These Crock Pot Smothered Pork Chops are juicy and delicious pan-seared pork chops cooked in a rich onion gravy. A super easy dinner recipe, perfect for any night of the week!

crock pot smothered pork chops in pan

If you are a pork fan, you are going to LOVE this saucy pork chops recipe. Even if you’re not a pork fan, this may change your mind! The juicy pork is smothered in a flavorful sauce, crispy bacon bits and melts in the mouth. The slow cooker makes this whole recipe so easy to pull together!

How To Make This Crock Pot Smothered Pork Chop Recipe

Place bacon in a skillet until it starts to crisp. Once crisp, transfer bacon, leaving fat in the pan, to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
 
In the slow cooker, add chicken broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, bay leaves and brown sugar to the slow-cooker insert and cover with the lid.
 
Season pork chops with salt & pepper. Cook the chops until golden brown on both sides and transfer the chops to the slow-cooker.
 
Add onions, brown sugar, water, salt and black pepper to the skillet. Scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan and cook (stirring often), over medium heat, until onions soften. Then add the garlic and thyme.
Pour the onion mixture over the pork-chops in the slow-cooker. Cook until chops are tender (6-8 hours on LOW or 3-4 on HIGH).
 
Just before serving add the vinegar and parsley, season with salt and pepper and stir well.Spoon 1 cup of sauce over the chops and sprinkle with the bacon. Ladle the remaining sauce into a serving bowl and serve with the chops.
 
Enjoy!

gravy in pot

ladling sauce on pork chops

What Goes With Crock Pot Smothered Pork Chops

These Crock Pot Smothered Pork Chops are delicious served with:

ladling sauce on crock pot smothered pork chops

crock pot smothered pork chops in baking pan

Best Cut Of Meat For Crock Pot Smothered Pork Chops

 I use bone-in pork chops for this recipe. It really gives this dish a lot of flavor, but if you prefer boneless you can certainly do that. But do not use a thin cut pork chop. And be careful when taking them out when they are finished cooking. The meat will be very tender, a good way to take them out, is  scoop them with a spatula.

Can You Cook Frozen Pork In The Slow Cooker?

It’s not recommended to cook frozen meat in a slow cooker, as there’s the risk of harmful bacteria contaminating the meat before it reaches a safe temperature. The best place to thaw your meat is in the refrigerator before cooking it in a slow cooker.

close up of chops

Top Tips For Crock Pot Smothered Pork Chops

  • Use blade cut pork steaks if pork chops aren’t available.
  • Pat the pork dry with a paper towel before cooking and make sure to season with salt and pepper.
  • Make sure to remove the bay leaves and skim the fat from the top of the sauce. 
  • You may be tempted to omit the vinegar, I highly recommend you keep it in, balances out the other flavors perfectly.

More Pork Recipes We Love

top down shot of crock pot smothered pork chops

Check Out These Other Delicious Slow Cooker Recipes

Recipe Card

Crock Pot Smothered Pork Chops

4.68 from 37 votes
Servings: 6 people
Author: Becky Hardin
slow cooker smothered pork chops in a pan with a spatula lifting one out
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Ingredients 

  • 4 slices bacon cut into ½-inch slices
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2 bay leaves
  • tablespoons brown sugar divided
  • 6 bone-in blade-cut, 1-inch thick pork chops about 8-ounces each.
  • Use pork steaks if blade-cut pork chops aren’t available.
  • 3 yellow onions halved and sliced into ½-inch half-moons
  • ¼ cup water plus 2 tablespoons
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Instructions 

  • Spray a slow-cooker with nonstick cooking spray and set temperature to LOW.
  • Place bacon in a medium-size, cold skillet set over medium heat. Cook the bacon just until it starts to crisp. Transfer bacon, leaving fat in the pan, to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.
  • While bacon cooks, add chicken broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, bay leaves and 1-tablespoon brown sugar to the slow-cooker insert and cover with the lid.
  • Pat pork chops dry with a paper towel and season with salt & pepper. After the bacon has cooked, place 3 chops in the same saucepan and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to the slow-cooker and repeat the process with the remaining 3 pork chops.
  • Add onions, 1½ teaspoons brown sugar, ¼ cup water, 1-teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper to the skillet. Scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan and cook (stirring often), over medium heat, until onions soften, about 6 minutes.
  • Add garlic and thyme and cook an additional 30 seconds.
  • Pour the onion mixture over the pork-chops in the slow-cooker.
  • Cover the slow-cooker and cook, on LOW, until the chops/pork steaks are very tender, about 6-8 hours (or on HIGH 3-4 hours).
  • When ready to serve, transfer chops to a serving dish and cover loosely with foil. Let the chops rest 5 minutes.
  • Discard bay leaves from the sauce and use a large spoon the skim the fat from the surface of the sauce.
  • Add the vinegar and parsley, season with salt and pepper and stir well.
  • Spoon 1 cup of sauce over the chops and sprinkle with the bacon. Ladle the remaining sauce into a serving bowl and serve with the chops.
  • Enjoy!

Video

Becky's Tips

Note: You might be tempted to omit the vinegar, but please do not. In my opinion, it is one of the most important ingredients in this dish.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!

Meet Becky Hardin

Becky Hardin is a wife and mother living in Saint Louis Missouri. She founded The Cookie Rookie in 2012 as a creative way to share recipes. Now, she is a trusted resource for easy cooking around the world, being featured in Taste of Home, The Kitchn, ABC’s Home and Family, and more. Here at The Cookie Rookie she is the editor in chief of all recipes and continues to enjoy sharing her passion for cooking for busy families. She has since founded two additional food blogs, Easy Chicken Recipes and Easy Dessert Recipes.

4.68 from 37 votes (34 ratings without comment)
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8 Comments
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Robert L Sample
Robert L Sample
April 19, 2020 10:26 am

I’ve got to try this one… though I might leave out the bacon. The ingredients list, while long, encompasses things I usually have. Your recipes are always the best!

Becky Hardin
Becky Hardin
April 26, 2020 1:11 pm

I hope you enjoy it!!

Suzy
Suzy
January 6, 2020 1:36 pm

We make these all of the time! Love using the crockpot for a more hands off recipe!5 stars

Becky Hardin
Becky Hardin
January 10, 2020 4:29 pm
Reply to  Suzy

I’m glad I could help make things easier for you!

Mel
Mel
January 6, 2020 12:07 pm

thanks for the recommendation to use bone-in pork. I’ve used boneless before and it seems to dry out the meat. delicious!5 stars

Becky Hardin
Becky Hardin
January 10, 2020 4:29 pm
Reply to  Mel

I’m glad you loved it!

Erin
Erin
January 6, 2020 11:04 am

Yes, these pork chops are a must make. We love them and that sauce over them is so good!5 stars

Becky Hardin
Becky Hardin
January 10, 2020 4:29 pm
Reply to  Erin

Thanks, Erin! I’m so glad you guys love them!