Crockpot Pork Chops with Barbecue Sauce, Apples and Onions. This recipe is mostly hands-off cooking time and is healthy too! Perfect for weeknight dinners.
It’s freezing. And it’s only going to get worse. There’s never a better time to break out the warm, hearty dishes than that first day that you feel the cold in your bones in a way that makes you feel like you’ll never get warm (and you won’t, until next July at least). I am trying to stay warm by moving around a lot. Our house has never been cleaner (yet, simultaneously, dirtier, which I know sounds like an oxymoron but, trust me, it’s possible) and I managed to channel my freezing energy into about 100 pictures of this deceptively simple dish. Sorry for the visual overload.
I might have taken one million pictures for my own enjoyment (and body temperature) but I made this dish for my husband, who is such a good sport about eating chicken night after night that I like to make him a different kind of meat once in awhile, even though I am terrible at cooking basically anything besides chicken or fish. Luckily, the slow cooker does most of the cooking for you in this recipe, and all you have to do is a little chopping, stirring and pouring and then sit back and wait for your oblong personal chef to do the work for you.
We received the slow cooker as a wedding shower gift a little over a year ago, but it’s been only recently that I have really put it to good use – partly out of necessity, but also because the more I use it, the more I realize how versatile it is. In this case, it is a one-pot meal wonder, and this recipe makes several servings so you can easily set yourself up with a few meals, or a quick family-sized supper.
So before you toss your ingredients into the pot and walk away, I have a few tips about this recipe:
- I used thick cup pork chops (from Costco), so if you use thinner ones, you’ll want to reduce the baking time accordingly. My guess would be that you’ll only need an hour and change instead of the full two hours of cooking time.
- Don’t forget that you can easily make your own barbecue sauce for this!
- You can use whatever barbecue sauce you want, but if you are using homemade and it is not as thick as bottled stuff, you may want to reduce the water by a Tablespoon or so.
- If you’re sensitive to high sugar fruits (such as if you’re on a candida cleanse or the SCD diet), you can swap in green apples (ok for candida, not ok for SCD) or red bell peppers. (Though, be aware that BBQ sauce is not going to be low-sugar).
- I have tried this with both onions and shallots and you can’t really tell the difference in the end, so use whatever you have on hand.
Ok, enough talk, let’s eat!
Updated to add: A few readers have asked what size and model slow cooker that I used for this, because it has some bearing on cooking time. This 4-quart model is the one I use.
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
- Ratatouille, which makes a great side dish for this meal!
- Crockpot rice, in case you need a quick carb to pair these pork chops with.
- Homemade barbecue sauce to use in this recipe.
- Slow cooker pulled pork, for next week’s meal plan!
- 2 large or one jumbo honeycrisp apple - about .75 lbs or another sweet-tart variety
- 1 medium onion
- 4 large thick cut pork chops
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce (use a sugar free variety for Whole30 compliance)
- 1/4 cup water
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Thinly slice your apples and onions and transfer them to the bowl of a 4 quart crockpot with a high heat setting. Toss them together gently to combine and spread the mixture to cover the base of the bowl.
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Place the pork chops on top of the apple and onion mixture, spacing them evenly apart from one another.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the barbecue sauce and water.
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Pour the runny sauce over the pork chops, making sure each one is evenly coated.
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Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or until the juices run clear.
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Serve immediately.
- I used thick cup pork chops (from Costco), so if you use thinner ones, you’ll want to reduce the baking time accordingly. Depending on the size of your chops, you'll probably only need high heat for about 1 hour, or low heat for 90 min-to-2 hours.
- You can use whatever barbecue sauce you want, but if you are using homemade and it is not as thick as bottled stuff, you may want to reduce the water by a Tablespoon or so.
- If you're making your own BBQ sauce, omit the sugar, molasses, or maple syrup (depending on the recipe) for Whole30 compliance.
- If you’re sensitive to high sugar fruits (such as if you’re on a candida cleanse or the SCD diet), you can swap in green apples (ok for candida, not ok for SCD) or red bell peppers. (Though, be aware that BBQ sauce is not going to be low-sugar).
- I have tried this with both onions and shallots and you can’t really tell the difference in the end, so use whatever you have on hand.
- Don’t forget that you can easily make your own barbecue sauce for this
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Pin it for later 👇
Rebecca @ NOURISHED.theblog says
My boyfriend would absolutely love this!! I can’t wait to make it for him.
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
That’s great! I hope he likes it!
The-FoodTrotter says
Yummy, this recipe looks gorgeous and flavourful! I need to do it soon 🙂
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Thank you so much! If you do make it, let me know what you think!
SYBIL SMITH says
I LOVE CHOPS OF ANY KIND I HAVE TO TRY THIS.
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
I hope you enjoy these!
Monica says
Ohh you got me with that first picture — I’m suddenly very acutely aware of how hungry I am…Totally a plus that it’s a crockpot recipe! (: Hope you’re keeping warm; have some hot cider for the fall!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Ah, my evil plan worked! 😉 Hope you’re staying warm too!
Janel Buchanan says
if you put the crock on law, how long can it cook for without ruining the chops?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
To be honest, I haven’t tried it enough on low to give you a perfect answer, but I think doubling the time would be a good place to start (that may not be enough time, but it’s easier to check it after 4-6 hours and add more time than cook it too long and ruin it!). Since this is a relatively lower-fat cut of meat, it’s tricky to balance cooking it long enough to make it safe to eat with drying it out terribly. Sorry I don’t have a clearer answer for you. It’s really best to cook it on high if your crockpot has that setting!
