Smothered Pork Chops

This recipe from Cook's Country is easier than it looks. It takes a while to make -- figure at least 30 minutes prep time, then an hour and a half in the oven ­-- but the short ingredient list means that it's easy, just time-consuming. And the result is tender pork chops soaking in a thick and delicious onion gravy.

Make sure to have a backup plan for once you've eaten all the meat, because you'll probably still have gravy left afterwards. Serve it over brown rice.

Ingredients

• Spice mix:
• Note: if using the spice mix we have on the counter, that has no salt in it; you will need to salt the chops and sauce.
• 30mL Lowry's Seasoned Salt
• 15mL onion powder
• 5mL garlic powder
• 5mL sweet paprika
• 5mL freshly ground black pepper
• 4 bone in blade or rib end pork chops, ~225g each
• 250mL all-purpose flour
• 125mL peanut oil
• 2 onions, quartered through the root and then sliced thinly
• 750mL water
• 15mL cider vinegar

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Combine the spice mix components.
3. Put the pork chops on a drying rack over a rimmed baking sheet (to catch drips). Rub 2.5mL of spice mix on each side of each pork chop.
4. Combine 20mL of spice mix with half the flour (125mL). Dredge each pork chop in it.
5. Heat the oil in a deep-sided skillet over medium high heat. Pan-fry each pork chop until golden brown on both sides, ~3-4 minutes per side. Return the chops to the rack.
6. Pour off the oil/pork fat/flour/spice mix from the skillet into a liquid measure. Return 64mL to the skillet over medium heat.
7. Mix in the remaining flour and stir until it becomes a thick, peanut-butter-coloured roux, ~3 minutes.
8. Add the onions and remaining spice mix and cook, stirring constantly, until the onions begin to soften, ~2 minutes.
9. Slowly stir in the water to form a smooth gravy.
10. Simmer for ~2 minutes, until it starts to thicken.
11. Pour half the gravy into a baking dish. Put the pork chops on top, overlapping them if necessary. Cover with the rest of the gravy.
12. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 1.5 hours.