Thursday, March 26, 2015

Slow Cooker Cajun Chops

Slow Cookers are great for tenderizing meats. They saturate the meat with all the blended flavors as they cook. Best of all, slow cookers keep the kitchen cool by eliminating the oven and stove-top burners. This recipe will make you want to pack up and move to New Orleans.




                                           Slow Cooker Cajun Chops


4  5-oz. boneless pork chops
3/4 cup AP flour, divided into 1/2 cup for dry marinade and 1/4 cup for slurry
1/2 tsp. Creole Seasoning mix
1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsps. Canola oil
1 can chicken stock
2 carrots, medium diced
1 green bell pepper, medium diced
2 celery stalks, medium diced
1 medium white onion, medium diced
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled and medium diced


Dry Marinade

Mix all but 1/4 cup flour with Creole Seasoning, Old Bay, pepper, and thyme into a large plastic bag.  Add chops one at a time and shake to coat. Heat skillet over medium-high burner, add Canola oil and sear chops 1-2 minutes per side. Use a little of the chicken stock to deglaze pan. Save  for slow cooker. 


Slow Cooker

Pre-heat slow cooker to high. Place seared chops around edges inside slow cooker, forming a bowl for vegetables. Mix up vegetables and add to slow cooker. Mix the remaining 1/4 cup flour held back with a little chicken stock to form slurry. Add remaining chicken stock and slurry to slow cooker. It will help develop a delicious gravy. Don't forget the skillet deglaze.

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.

Note: I included no salt. Chicken stock and seasonings contain salt and should be sufficient. Salt can be added to taste if you prefer. Product should be nicely spied, but you can add a few dashes of Tabasco sauce to liven it up. Put a little N.O. jazz on the stereo and enjoy.