from the slow cooker. Transfer meat and veggies to a platter. Set the uncovered slow cooker on high for 10-15 minutes. This will allow the extra moisture in the gravy to boil off. Serve gravy alongside your chops.

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