Ingredients:

  • 4 bone-in or boneless pork chops (about 1 inch thick)
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
  • ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
  • ¼ cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
  • 1 large Yellow Onion, thinly sliced
  • 8 oz Cremini Mushrooms, sliced (optional)
  • 2 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
  • 2 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour (for roux)
  • 1 cup Beef Broth, low sodium
  • ½ cup Whole Milk or Heavy Cream
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • ½ teaspoon Dried Thyme
  • 2 cups Uncooked Long-Grain White Rice
  • 4 cups Water

Instructions:

  1. Cook the Rice: Rinse rice until water runs clear. Combine rice and water in saucepan. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and simmer for 15-18 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
  2. Prepare and Sear the Chops: Pat pork chops thoroughly dry with paper towels. In a shallow dish, combine flour, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Dredge each chop lightly in the mixture, shaking off any excess.
  3. Heat olive oil and 1 Tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the butter foams. Sear the chops for 3–4 minutes per side until deeply golden brown. Remove chops and set aside on a plate.
  4. Build the Gravy Base: Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the same skillet. Sauté the sliced onions until they begin to soften and brown slightly (about 6–8 minutes). Add mushrooms (if using) and cook until softened. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
  5. Make the Roux: Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of flour over the vegetables. Stir constantly for 1 minute to cook out the raw flour taste.
  6. Finish the Smothering Gravy: Slowly whisk in the beef broth until smooth, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan (the fond). Stir in the cream (or milk), Worcestershire sauce, and dried thyme. Bring the gravy to a gentle simmer and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
  7. Simmer and Serve: Return the seared pork chops (and any accumulated juices) back into the skillet, nestling them into the gravy. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently for 15–20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chop reaches 145°F (63°C).
  8. Serve immediately over a bed of fluffy rice, spooning the onion gravy and vegetables generously over the top.