Smothered pork chops are not a food of my partner’s culture, but they are definitely part of my Midwestern childhood. When I first served baked smothered pork chops from the oven with the layers of chops and onions and creamy white mushroom sauce, it blew my partner’s mind. Two weeks ago, he began mentioning that there were pork chops in the freezer that “need to be eaten,” followed by “smothered pork chops” under his breath. Unfortunately, our oven has been “on the fritz” (as my mom would say), and I only had golden mushroom soup in the cupboard. But we have our wonderful Lodge Dutch oven! So, I played a little and made a stovetop version instead. It is a different take on my childhood comfort food, but it certainly is tasty.

Serves 4

For the chops

• 4 pork chops (1-2 pounds)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• ½ tsp paprika

For the “smother”

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil or bacon fat (you just want fat to cover the bottom of your pan)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 cup mushrooms sliced
• 1 cup yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp thyme (I used dried because our plant suddenly died)
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 can condensed golden mushroom soup
• ½ cup half and half
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 tsp salt

Garnish with chopped parsley and salt/pepper to taste. If you are watching your salt, you can omit it at any step of the cooking process.

Let’s Do This!

• Mix the salt, pepper, and paprika together in a small bowl.
• Pat the chops dry with a paper towel and sprinkle each side with the seasoning. Let the seasoned chops rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes (up to 2 hours). You want to bring the chops to room temp. Once the resting is complete, blot the meat on both sides with a paper towel to wick away any excess moisture.
• Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add enough oil/grease to cover the bottom. When the fat starts to shimmer, begin searing your chops in batches. I always sear the fat cap first to add its juices to the pan.
• Sear each side in a flip/flop method. Sear one side for one minute; flip and sear on the second side and repeat, flipping each minute, until the meat thermometer registers 135°F at the center. This is about 3-5 minutes per side (6-10 min total). If your chops are on the thinner side, sear for less time, and vice versa for thicker chops.
• Remove the chops from the pan and set aside on a plate. It will continue cooking.

• To the pan, add butter to the remaining drippings and bits.
• Add the onion, mushrooms, and brown sugar. Saute for 6-8 minutes on medium until the onion is softened and caramelization has started. The juices from the onion will start the deglazing process.
• Add the thyme and garlic. Stir until the garlic is cooked but not burned.
• Deglaze with white wine.
• Add the mushroom soup, half and half, and dijon mustard. Bring to a simmer and turn the heat down to medium-low, stirring and thickening the sauce for about five minutes. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
• Return the pork chops to the pan for 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes.

Notes

I only made 2 chops for our recipe but realized that we had so much sauce that it could actually have served four. As a result, when I asked my partner to plate the dish for the picture he was overzealous with the sauce. I promise there is a pork chop in that picture somewhere! But we ate all that was on our plates with sauce left over. Once it was cool, I put the extra sauce into a freezer bag. Later, on a busy night, I can just fry a couple of chops in the cast iron, plate, and add the reheated sauce.