CAJUN SMOTHERED PORK CHOPS & GRAVY

This is the kind of old-fashioned South Louisiana meal that fits your recipe section perfectly: well-browned pork chops slowly smothered until tender in a rich onion gravy, then served over hot rice. 

Style: Traditional Cajun/Acadiana cooking 
Serves: 4–6 
Prep time: 15 minutes 
Cook time: About 1 hour 15 minutes 
Total time: About 1½ hours 

Ingredients 

• 6 bone-in pork chops, about 3/4-inch thick  
• 1½ teaspoons Cajun seasoning  
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper  
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour  
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil  
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced  
• 1/2 cup diced celery  
• 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper  
• 3 cloves garlic, minced  
• 2 cups chicken stock  
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce  
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves  
• 1 bay leaf  
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley  
• 2 green onions, sliced  
• Salt to taste  
• Hot cooked Louisiana long-grain rice  

Instructions 

1. Season the pork. Pat the pork chops dry and season both sides with Cajun seasoning and black pepper. Lightly dredge them in flour, shaking off the excess.  
2. Brown the chops. Heat the oil in a heavy Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chops well on both sides, working in batches if necessary. Remove them and set aside.  
3. Build the gravy. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper to the drippings. Cook until softened and the onions begin picking up some brown color, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute.  
4. Make the smothering liquid. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of the remaining seasoned flour over the vegetables. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Slowly add the chicken stock while stirring to work all those browned bits off the bottom of the pot.  
5. Smother the pork. Add Worcestershire, thyme, and the bay leaf. Return the pork chops and their juices to the pot. The gravy should come roughly halfway up the chops.  
6. Cook low and slow. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 45–60 minutes, turning the chops once, until they’re fork-tender and the gravy has thickened.  
7. Finish it. Remove the bay leaf. Taste the gravy and adjust the seasoning. Stir in parsley and green onions just before serving.  
8. Serve. Put a pork chop over a mound of hot white rice and spoon plenty of that brown gravy over everything.  

Cook’s Notes 

• The key here is browning the meat properly before smothering it. Those dark bits left in the bottom of the pot are what give the gravy its depth. 
• Bone-in chops are preferable because they’ll stay juicier during the long simmer. And don’t rush the smothering stage—the pork should be tender enough that you barely need a knife. 
• I’d serve this with corn maque choux, smothered green beans, or buttered field peas, plus French bread for cleaning up the gravy.