Smothered Pork Chops: A Taste of Soul Food (Southern USA)

Meltingly tender pork swimming in a richly seasoned onion gravy;  Smothered Pork Chops. Serve them with mashed potatoes or rice and a mound of cooked greens - that's iconic Soul Food comfort food. (Skip to recipe.)

This month for our Eat the World recipe Challenge we visit not just a country, but a specific region and cuisine of a country - Soul Food, the traditional cooking style and rich flavours originating with black home cooks and chefs in the southern part of the United States.

Soul Food is from the Deep South

Soul food was born out of necessity. Arising during the dark period of transatlantic slave trade in American history, this was food prepared by African slaves and sharecroppers incorporating the recipes and culinary techniques of their native cuisines, but adapted to the meager ingredients and harsh conditions available to them in their forced new homeland. This food originated in the area of the United States known as the 'Deep South', a region comprising mainly the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. African slaves brought with them knowledge of new ingredients not grown in the States before, such as rice and okra, and introduced the rich and spicy stews native to their home countries. Slaves cooked in the kitchens of their masters and learned techniques they incorporated into their own cooking. They cooked with one set of ingredients in the plantation kitchens, and another more limited set of ingredients in their own homes. Enslaved African people were given minimal, poor quality rations and the undesirable off-cuts of meat (mostly pork) for their own use and out of necessity and creativity turned them into tasty and nourishing dishes to sustain their hard-working families.

It's Celebration Food

Even though soul food's roots are in the Deep South and it is still a large part of the culinary scene there, its popularity has transcended those borders to be enjoyed across America. Soul food is celebration food; it's the food most fondly remembered by blacks who left the South in the the Great Migration. This was a mass exodus of over 6 million blacks from the rural south to seek better opportunities in the urban centers of the North, Midwest, and West from about 1916 to 1970. What we now call Soul Food is the food that was served for special meals in the south - Sunday dinners and celebratory gatherings. That association with family and community are what give soul food such a beloved place in the memory of black people all over America, and what cause it to continue to have an important place in kitchens and restaurants in present times.

So what makes Soul Food different than Southern Food?

It's been said that all soul food is Southern food, but not all Southern food is soul food (Bob Jeffries, 1969). Both use the same ingredients in their cooking, and recipes for common dishes are very similar. The differences between the two cuisines are subtle, but very important. Soul food is more intensely seasoned and spiced; it is saltier, sweeter, spicier, fattier. It is just 'more'. More loaded with flavour and more connected to its African heritage.

What is Soul Food?

Soul food's main ingredients are: rice, corn, beans, okra, greens, sweet potatoes, melons, fried chicken, and pork (including the offal and pork fat). These ingredients form the base of many recognized favourites, such as black-eyed peas and rice (Hoppin' John), okra gumbo, sweet potato pie, cornbread, hush puppies (cornmeal fritters), grits, collard greens (stewed in bacon fat), chitterlings (spicy pork intestines), and smothered pork chops. Pork is an important meat in soul food cuisine - all parts of the animal are used; nose-to-tail eating long before it became trendy.

Those smothered pork chops caught my eye during my reading, and they answered a craving for comfort food during the cool, rainy days we've been having here in Northern Alberta this summer. I apologize to those of you in other parts of the world enduring heat waves and wanting nothing but salads and ice pops - you may wish to bookmark this recipe for cooler days ahead. The lusciousness of these savoury pork chops braising until they're fall-off-the-bone tender in a rich and creamy gravy is irresistible, and the aroma of it simmering in the oven is drool-inducing. This kind of soul food fills my soul and my belly, too.

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Links that provide a better description of Soul Food than I can give:

The Humble History of Soul Food, by Vanessa Hayford, Black Foodie

What is Soul Food? by Sharnese Thompsom, Edible Communities

Where Soul Food Really Comes From, by Sam Worley, Epicurious

Everything You Need to Know About Soul Food, According to Chef Millie Peartree, by Millie Peartree, Delish

Is it Southern Food, or Soul Food? by Julia Moskin, The New York Times

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How to Make Smothered Pork Chops

Start with thick, meaty pork chops - it's important they still have the bone in to add rich flavour to the gravy as it's simmered. (However, if all you have are boneless pork chops,  reduce the salt and use chicken stock instead of water to add some of the flavour you'd get from braising the meat with the bones in.)

Stir together a few seasonings in a bowl and sprinkle them onto both sides of the pork chops, rubbing them in gently.

Brown the chops in oil - they don't need to be cooked all the way through - and set them to the side.

Now add a bunch of sliced or chopped onions to those flavourful bits left in the pan from the pork chops, and cook them until they're nicely browned and soft. Add some flour (sweet rice flour for gluten free cooking) and cook it well. Then pour in a generous amount of water and stir to make a thin gravy.

Add the pork chops back in, dunking them down into the gravy, cover the pot, and pop it into the oven to slowly simmer away for a good hour or two.

After the meat has been braised to melting tenderness, it's ready to devour.

You can serve them just like that, or stir in a swirl of cream to make the rich gravy even more decadent. You can also scoop out the pork chops and put them on a serving plate, then add a glug of cream to the remaining gravy and serve it alongside.

Those luscious pork chops are fantastic served over rice or a mound of creamy mashed potatoes, alongside some tender stewed greens (mustard greens or collard greens cooked with bacon fat would be traditional, but I had fresh spinach ready from the garden, so I used that) or corn on the cob. A side of corn bread is also a classic addition.

