My mom is hands down the best cook I know. Growing up, I loved sitting at the kitchen counter and watching her while she cooked. She would explain to me what she was doing and why. The older I got the more she would let me help and it was so much fun! She always put so much love into her recipes and everything was always delicious. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a meal that she made that I didn’t like. Well except this one time she went on this diet where she didn’t salt her food (thank goodness that didn’t last long) 🙂
Now that I have my own family, I love that I am able to share memories of my childhood with my husband and daughters through my mother’s recipes. And one recipe that reminds me so much of my childhood is smothered pork chops.
These smothered pork chops are unlike any other. They are first seared on the stove and then cooked in the oven for an hour and a half to two hours. Now I know that might catch you by surprise — cooking pork chops for two hours?! But this technique makes these pork chops the most tender pork chops that I have ever tasted. Just trust me and let me change your life!
This recipe is exactly how my mother would make it with the exception that I used tapioca flour instead of all-purpose flour.
Recipe Notes:
- I used 1 inch thick pork loin chops. If you have thinner pork chops, you will want to adjust the cooking time.
- I cook these uncovered.
- Do not make your gravy too thick. The gravy will continue thicken while cooking with pork chops in the oven.
- Once the pork chops are done cooking, if you still want a thicker gravy, remove the pork chops from the skillet, scoop some of the gravy up in cup, add flour to the cup of gravy and make a slurry and then add it to the gravy. Whisk until gravy reaches desired thickness. Make sure you do this step on the stove over medium heat.
Smothered Pork Chops (Whole30/Paleo)
Ingredients
- 4 pork loin chops, 1 inch thick
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 & 1/2 tsp of granulated garlic
- 1 tsp paprika
- 6 tbsp of avocado oil
- 3 tbsp of tapioca flour
- 1/2 of white onion, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, slice
- 4 cups of chicken stock
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Season both sides of pork chops with 1 tsp of granulated garlic, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat avocado oil in skillet over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add the pork chops and sear on first side for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, flip and sear on the other side for 5 minutes. Once both sides have been seared, transfer pork chops to a plate.
- Add sliced bell peppers and onions to the skillet and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes. Next, add 3 tbsp of tapioca flour to the skillet and cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add chicken broth and whisk until gravy has thickened. Season the gravy by adding 1/2 tsp of granulated garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Next, add the pork chops back into the skillet and cover with gravy. Place pork chops in preheated oven and cook for 1 hour and a half to 2 hours or until pork chops are fork tender.
- Serve over cauliflower rice or mashed potatoes!
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