Savory Slow Cooked Pork Chops

Why This Savory Slow Cooked Pork Chops Works

At the start, the pork chops go into a hot pan so the outside browns. That quick browning tightens the surface a little and gives the meat a thin crust. Later, when the chops sit in the slow cooker for hours, that crust slows down how fast the juices run out, so the meat stays moist instead of drying out.

Once the soup mix, cream of mushroom soup, and water go into the crock pot, they form a loose gravy around the pork. As everything cooks on low heat for several hours, the pork slowly relaxes. The tough parts in the meat soften, and the chops become tender enough to cut with a fork. During this time, the soup mixture thickens a bit and clings to the meat. Onion soup mix, garlic powder, and pepper spread through the liquid and settle into the pork chops, so the flavor goes all the way inside instead of just sitting on top.

Mistakes To Avoid

Letting the pork chops skip the browning step leaves them pale and a bit rubbery on the outside. Without that quick sear, the surface doesn’t firm up, so after hours in the slow cooker the meat can feel boiled and the sauce tastes flat and one-note instead of rich and savory.

Cooking on high heat instead of low makes the chops tough and stringy. The meat tightens up too fast in the hotter crock pot, so instead of slowly softening, the fibers seize and stay chewy even though the sauce looks done.

Adding extra water to “thin out” the soup mixture can backfire. Too much liquid keeps the sauce from thickening as it cooks, so it ends up runny and the pork tastes washed out, with less of that creamy coating clinging to each chop.

Placing the pork chops in the slow cooker still cold from the fridge can throw off the timing. The centers take longer to warm up, so by the time they are fully cooked, the outer parts may be starting to dry and shred apart.