Smothered Porkchops!

 Hey friends, 

You know sometimes we get so caught up in recreating and creating, that we forget about the meals that got us to this point. You know, the meals you learned how to cook before you learned how to “create” In my case, the meals my grandmothers, aunts, uncles and of course, my mom would make for us. I would watch my mom cook with such ease and love. She would also fuss at us, about being in the way, or in her kitchen hovering while she is cooking. There aren’t a lot of steps to making those dishes, sometimes there are but, for the most part the main ingredient is always LOVE. 

Because my cooking style is so “eclectic”, in addition to stepping outside the box, I also love to revisit and make “normal” home cooked meals. Smothered pork chops for me, is a normal unbothered meal. It’s one of those dishes I learned without using measurements, so be patient with me here, lol. I will do my best to give you the ingredients but, the measurements are a taste and add as desired type of situation. 

The chops are crispy fried then dredged in delicious homemade gravy.  Rice, mashed potatoes, or a baked potato and any combination of veggies can be used as a side dish. Because the smothered pork-chops are the star, you don’t over think the sides. 

After a long day at work, or on a quiet day at home, or you are just in the mood for a feel good, normal meal. Whatever the case, this is a happy dance meal. Gets the toes tapping,  and the body swaying,  after one bite. If your shoulders don’t hunch after at least a bite or two, you didn’t make it right, lol!!!

A couple of things, you can smother chicken, steak, or another protein of your choice. This is a recipe that you can pull some ideas from and make your own. 

Be patient with gravy! To avoid lumps, keep stirring. Also, pan drippings make for delicious gravy. 

I use flour to make gravy, you can use cornstarch if you like but, flour holds up better in my opinion. If you are on a gluten free diet, you may want to try gluten free flour. 

Depending on how much gravy you want to make, you may have to transfer the gravy to another pan before adding the chops back into the pot. 

Thick chops can be used, I sliced a pork loin into chops

For me, there is no rule as to what gravy I will make. Meaning, I made a brown gravy although these are pork chops! It  worked for me, it was the flavor I was wanting at the time and my family gobbled it up. Wait.. is there a rule that pork chops have to be made with a pork or white meat based gravy? If so today is not that day. Gordon would not be happy with me if there is a rule, but I’m not a chef so, BOO! I’m a mom, who used what I had at home after a long day of work.

Back to the topic at hand…

Ingredients 

For the chops:

8-10 boneless pork loin chops

Garlic powder 

Onion powder

Paprika

Seasoned Salt

Pepper

*Or use your favorite seasonings.

Vegetable Oil

For the gravy:

Butter (one stick)

Flour

Whisk

Beef or chicken bouillon cubes 

Broth, chicken beef, or pork

Water

Chopped onions

Milk, or cream about 1/2 cup

Your favorite seasonings (see above)

Heat 2 inches or so, of oil in a heavy skillet or pot, preferably cast iron

Season the washed and cleaned chops. Dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Set aside 

Once the oil is hot, place the chops in the pan. Do not over crowd the pan 4-5 chops at a time is enough. Cook until crisp flip and crisp the other side, 4-5 mins DO NOT OVER COOK. As you will be adding them into the gravy, you don’t want to dry them out. 

Set aside chops, put them on a paper towel lined plate or wire rack.

Meanwhile, pour off the excess grease, ensure to keep some of the pan drippings and fats. Return to heat

Chop up a stick of butter, into the pan. When it starts to sizzle, add in about a Tbsp or two of minced garlic. Cook about a minute.

Add about 4 TBSP of flour, WHISK, WHISK, AND WHISK. LET IT COOK

Once browned, start to slowly whisk in your broth continue to whisk, once it smooth let it cook a few mins. Add in onion, bouillon, and stir

Pour in some milk or cream, taste and season to your liking

Let it cook on low and thicken. If it’s too thick add in more liquid, until it’s the consistency you like. 

When the gravy is right to your liking,  add the chops and let cook a little longer, not more than 5-6 mins. 

Remove from heat and serve with your favorite sides. 

View the video I posted on my TikTok: eclectic_angel43