One-Pot Smothered Pork Chops with Broccoli
By America's Test KitchenPublished on September 11, 2020
Time
1½ hours
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 slices bacon, chopped fine4 (8- to 10-ounce) bone-in blade-cut pork chops, ¾ inch thick, trimmedSalt and pepper ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 onion, halved and sliced thin4 garlic cloves, minced1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried½ teaspoon red pepper flakes 2 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1¾ cups chicken broth 2 bay leaves 1 pound broccoli florets, cut into 1-inch pieces2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Before You Begin
Serve with egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes; transfer to paper towel–lined plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat left in pot.
- Cut 2 slits, about 2 inches apart, through fat on edges of each pork chop. Pat chops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat fat left in pot over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chops (they will overlap slightly) and brown on both sides, 7 to 10 minutes; transfer to separate plate.
- Add 2 tablespoon oil, onion, and ¼ teaspoon salt to now-empty pot and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until onion is lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, thyme, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in water, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low, add flour, and cook, stirring often, until well browned, about 5 minutes.
- Slowly whisk in broth, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Add bay leaves. Nestle browned chops and any accumulated juices into onion mixture. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and cook until chops are almost fork-tender, about 1 hour.
- Remove pot from oven, uncover, and place steamer basket on top of chops. Add broccoli to steamer, cover pot, and continue to cook in oven until broccoli is tender, about 20 minutes
- Remove pot from oven and remove basket of broccoli from pot. Toss broccoli in bowl with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer chops to platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest while finishing sauce. Using large spoon, skim any fat from surface of stew. Bring stew to simmer over medium heat and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over chops, sprinkle with bacon and parsley, and serve with broccoli.
Time
1½ hoursYield
Serves 4Ingredients
3 slices bacon, chopped fine
4 (8- to 10-ounce) bone-in blade-cut pork chops, ¾ inch thick, trimmed
Salt and pepper
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, halved and sliced thin
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1¾ cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 pound broccoli florets, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Ingredients
3 slices bacon, chopped fine
4 (8- to 10-ounce) bone-in blade-cut pork chops, ¾ inch thick, trimmed
Salt and pepper
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, halved and sliced thin
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1¾ cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 pound broccoli florets, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Ingredients
3 slices bacon, chopped fine
4 (8- to 10-ounce) bone-in blade-cut pork chops, ¾ inch thick, trimmed
Salt and pepper
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, halved and sliced thin
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1¾ cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 pound broccoli florets, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Why This Recipe Works
Browning blade-cut chops in bacon fat (reserving crisped bacon for garnish) created a savory foundation for the gravy. We sautéed onion, garlic, and aromatics in the fat before adding a little flour and some chicken broth. Finally, we nestled in our browned chops and transferred the pot to the oven, where the tough cut of pork rendered its fat slowly, becoming tender and juicy in the braising liquid during the 1-hour simmer. For a vegetable side, we followed the clever advice of one test cook who suggested placing a steamer basket of broccoli over the chops when they were nearly done cooking. Nicking the edges of the pork chops ensured that they didn’t curl during browning.
Before You Begin
Serve with egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes; transfer to paper towel–lined plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat left in pot.
- Cut 2 slits, about 2 inches apart, through fat on edges of each pork chop. Pat chops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat fat left in pot over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chops (they will overlap slightly) and brown on both sides, 7 to 10 minutes; transfer to separate plate.
- Add 2 tablespoon oil, onion, and ¼ teaspoon salt to now-empty pot and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until onion is lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, thyme, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in water, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low, add flour, and cook, stirring often, until well browned, about 5 minutes.
- Slowly whisk in broth, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Add bay leaves. Nestle browned chops and any accumulated juices into onion mixture. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and cook until chops are almost fork-tender, about 1 hour.
- Remove pot from oven, uncover, and place steamer basket on top of chops. Add broccoli to steamer, cover pot, and continue to cook in oven until broccoli is tender, about 20 minutes
- Remove pot from oven and remove basket of broccoli from pot. Toss broccoli in bowl with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer chops to platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest while finishing sauce. Using large spoon, skim any fat from surface of stew. Bring stew to simmer over medium heat and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over chops, sprinkle with bacon and parsley, and serve with broccoli.
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