The Key Steps People Miss For Juicy Slow Cooker Pork Chops

Pork chops are an underrated cut of meat, often overshadowed by beef steaks. Part of the problem is that pork chops are notoriously easy to overcook and dry out. As delicious as they may be on the grill or breaded and fried, they still require some finesse. Even in a slow cooker, pork chops can dry out if they're not handled the right way, leaving you with tough, flavorless meat that does not make a pleasant meal. Luckily, there are some tricks to ensure you get a juicy, delicious bite every time.

The first key to success with using a slow cooker is knowing the different kinds of pork chops. There are several different cuts of pork chop, which include rib chops, shoulder chops, porterhouse chops, and sirloin chops. You can also find boneless pork chops, which are typically made from ribs or loins. They are not a different cut since they have only been deboned. 

Just like various cuts of steak, the different pork chop cuts lend themselves to certain cooking methods. When you're working with a slow cooker, you want a thick-cut pork chop that has good fat and marbling. A shoulder chop, or blade chop as it is sometimes called, is your best bet. Sirloin can also work in a pinch. Slow cooking a boneless chop is not recommended, as cooking thin chops like a thick one is a classic pork chop mistake with this method.

Brining a pork chop before cooking is a good idea for two reasons. The most obvious one is that you're adding flavor, which is never a bad thing, but it also infuses the chop with moisture and helps prevent it from drying out and overcooking on you. You can work with flavors and add different seasonings or go for a basic brine of salt and water. Whatever recipe you use, make sure you let the pork chops soak in the brine. This can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 8 hours. Four hours is a good brine time if you plan to slow-cook them.

Cooking your pork chops for a longer time at a lower temperature is the key to ensuring they are tender and juicy when they're done. This allows the fats to render and give you the texture you're looking for. If your slow cooker only has a low and high setting, put it on low and allow the chops to cook for up to six hours, although they may be done in as little as two. Cooking them longer will allow the fats to render more and make a more tender, fall-off-the-bone dish in the end.

You can have a lot of variation when it comes to your cooking liquid. A classic old-school slow-cooker pork chop approach involves using a can of cream of mushroom soup and some chopped onion. You can get a more flavorful sauce by browning the pork chops in a skillet first, then sauteing mushrooms and onions before deglazing the pan and making a gravy that you pour over the chops in the slow cooker.