Smothered Pork Chops

There's nothing better than food smothered with lots and lots of gravy.  This is great Southern comfort food.


Smothered Pork Chops

Adapted from this recipe from Foodnetwork.com

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp. onion powder
• 2 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. cayenne
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 4 bone-in pork chops, 3/4 inch thick
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped (optional)
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, roughly chopped (optional)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped (optional)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

Directions:

1. Put the flour in a shallow dish and add the onion power, garlic powder, cayenne, salt and pepper.  Mix with a fork to mix evenly.  
2. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and dredge them in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess.
3. Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and add the oil.  When the oil is hot, add the pork chops and fry for 3 minutes per side or until golden brown.  
4. Remove the pork chops from the pan and add the onions and mushrooms (if using).  Saute for 3-5 minutes or until onion is translucent.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  
5. If needed, add 1-2 tbsp. more oil (or butter).  Stir in 2 tbsp. of the leftover seasoned flour to the pan drippings.  Stir the flour around and cook for about a minute then pour in the chicken broth.  Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to thicken slightly.
6. Stir in the buttermilk and return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce.  Simmer for 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through.  

Notes & Suggestions:

I used boneless pork chops because that's what I had in the freezer.  Make sure you season the pork chops before you flour them (I used Emeril's Original Essence, but just salt and pepper works great too).  Even though the flour has seasoning in it, the meat will be bland if it's not seasoned.

I doubled the amount of chicken broth and buttermilk because we like lots of gravy.  I had to add another tbsp. of flour (mixed in with a little water to make a slurry) to the gravy before I added the pork chops back in because the gravy was a little too thin.  It ended up thickening as it simmered with the pork chops.

This recipe can also be made with chicken.     

This is great served with mashed potatoes or rice.