Smothered Pork Chops (Slow Cooker)

It's been a while, I know.  Am I the only one that feels like life totally started over after having a 3rd child?  It's been super hard for me to get back to my routines.  It's starting to get there, now that he's 4 months old :)  But, I was going through my pictures and saw this yummy dish that I made for my family on Valentine's and thought I'd go ahead and share.  It's seriously the yummiest pork chop I've ever had!  A lot of prep to get into the crock pot and a few more after it'd done cooking, but well worth it if you want a dish to impress your man.  I mean, seriously, what man wouldn't be want a pork chop smothered in bacon?  I wouldn't recommend eating this every night, it's not the healthiest dish, but a few times a year isn't going to hurt a thing, it'll just make you feel amazing about yourself that you made such a perfectly tender smothered pork chop.  I even pulled out a knife for cutting them and soon realized there was no need, a fork did just fine.  They were that tender!  I first had this when I went to visit my sister in GA over a year ago when she made it for me.  YUM!  It was so good.  I finally decided to impress my man this year w/ it.  And can I just say, it worked!  I heard him telling his brother about it later :)  

Looks amazing right?!

All the yummy goodness together, I should have thickened the gravy more, but that didn't keep it from tasting Delicious.

I wanted to serve w/ mashed potatoes, but I totally forgot to make them until dinner was almost done :(  Almost ruined my night.  Oh well, make sure you make mashed potatoes or rice to serve along w/ it, and don't forget rolls to help soak up the yummy gravy.

Smothered Pork Chops (Slow Cooker)

Note: I serve these smothered pork chops over rice or mashed potatoes. Also, if the gravy in the last step doesn't thicken well, mix another tablespoon of cornstarch to 2 tablespoons cold water and add it to the hot liquid (which you can see, I should have done). Let it come to a boil to ensure it thickens properly. 

Ingredients

• 5 slices bacon, chopped
• 6 bone-in pork loin chops, about 3/4-inch thick (I just use whatever pork chops are on sale)
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 yellow onion, peeled, and sliced
• 1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, fry bacon until lightly browned, about 5-6 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels, leaving the drippings in the pan. If you have more than 2 tablespoons drippings, drain the excess. If you don’t have quite that much, supplement with canola oil. When the bacon is cool, transfer to a small bag or Tupperware and refrigerate until later.
2. Heat the skillet with the drippings over medium or medium-high heat until rippling and hot. Meanwhile, pat pork chops dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook pork chops until they are golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes per side, cooking them in batches in the skillet if your skillet isn’t big enough to hold all six at a time in a single layer. When golden on each side, transfer the chops to the slow cooker and repeat with remaining pork.
3. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon of fat from the skillet; add onions, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup water to empty skillet. Using a wooden spoon, scrape browned bits from bottom of the pan and cook over medium-high heat until onions are soft, about 4-6 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour onion mixture over chops in the slow cooker. Add broth, soy sauce and remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar to skillet, bring to a boil and add bay leaves. Pour mixture over onions in slow cooker.
4. Cover slow cooker and cook on low until pork is tender, about 8 hours (or cook on high for 4 hours).
5. When ready to serve, carefully transfer chops to serving platter with a large spoon and tent with foil. Discard bay leaves and pour liquid through a mesh strainer into a saucepan, reserving the solids. Transfer solids to a food processor or blender with 1 cup liquid and blend until smooth. Stir the blended mixture back into remaining liquid in the saucepan. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and remaining 2 tablespoons water together in a small bowl and stir into sauce. Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar, season with salt and pepper, pour over chops and sprinkle with reserved bacon and parsley. Serve and Enjoy!

Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Mel's Kitchen Cafe