The tangiest melt in your mouth dinner

Recipe is the kind of thing my mom leaned on when money was tight and everyone was hungry. Thick, inexpensive bone-in pork chops simmer all day in a punchy mustard sauce that turns meltingly tender and tangy-sweet. It’s a very Midwestern, pantry-minded dish: simple ingredients, big comfort, and almost no hands-on work.

The result is a glossy, golden mustard glaze that tastes like you fussed for hours, even though you just stirred three things together and let the slow cooker do the rest.
Slow cooker mustard pork chops glazed in golden sauce
Slow cooker mustard pork chops glazed in golden sauce
These mustard pork chops are lovely over a bed of buttery mashed potatoes or plain white rice to soak up every bit of the tangy sauce. Egg noodles or wide buttered pasta work just as well if that’s what you have on hand.
Add a simple green side—steamed green beans, roasted Brussels sprouts, or a crisp green salad with a vinegary dressing—to balance the richness. A slice of crusty bread or warm dinner rolls is perfect for swiping through the extra glaze in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Slow Cooker 3-Ingredient Mustard Pork Chops
Servings: 4

Ingredients
4 thick bone-in pork chops (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds total, at least 1-inch thick)
3/4 cup yellow mustard
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
Three simple ingredients for mustard pork chops
Three simple ingredients for mustard pork chops
Directions
Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels and trim off any large, loose pieces of fat. This helps the sauce cling nicely and keeps the slow cooker from getting too greasy.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the yellow mustard and brown sugar until completely smooth and glossy. The mixture should look like a thick, golden sauce with no sugar lumps.
Mustard and brown sugar whisked into a glossy sauce
Mustard and brown sugar whisked into a glossy sauce
Spread a thin layer of the mustard mixture over the bottom of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker to lightly coat it. This keeps the first layer of pork from sticking and starts building that tangy glaze.
Arrange the pork chops in the slow cooker in a single layer as much as possible. If you need to overlap a little, that’s fine—just try to keep them mostly flat so they cook evenly and stay tender.
Pour the remaining mustard-brown sugar mixture evenly over the pork chops, using a spatula to scrape the bowl so you don’t waste any. Spoon some of the sauce over any exposed meat so every chop is coated in a generous layer.
Pork chops coated with mustard sauce in the slow cooker
Pork chops coated with mustard sauce in the slow cooker
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours, or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the pork chops are very tender and reach at least 145°F in the thickest part when checked with an instant-read thermometer. The meat should give easily when pressed with a fork but still hold together.
Once cooked, carefully lift the pork chops out with a wide spatula or tongs, as they will be quite tender. Spoon some of the glossy mustard sauce from the slow cooker over the top of each chop so they’re well glazed and shiny.
Cooked pork chop being lifted from the slow cooker
Cooked pork chop being lifted from the slow cooker
If you prefer a slightly thicker sauce, you can transfer some of the cooking liquid to a small saucepan and simmer it on the stove for a few minutes to reduce, then pour it back over the pork chops. Serve the chops hot with plenty of the tangy mustard glaze spooned around the edges, just as you’d see in a cozy, homey slow cooker dinner.
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