Description
Smothered pork chops are a Southern Sunday supper tradition — bone-in chops seared hard, then braised in a thick onion gravy until the meat is so tender it practically falls off the bone. The gravy is the whole point here, built from the pan drippings with slow-cooked onions that melt into something almost sweet. This is the kind of cooking where patience is the main ingredient.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 4 bone-in pork chops (1 inch thick)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 large yellow onions, sliced into half-moons
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Season the pork chops with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Dredge lightly in 1/3 cup flour, shaking off the excess.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the chops 3 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add butter and sliced onions to the skillet. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are deeply golden and soft. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons flour over the onions and stir 1 minute. Gradually pour in the chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaf, whisking to prevent lumps. Bring to a simmer.
- Return the pork chops to the skillet, nestling them into the onion gravy. Cover and cook on low heat for 30 minutes until the chops are very tender and the gravy is thick.
- Remove the bay leaf, garnish with parsley, and serve the chops smothered in onion gravy.
Notes
- Take the time to properly brown the onions — rushing this step with high heat produces burnt onions, not caramelized ones, and the gravy suffers for it.
- Bone-in chops hold up to the long braise much better than boneless, which can dry out even in gravy.
- This is one of those dishes that reheats better than it cooks. The gravy thickens and the flavors deepen overnight.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Southern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 440
- Sugar: 4
- Sodium: 780
- Fat: 22
- Carbohydrates: 18
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 38
- Cholesterol: 105