Slow Cooked Apple Bourbon Smothered Pork Chops

Slow Cooked Apple Bourbon Smothered Pork Chops ~ that’s a delicious mouthful! The pork cooks low and slow in the oven, or crock pot, and becomes fork tender in a rich gravy made with cider and bourbon.

When it comes to pork chops, I think slow cooking in a braising liquid is the only way to go ~ otherwise I find them too tough. The long, low, and slow cooking breaks down the fat and collagen in the meat and it becomes super tender. The cider vinegar in this recipe provides a further tenderizing effect, and when you smother the finished chops in the rich gravy that they’ve been cooked in, you get a spectacular result.

TIP: For successful slow cooking make sure the meat is completely covered in liquid, and be sure you have a tight fitting lid. You want the liquid to remain for the duration of the cooking.

For smothered pork chops I used meaty pork loin chops, either with or without the bone. Mine were about 1/2 pound each, the thicker the better. You can really use any type of pork chop in this recipe, as long as they aren’t thin.

You’ll want an apple, and some large shallots. Mince the shallots and peel and dice the apple. Then brown the chops on both sides and arrange them in a wide cast iron braising pan or Dutch oven.

The sauteed shallots go in, then the apples, and the liquid.

Tuck in some fresh sage sprigs and it’s ready for the oven. I cook it at 275F for 3 hours. I like to check after an hour to make the sure liquid is just barely simmering, not boiling, and I’ll adjust the temperature according to what I find.

TIP: You can do this in your slow cooker if you like, turn it to low and cook the chops for 6 hours.

When it’s done, remove the chops to a platter and puree the liquid into a thick gravy. Serve ‘smothered’ in the gravy, with more on the side.

The inside of the lid (below) tells the whole flavor story…

An enameled cast iron braising pan is perfect for this dish. It has a round, shallow shape that allows the meat to spread out and cook evenly. The heavy cast iron walls moderate and retain the heat. A 4 quart size works perfectly for this slow cooked pork chop recipe, and it’s a very convenient size to have around, I’ve used this same pan to bake my

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It works well for a family of four, but you can find them in smaller or larger sizes to suit your needs, and at lots of different price points, too. It’s one of my favorite types of pans.

Slow Cooked Apple Bourbon Smothered Pork Chops

3.66 from 66 votes

Slow Cooked Apple Bourbon Smothered Pork Chops ~ that’s a delicious mouthful!  The pork cooks low and slow in the oven, or crock pot, and becomes fork tender in a rich gravy made with cider and bourbon.

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Prep Time:15 minutes minutes

Cook Time:3 hours hours

Servings: 4 servings

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Ingredients

 

• 4 center cut pork loin chops
• salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced or chopped
• 1 large apple, any variety, peeled and chopped
• 3 fresh sage sprigs, or about 1/4 cup leaves
• olive oil

sauce

• 1/2 cup bourbon
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup apple cider
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
• salt
• fresh cracked black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 275F (check with an oven thermometer)
• Whisk the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
• Coat the bottom of a large cast iron braising pan with olive oil and heat on medium high until hot but not smoking.
• Season the chops with salt and pepper on both sides, and then brown them for 2 minutes per side in the hot pan. Set aside on a plate.
• Reduce the heat and add the shallots to the pan, along with a splash of water if it’s very dry. Saute the shallots for a couple of minutes, until softened.
• Put the chops back in the pan with the shallots, and add the chopped apples and sage. Pour the sauce over all. Cover tightly and cook for 3 hours at 275F. Check after one hour to make sure the pot is just barely simmering, not boiling. If your oven is too hot, turn it down.
• Remove the pork chops to a plate. Remove the sage sprigs, and puree the gravy. Spoon it over the pork chops.

Notes

• Nothing says you have to puree the gravy, if you like it thin, leave it as i

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Author: Sue Moran

Keyword: apples, crock pot, dinner, fall, Instant Pot, pork chops, slow cooker

Nutrition

Calories: 308 kcal · Carbohydrates: 18 g · Protein: 30 g · Fat: 5 g · Saturated Fat: 2 g · Cholesterol: 88 mg · Sodium: 114 mg · Potassium: 676 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 16 g · Vitamin A: 25 IU · Vitamin C: 3 mg · Calcium: 22 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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