Rosie says
Can you sub something else for the bbq sauce?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Hi Rosie, unfortunately, the BBQ sauce is the source of most of the flavor and a lot of the moisture in the recipe. You might try apple juice or cider but I’d also recommend adding some spices (perhaps the spices that are called for in the bbq sauce recipe, though in smaller quantities!) to make sure the dish isn’t too bland. Fair warning though: I have not tried this with apple juice or cider so I can’t promise the results!
TaRysa says
Would adding an hour for frozen pork chops be long enough do you think? I just found this recipe and it looks incredible! I want to make it tonight!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Hi TaRysa! To be honest, I can’t say for sure, but I think 45-60 additional minutes should be a good amount of time to compensate for using chops straight from the freezer. HOWEVER – sorry to be a party pooper – I feel obligated to at least mention that it is not recommended that you use meat straight from teh freezer because it spends too much time at “spoiling temperature” (More info here: http://www.thekitchn.com/can-you-cook-frozen-meat-in-a-slow-cooker-good-questions-218843). If you do it all the time and you’re comfortable with it, then by all means, go for it! But I wouldn’t feel like a responsible recipe resource if I didn’t at least mention it! 🙂 Let me know how it goes!
Shelley says
Do you add any salt or pepper or any other seasonings to this? The picture of the pork chops looks like they have pepper on them aND also some parsley thrown in.
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Typically, your BBQ sauce should have enough flavor that you won’t need any extra seasoning unless you want it. I like to keep the recipes as simple and straightforward as possible, so pepper and parsley for garnish is not necessary, but you can definitely add it if you want to!
Meghann says
Do you peal the apples?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
I’ve tried it both ways. If you want to peel them, you certainly can, but I typically don’t anymore to save time.
Kelly says
Is it really only 2 hours?? I’m headed to the store right now!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
It is only 2 hours if your slow cooker has a high heat setting! If you only have one/low it will be more like 4-6 hours. I hope you enjoy this! 🙂
Kelly says
Can’t believe I forgot to respond! I was in a food coma. This is a great recipe! Making it again tonight!
Linda says
Have it in the crockpot cooking right now, will let you know how or goes. Looks really yummy.
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Yes please! I hope you enjoyed it!
Miranda says
Do you have an estimate on the calorie count for each serving?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Hi Miranda, I just added the nutritional info to this recipe. I used VERY large and thick chops, so the recipe produces 4 servings at about 600 calories/serving. However, about 450-500 cals per serving is attributable to the chop, so if you’re using smaller or thinner cuts, please adjust the nutritional info accordingly. I hope that helps!
Sarah archer says
What would you recommend to serve with this?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Hi Sarah! In my house, we tend to keep weeknight meals pretty simple with a protein and a vegetable. I like a hearty winter salad with this dish. Maybe something like this: https://acleanbake.com/roasted-carrot-salad/, and if you’d like a starch too, some roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes with rosemary and olive oil would round out the meal very nicely!
Jillian says
This was very delicious and easy! Loved how it was short cooking time and once put in the crock pot I didn’t have to do anything else. Def. Adding into our rotation.
Megan says
Do you think you could cook this on low? Our crock pot tends to burn/dry out things (runs really hot). If I can cook on low, how long would you guesstimate cook time? Thank you!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Hi Megan! Yes, you most likely could. I don’t know for exactly how long but I’d guess 3.5-4 hours, then check it to see if it’s done or needs a little more time. Sorry I can’t tell you exactly! If you do work it out, can you let me know how much cooking time (on low) was best? Thanks!
Bill Dixon says
How do I print this recipe, the instructions, and the nutritional information, and maybe a couple of pictures in a PDF format to save to my computer? If I try to print up everthing I get ads in all the wrong places blocking the recipe and/or the instructions. Help??
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Hi Bill! I would not recommend printing this page, which is why you are getting all the ads. Please scroll to the recipe card and use the “Print” button which will generate a clean, print-friendly version of the recipe in a new tab of your browser. It also contains a picture! Unfortunately it does not include the nutritional info – sorry about that. Please let me know if you’re still having trouble!
Danielle says
is it still two hours if i double it?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
It will depend on the size of your chops and the machine you are using. I would recommend starting with 2 hours and adding more time as necessary, rather than risking your meal getting dried out!
Melissa says
Same time for a 6qt crockpot? Thanks!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Yes, it should be approximately the same amount of time, but I would start at 90 minutes just to be on the safe side (with more room for air to circulate, the chops might cook a tiny bit faster).
Kayshla says
Will this recipe be okay to serve with Quinoa?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Should be fine!
Kirsten says
I made this Whole30 compliant so made my own BBQ sauce which tasted NOTHING like real BBQ sauce which to me is a bit spicy and smoky. So the recipe for me turned out a bit bland, but I am sure if you used regular BBQ sauce it would be much more flavorful. The meat was tender and the apples/onion combo was really yummy. There is no salt or pepper mentioned in the recipe but I added it, as well as some herbs at the end to give it some color and a bit more flavor.
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Hi Kirsten! Thanks for sharing your experience! In the future, you can use the homemade BBQ sauce recipe that is linked in the post, and just leave out the maple syrup for Whole30 compliance. The reason there is no salt and pepper in the recipes is because all of the seasoning and flavor is supposed to come from the BBQ sauce. But feel free to season to your preference!
Emma says
These turned out great! Thank you for the recipe.
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
You’re welcome, Emma!