Slow Cooker Pork Chops Question

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milford

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Bedford, Oh
I need to slow cook a lot of pork chops. Around 15-20. I think it will fit in my 8 Qt. but my question is, can I cook that many at once?
I have found lots of recipes for pork chops, but all call for one layer of chops in a slow cooker. Is it possible to cook that many ( 4 layers ) at one time?
 
Will you be braising them in a liquid?

Unless the chops are very fatty, as in loin end chops vs center cut rib chops, they will hecome very dry, so you'll need a sauce.

It can be done, but it would help to turn the layers at least 2 or 3 times.
 
Fifteen to twenty pork chops in an 8 qt slow cooker? My opinion is you'll end up with a mess unless you have access to an 18 qt roaster oven such as a Nesco or the like.

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Milford, I can't imagine cramming 15-20 raw pork chops in an 8 qt. slow cooker and expecting them to be tasty (let alone safe for consumption), no matter what cut they are. :ermm:

Is there any particular reason why you can't cook them any other way? Even if it means several cooking cycles on sheet pans in the oven, then maybe using the crock pot to keep them warm? Remember, browning is flavor, and a crock pot can't do that.

Much more information needed here....
 
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Good point, Cheryl, about the raw chops. It didn't occur to me to mention that I would have quickly browned all of the chops first, either in a skillet or on a grill.

I don't think I've ever put raw meat in a slow cooker.
 
Sorry. For me its a given. The chops, along with all meat I put in a slow cooker, would be fried first.

Don't plan on buying an 18 Qt. roaster just for one recipe.

It will be cooking in a liquid/sauce.
 
Is there some reason you need to use a crockpot Milford? You could brown your chops, then sauce them and use a covered roaster pan in the oven with lots better results. If you don't have a roaster pan, you could use one of the disposable foil pans and cover it with foil. There's nothing you can't do in an oven that you can do in a crock pot.
 
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Is there some reason you need to use a crockpot Milford?

Mabe for the same reason you keep pushing that roaster.

I like crockpots! I own 5 crockpots and am looking into getting a 10 Qt. that Hamilton Beech just came out with.
 
The thought of pork chops floating in warm liquid for 8 hours.....


Lol, well, now that ypu put it that way... :sick:

Actually, when I can get a cheap, fatty loin end pork roast, I do it in the slow cooker. I brown the well seasoned roast on all sides in a skillet, then sweat some onions and garlic in the same skillet, and deglaze with white wine. The onions are put in the slow cooker along with the deglazing liquid, a little stock, some quartered apples, chunks of carrots, and fresh thyme. I've also added quartered fennel too, but not everyone like fresh fennel.

The browned roast is then put on top of the veggies (bone side down) so it's mostly held out of the liquid.

The apples break down a bit after 3 or 4 hours, so they end up being part of the gravy. The veggies are removed and served on the side, and the remaining liquid is reduced and finished with a good chunk of butter.

I guess this can be done with leaner pork chops, but you'll definitely need the gravy.
 
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Id be very worried about food safety with all that meat held in the danger zone for so long.

This is definitely a job for the oven, IMO
 
Mabe for the same reason you keep pushing that roaster.

I like crockpots! I own 5 crockpots and am looking into getting a 10 Qt. that Hamilton Beech just came out with.

If you already have that many and are really firm about doing it in the slow cooker, why not break the dish down between 2 or 3 pots?
 
Id be very worried about food safety with all that meat held in the danger zone for so long.

This is definitely a job for the oven, IMO
That's a good point. People cook 4 - 5 lb. roasts in a slow cooker, and I wonder how much difference there is between chops and a solid piece of meat. Intuitively, I would think that unless they are tightly stacked, the chops would come up to temperature in less time. Browning the chops first would help a bit, as would cooking on high for the first hour or two.

I've always wondered about how long meat is in the danger zone for things like big roasts or turkeys. How about roasting entire pigs?
 
I've only used used my slow cooker on high, and I think the longest time was 4 hours.

But no one has gotten sick nor died yet, so there's that.

Outside of the falling sky, have there ever been reports of people getting food poisoning from slow cookers? They've been around quite a long time now.
 
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