Thursday, May 2, 2024

Crock Pot Pork Chops and Gravy

Photo from The 
Country Cook
Once the crock pot is out, I use it several nights in a row. Last night I made pot roast for book club. Tonight I made crock pot pork chops. 

I bought this MASSIVE thick pork chops. They must have been at least an inch and a half, maybe 2 inches thick. They cooked really well in the crock pot. I like using thicker chops in the crock pot. I think the texture is better. 

This was a solid recipe. I didn't salt anything and boy and I glad. The packets that get added have enough sodium. I actually watered down the gravy a bit half way through to see if it would take out some of the salt, and it did.

I didn't have to add any corn starch. The broth and the soup made it thick enough. Even adding water to it, the gravy was still a nice consistency. 


Crock Pot Pork Chops and Gravy
Recipe from The Country Cook
Serves 4
  • 1 (1 oz) packet onion soup mix
  • 1 (14 oz) can chicken broth, low sodium
  • 1 (10.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup, low sodium
  • 1 (1 oz) packet dry pork gravy mix
  • 4 bone-in pork chops
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 3 T cornstarch
  • 3 T cold water

In a 5-6 quart oval slow cooker, combine onion soup mix, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup and pork gravy mix. Whisk together until combined.

Season both sides of the chops with a little bit of garlic powder. Place pork chops into the slow cooker. Do your best to spread them out and cover with the gravy mixture.

Cover and cook on low about 4-6 hours.

Just before the pork chops are done - whisk together the corn starch and cold water in a small bowl. Once it is smooth, pour it in with your pork chops in the slow cooker and stir gently.

Cover and switch the slow cooker to high and cook for another 30 minutes (until gravy has thickened.)

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Slow Cooked Roast with Creamy Mushroom Gravy

Photo from Melissa's Southern
Style Kitchen
Book club always brings out yummy food. Every time I have the ladies over I ponder what would be a delicious meal. I often don't want to be in the kitchen so I try to find some slow cooker recipes. 

Pot roast is a nice, go-to recipe. I have made pot roast a thousand times. It was dad's favorite meal, and I gotta say, it is in my top 5 favorites too. 

This one couldn't be more simple. Literally, toss the beef, soup and broth into a slow cooker. Well, after
you sear the roast. It's important to do that. It locks in flavor. 

The part that tripped me up was the gravy. Mom always made gravy with the drippings and a flour/water slurry. This recipe is with drippings and cream of mushroom soup. eh? But you guys, the gravy was, quite possibly, the best gravy I've ever had. It was so good. I'll be doing that again. 

I served it with mashed potatoes. I've never made mashed potatoes with pot roast. I always drop in red potatoes into the crock pot. But the recipe suggested mashed potatoes, so I went that route. WHY have I never done that before? Way better than potatoes in the crock pot.

I am adding this recipe to my 2024 favorites. It was that good. 

Slow Cooked Roast with Creamy Mushroom Gravy
Recipe from Melissa's Southern Style Kitchen

Serves 6
  • 1 4 lb Chuck Roast
  • 3 Tablespoon steak seasoning
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
  • 1 18.5 oz can French onion soup or 2 cups beef stock
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 10 3/4 oz can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1-2 lb carrots peeled, cut into quarters or peeled baby carrots. whole
  • 8 oz frozen pearl onions
  • salt & black pepper to taste

Pat dry the roast, then season the roast on all sides with steak seasoning.

On the stove top, heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Brown the roast on every side in the hot oil, turning as needed.

Remove the roast to your slow cooker. Add the chopped garlic to the pan and sauté for 1 minute. Add the French Onion soup into the sauté pan to deglaze the pan. Pour the warm soup and garlic over the roast.

Sprinkle the Worcestershire sauce over the roast, and arrange the carrots around the edge of the slow cooker. Season everything with salt and black pepper to your taste.

Set your slow cooker to cook for 8-10 hours on the low setting.

Add the frozen pearl onions approximately 2 hours, before the roast is done, so they won't overcook.

When the roast has finished cooking, and is pull apart tender, pour the liquid from the roast into a stove top sauce pan.

Bring the drippings to a boil and add the cream of mushroom soup. Whisk the soup into the drippings, and simmer for around 5-7 minutes on low heat until the gravy turns a medium brown color and thickens.

Taste and adjust the seasonings to your taste.

Slice the roast and arrange it on a serving platter with the vegetables.

Drizzle the gravy on top and serve.