Smothered Pork Chops

I suspect that there are hundreds of versions of this dish all over Louisiana and throughout the South. I was determined to come up with a tasty version of my own that was simple and yet savory. I think I have it and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we do.

One of the “tricks” is selecting a chop that isn’t too lean. Since the meat is simmered in the gravy for a good while, you need some fat in the meat to keep it from drying out. The answer is to NOT select center cut pork chops. While they are delicious and the best for many other uses, they are too lean. I use “Blade” or “Shoulder” Cut chops, about ¾ of an inch thick. These are chops cut from the shoulder end of the loin. Same shape you are used to; however, they have more fat and hold up well to long cooking times

I promised to keep the recipe simple, and it involves only seasoned flour, cooking oil, butter, water and canned onion soup.

For the seasoned flour, you could buy some already made, but it is simple enough to mix up your own. A small portion of the seasoned flour is for coating the chops, and the remaining flour mix is used for the roux to make the gravy.

This recipe works well for 6 chops, and might accommodate as many as 8. If you need to feed more folks, you’ll need to increase the ingredients accordingly. Give this one a try and I know you’ll love it!

Here’s what you’ll need to make this:

• 6 blade/should cut pork chops about 3/4” thick
• 2 10-1/2 ounce cans of French Onion Soup
• 3 cups of water
• ¼ cup of cooking oil
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 1-1/4 cups of Seasoned flour (recipe follows)
• Kosher salt- as needed
• Ground black pepper- as needed
• Cooked rice or noodles for serving

To make your own Seasoned Flour:

• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoons of Paprika (smoked is best)
• 1 tablespoons of Kosher salt (less if you use fine salt)
• 1-½ teaspoons of onion powder
• 1-½ teaspoons of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of course ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of white pepper (finely ground)

Here’s an overview of what we’re going to do:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Season both sides of the pork chops with salt and peppe
3. Coat the pork chops with the seasoned flour then let rest for 15 minutes.
4. Add oil to pot and brown chops on both sides.
5. Set the brown chops aside
6. Add butter to remaining oil in the pot, and once melted, add the remaining seasoned flour to make a roux.
7. Add the soup and water to make the gravy.
8. Return the chops to gravy, cover and cook in the oven for 1 ½ hours.
9. Serve over rice, noodles or mashed potatoes

(If you’ve opted to skip making your own seasoned flour and are using a prepackaged variety, measure out about 1 ¼ cups and put it into a share dish.)

Step 1:

Remember to pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2:

Season the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper.

Step 3:

Prepare the seasoned flour. All I do is add the ingredients together in a small square dish, one that is large enough to accommodate the size of the pork chops. Once all the ingredients are in, mix them together well.

Step 4:

One at a time, place the pork chops into the dish of seasoned flour and coat them on both sides with the mix.

Once all of the chops are coated, set them to the side for 15 minutes.

Be sure to keep the remaining seasoned flour mix!

Step 5:

Add the cooking oil to your pot or skillet and set the heat to medium.

Step 6:

Once the oil is hot, place the chops into the skillet and brown them on both sides. This should take 2 to 3 minutes per side. And, you’ll have to do this in batches as they won’t all fit in at the same time. If needed, add a bit more oil as you go.

Step 7:

As you complete browning the pork chops on both sides, set them on a plate or platter until needed.

Step 8:

Lower the temperature to low, and add the butter to the skillet. Be careful to not let it burn as it is melting.

Once the butter is melted add the remaining seasoned flour mix to the skillet and mix well.

Once you have all of the flour mix coated with the melted butter, cook for 2 to 3 minutes. This may not look like a typical roux, but don’t worry, it will work like one.  

Step 9:

Increase the heat to medium or medium high and gradually add the 3 cups of water. It’s best to use a wire whisk for this.

Once you have the water mixed well, add the 2 cans of onion soup.

Bring this to a light boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Hey! You just made a fantastic onion gravy!

Step 10:

Add the browned pork chops back to the skillet. You’ll have to overlap them a bit, but they should all fit fine.

 

Step 11:

Bring the pork chops and the gravy back to a simmer. Once they are simmering, cover with a lid and transfer to the oven for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

Step 12:

Serve over rice, noodles or even mashed potatoes.