First. Let’s be very clear about those words up there in the title “sweet” and “chili”. They are both there. What this means is that the sauce for this dish is both sweet and a bit spicy. It’s also delicious. Let’s see… that makes sweet, spicy and delicious. Let’s add easy because I cook these in my crock pot.
I have six kids. At one point I bought a giant wipe board to keep their weekly schedule straight. I remember finishing writing one week’s schedule down, complete with color coding, stepping back and wondering how in the world I would get them all to where they needed to be. Enter the crock pot. This lovely little invention allows me to run the kids everywhere they need to be and still bring them home to a home-cooked meal. Can I make a confession here while I’m at it? I’m not a fan of carpools. Rarely, selectively, I entered into shared ride. Don’t get me wrong. A carpool seems like a great idea and it can be a lifesaver but, for me, I cherish the time I have with my kids in the car. You would be surprised what you find out about your kid when you have a bit of one-on-one time after school. Sometimes it would only be a few minutes between drop-off points, but I have had the best time with my kids just hanging out in the car. We listen to the music they love and sometimes even crank up the volume. We talk about school, love interests, friends, worries, excitements. We pretty much cover the spectrum. It’s been a pleasure to be their chauffeur.
Let’s get back to the crock pot. This is a tasty slow cooker meal. Feel free to just finish it on the stove-top or in the oven but if you are looking for a warm meal that is hours away in carpool years… grab out your crock pot. I like to pair it with cooked baby carrots and dirty rice. You will need bone in pork chops, sliced onions, apricot preserves and
sweet chili sauce. We love Mae Ploy.
Brown pork chops in 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet. Get a nice little golden color on each side. This usually takes about 3 minutes per side. Salt and pepper them to your liking. Place the chops in a crock pot and top each with a heaping tablespoon of apricot preserves, a teaspoon of sweet chili sauce and top with sliced onions. Now… this is your dish. If you want to cook your carrots with the pork chops go ahead. That’s the beauty of a slow cooker. Here they are in the dark abyss of the crock pot 
Add about 1/4 cup water to the bottom of the crock pot and set your cooking time. Some days I start mine in the morning and let them cook on low for about 6 hours. Sometimes I am running very late and throw the crock pot on high for 3-4 hours. Slow cooking is pretty basic but it will vary from crock pot to crock pot. Most important is that you let the chops cook until the inner temperature reaches 160°. This has never been a problem for me since most of the coaches my kids have played for usually don’t end practice on time. Anyone else experience this? Again we are back to the beauty of slow cooking. Those chops really aren’t going to burn, so relax and do some pinning while you wait for your little athlete or dancer…
Keep that sweet chili sauce near the table just in case someone wants a bit more spice on this sweet and tender pork chop.
Enjoy playing chauffeur tonight. Talk to the kids. Listen to the kids. Dinner is waiting.
- Pork Chops--you choose how many
- sliced onions
- ½ cup apricot preserves
- sweet chili sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- Brown pork chops in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. 3 minutes on each side works out nicely. Salt and pepper the chops on each side to your desired taste.
- Transfer the chops to a slow cooker/crock pot.
- Spoon one tablespoon of apricot preserves on top of each pork chop.
- Add 1 teaspoon of sweet chili sauce to the top of each pork chop.
- Top each chop with sliced onions.
- Add a scant ¼ cup of water to the bottom of the crock pot and cook according to your crock pot's instructions.
For 6 chops I cook 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low. I can tell mine is done because the meat starts to fall from the bone. If you are worried, just take the pork's temperature. It should read 160°. - Baste during the cooking process if you are around.