the other white meat

During last week’s grocery shop, I got frisky and decided to make friends with my slow cooker. (I know. It’s a glamorous life, I live). I was intrigued by the whole “low and slow” method of cooking and was ready to give it a go. Like many of our kitchen appliances, the slow cooker was sitting quietly on top of our kitchen cabinets, just waiting to be used.

So I bought pork chops.

I have no idea how I made the connection from slow cooker to pork chops, but it happened – at the meat counter at Central Market. The sweet butcher handed me my ¼ pound of applewood smoked bacon (apparently the theme of last week’s eats was pork) and said, “Anything else today, ma’am?” and I exclaimed (too enthusiastically), “Why yes! I’ll have 3 of those center cut pork chops.” He wrapped them up in white butcher paper and handed them over the counter with a smile. It wasn’t until I had rounded the corner to the bulk foods section that I realized I had no idea what I was doing with pork chops, as I had never made them in my life (this is a recurring theme in my life. I read so many food blogs and cookbooks that I often subconsciously convince myself that I know how to make something and have made it thousands of times, when I, indeed, have not.) I had never (to my knowledge) eaten pork chops that had been prepared in a slow cooker, or even heard of such a thing.  It was just one big new experience, and figured I was less likely to mess up chops if I let my slow cooker do the work.

I did a little reading online and found a recipe to go off of to get cooking times, etc. The general consensus was 6 hours on low heat, so I went home during my lunch break to make dinner (you know you’re old when…) so they would be ready at dinner time.

Here’s what I came up with. I loosely based my chops off of this recipe

Pork chops for 2: Low and slow

1 – 2 T canola oil

3 good sized center cut bone in pork chops (1 for me and 2 for the hungry husband)

½ c. ketchup

½ c. brown sugar

½ c. scant soy sauce

1 T + 1 t chili powder (I used a little under 1 T and thought it could have used more heat because we love spicy food).

2 cloves of garlic, minced

½ white or yellow onion, thinly sliced

¼ c. water

Salt and pepper to taste

Season both sides of each chop with salt and pepper. In a cast iron pan, heat the canola oil on medium high until shimmering. Sear the pork chops 1 minute per side – you aren’t trying to cook the chop, just to get some nice color and flavor from all that searing goodness. Remove the chops from heat and set aside. In the ceramic bowl of a crock pot, mix the ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, and chili powder. Taste your sauce. If it needs more sweetness, add brown sugar. If it needs more salty kick, add a little more soy. When it tastes tangy and delicious, add the minced garlic and sliced onion. Add the chops and ¼ c of water.  Turn the crock pot on low and set it for six hours.

Reluctantly head back to work and day dream about the deliciousness of your impending dinner. Arrive home about 5.5 hours later and inhale the glorious aroma that fills your apartment. Check the sauce to make sure it’s not too thick and not burning (add a little more water if it’s too thick or sticky). You’ll want lots of that delicious sauce to sop up with bread or your starchy side dish of choice. Crank up the heat to high for the last 20 minutes or so of cooking while you prepare your sides. We had our chops with cous cous, steamed broccoli, and toasted rolls with butter. It was all luscious. The sauce had the tang of a barbecue sauce but was more of a jus than a proper sauce – but we still loved it! The high point of the meal was when Russ goes, “I don’t even really LIKE pork chops because they are so boring.. but NOT THESE!” Well thanks for telling me, bud.  I guess I am glad I didn’t know that Russ was bored with pork chops or I would have never tried them out!

The slow cooker did all the heavy lifting, and I couldn't get over how easy this meal was to put together. Try it soon!