What to Drink with Soul Food

A common soul food beverage is 'red drink' - basically a fruit punch or drink made with any type of red fruit or colouring. It's the colour that's important, not so much which fruit it's made of, as the drink is a nod to the red coloured kola nut tea or hibiscus tea, both drinks signaling hospitality in their native Africa. (The closest thing I had to a red drink in my house was homemade saskatoon juice - kind of purplish-red - so that's what I served with our smothered pork chops.)

I know I'll be making this soul food dish more often - it's already been requested!

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Kitchen Frau Notes: The cook time for these smothered pork chops is flexible. You can cook them anywhere from 1 to 2 hours. Depending on the type of dutch oven or baking dish you use, you may have to add water throughout the cooking time. Different dutch ovens can release different amounts of moisture. I find my Le Creuset dutch ovens have a tighter seal and lose hardly any moisture from steam escaping the lid, whereas my Staub dutch oven has a bit of space between pot and lid and loses a fair bit of moisture, so I always have to replenish the liquid during cooking time. If covering your dish with foil or a loose lid, you may have to add more water.

Smothered Pork Chops

• 4 large bone-in pork chops, 1-inch (2.5cm) thick
• 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (or cajun seasoning)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 large onion, or 2 medium onions
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ¼ cup (35gms) flour (use sweet rice flour for gluten-free)
• 3 cups (720ml) water
• optional - ½ cup (120ml) whipping cream or light cream

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Pat the pork chops dry and lay them out on a cutting board. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and paprika. Sprinkle a thin layer of it on both sides of the pork chops, rubbing it in. Reserve any remaining spice mix.

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed dutch oven, braiser, or large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the pork chops on both sides (about 4 minutes a side) - they don't need to be cooked through at this point. Remove them to a plate.

While the chops are browning, peel and slice the onion - cut it in half lengthwise and slice it crosswise into half-moons, or chop it into ½-inch dice. It will pretty much melt down during cooking so the shape doesn't really matter. Mince the garlic. Add the onions to the hot oil remaining in the skillet from browning the pork chops. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until it is translucent, scraping up all the flavourful browned bits in the pan.

Add the minced garlic and any remaining spice mix from seasoning the chops. Cook for 1 more minute.

Add the butter and the flour and stir until all the flour is moistened.

Add the water, a bit at a time, stirring after each addition. Tuck the pork chops in so they are covered by the gravy. Bring the gravy to a boil, then cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid or heavy duty tin foil, and put it into the preheated oven.

Bake for 1½ hours, checking periodically if you need to add a bit more water to keep the liquid at the same level.

If the gravy is too thick, thin it with a bit of water or if it is too thin, cook it a bit longer with the lid off until it has thickened up to your liking.

Serve the gravy and pork chops as they are, or stir in the optional whipping cream to make a cream gravy. You can also remove the pork chops to a platter and stir the cream into the remaining gravy to serve separately.

Serve with mashed potatoes or rice and a green vegetable (like stewed or sautéed leafy greens, broccoli, or green beans) or corn on the cob. Corn bread served on the side is also traditional.

Serves 4.

Guten Appetit!

Check out all the wonderful Soul Food dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Food to Soothe the Soul
Making Miracles: Sylvia's Sweet and Sticky Baked Chicken Wings
Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Oven-Baked Ribs with Cola BBQ Sauce
Kitchen Frau: Smothered Pork Chops
A Day in the Life on the Farm: Red Beans and Rice
Palatable Pastime: Smoked Rib Tips with Sweet Baby Molasses Sauce
Sneha’s Recipe: Huevos Rancheros Breakfast Burritos
CulturEatz: Savannah Red Rice

 

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Check out my past ‘Eat the World’ Recipe Challenge posts:

(in alphabetical order)

• Argentina: Red Chimichurri Sauce
• Bulgaria: Patatnik (Savoury Potato and Cheese Pie)
• Cambodia: Noum Kong (Cambodian Rice Flour Doughnuts)
• Colombia: Pan de Yuca (Warm Cheese Buns)
• Egypt: Fava Beans and Feta
• England: Gluten Free Fish and Chips and Mushy Peas
• Ethiopia: Four Ethiopian Recipes for a Fantastic Feast
• Fiji: Spiced Sweet Potato and Banana Salad
• Finland: Lohikeitto (Creamy Salmon, Potato, and Dill Soup)
• France: Axoa d’Espelette (A Simple Stew from the Basque Country)
• Georgia: Charkhlis Chogi (Beets with Sour Cherry Sauce)
• India: Kerala Upma (Fluffy, Kerala Style Breakfast Upma Recipe)
• Iraq: Tepsi Baytinijan (Eggplant & Meatball Casserole)
• Ireland: Dublin Coddle (A tasty Sausage and Potato Stew)
• Israel: Cucumber, Feta, and Watermelon Salad
• Kenya: Maharagwe with Ugali (Red Beans with Cornmeal Slice)
• Mexico: Cochinita Pibil Tacos (Pit Barbecued Pig to Make in Your Oven)
• New Zealand: Classic Pavlova
• Poland: Polish Honey Cake
• Portugal: Tuna and Sardine Pâtés
• Puerto Rico: Piña Colada Cocktail
• Senegal: Mafé (Beef and Peanut Stew)
• Sweden: Swedish Meatballs with Cream Gravy
• Switzerland (Christmas): Basler Leckerli Cookies
• Thailand: Shrimp Laksa (Khung)
• Trinidad & Tobago: Peanut Butter Prunes
• Ukraine: Buckwheat Kasha with Beef