Brown Sugar Pork Chops – Slow Cooker

This slow cooker brown sugar pork chop recipe uses just four simple ingredients to make a rich, tasty dinner. Bone-in pork chops cook low and slow in a sweet, tangy sauce made from brown sugar, Italian dressing, and soy sauce. It’s an easy, family-favorite meal with a homemade taste.

This slow cooker brown sugar pork chop recipe only needs four ingredients, and it’s one of those cheap, super easy tricks that feels like it shouldn’t taste as good as it does. My dad used to make something like this when I was a kid growing up in the Midwest, usually on busy weeknights when we didn’t have a lot of time or money. He used simple pantry foods — brown sugar, a plain bottle of Italian dressing, and a little soy sauce — to turn cheap bone-in pork chops into something that tasted like it came from a cozy restaurant down the street.

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 thick bone-in pork chops (about 2½ to 3 pounds, 1 to 1¼ inches thick)
• 1 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup regular bottled Italian salad dressing
• ¼ cup soy sauce (low-sodium preferred)

Brown Sugar Pork Chops: Directions

1. Gently dry the pork chops with paper towels. This helps them brown better later and keeps extra water out of the sauce.
2. This step is optional, but it’s a good idea: Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat, then sear the pork chops for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until they turn a light brown color. You don’t need to cook them all the way through — you’re just adding extra flavor and color. Move the seared chops into the slow cooker, laying them out in one flat layer if you can. If you don’t want to sear them, just put the raw pork chops straight into the slow cooker.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, Italian dressing, and soy sauce. Mix until most of the sugar has dissolved and the sauce looks smooth and shiny.
4. Pour the brown sugar sauce evenly over the pork chops inside the slow cooker. Make sure every chop gets coated, and let some of the sauce settle underneath them too.
5. Cover the slow cooker with its lid and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours, or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. The pork chops are ready when they are very soft and almost falling off the bone. Every slow cooker heats a little differently, so start checking near the shorter end of the cooking time.
6. When the pork is soft and cooked, carefully take the chops out of the slow cooker with tongs or a spatula. Try not to break them. Place them on a serving plate. Be careful, since they will be very soft and can fall apart easily.
7. Skim any extra fat off the top of the sauce left in the slow cooker. If you want a thicker, stickier sauce, turn the slow cooker to HIGH, take off the lid, and let the sauce cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring every so often, until it gets a little thicker and looks glossy around the edges.
8. Spoon the warm, shiny brown sugar sauce over the pork chops until they look well coated and glossy. Serve right away, and put extra sauce on the table so everyone can add more to their sides.