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Cuban Style Crockpot Pork Chops are savory with a slightly citrus twist. Slowly simmered, these tender pork chops make even an ordinary weeknight special!
Featured With This Recipe
Cuban Style Crockpot Pork Chops are your answer to “what’s for dinner”? If you’re scraping the bottom of the recipe barrel, try these tangy, tender chops in the slow cooker and serve with rice pilaf, noodles or mashed potatoes. We found a similar recipe on the Food Network years ago and adjusted it for the Crockpot. I love putting ingredients in the slow cooker right after lunch, then I don’t have to think about it again until dinner time. The aroma welcomes us all home and we can’t wait to gather around the table for a nourishing, hearty meal together.This is a fun twist on regular pork chops, but if you’re looking for a more classic recipe, you’ll love our Easy CrockPot Pork Chops.
Ingredients in Cuban Pork Chops:
- Pork chops – We usually go with boneless pork chops for ease of eating but bone-in works well too.
- Marinade (optional) – Marinate in fresh orange juice and orange zest for an extra citrus-y zing
- Dry Rub Seasonings: Salt, pepper, cumin, garlic power, onion powder, and oregano
- Onion
- Garlic
- Chicken broth
- Lime juice
- Apple cider vinegar
- Garnishes: Fresh diced tomato and avocado (optional)
Variations:
- Creamy Pork Chops: If you want a creamy gravy to put over the chops, add 1 can of cream of chicken to the crockpot along with the other ingredients. It will thicken the sauce and still give the pork chops great flavor!
- Citrus Cuban Pork Chops: For even more of a Cuban flair, you can marinate the pork chops in 1 cup orange juice a little orange zest in a gallon-sized plastic bag before cooking. Marinate for 2-3 hours then drain and discard marinade and pat pork chops dry.
- Grilled: Want to skip the CrockPot altogether and grill up these flavorful chops? Marinate the pork chops in all the ingredients (reduce broth to ½ cup) and marinate for 4-5 hours. Discard marinade and grill over medium-high heat until the internal temp of the pork chops is 145-degrees F. Remove from grill, wrap in foil, and allow to rest. You can even grill up the onions too!
Suggestions for Crockpot Cuban Style Pork Chops
- Give yourself time in the morning or while prepping this meal to properly season and saute them in hot oil. This step gives the meat a gloriously flavored crust and keeps the chops super tender during the cooking process.
- Depending on the thickness of your pork chops, you’ll want to adjust the cooking time. Four one-inch chops will only take about two hours to cook in the crockpot on high heat.
- You can use boneless or bone-in pork chops for this recipe. The meat will fall off the bone easily after some time in the slow cooker. So if you have some chops you’re not sure what to do with, try them in this recipe!
- Remove the meat as soon as they’re done, as leaving pork chops in the Crockpot too long might dry them out.
- We love to just pour the remaining broth over the pork chops right before serving. But if if you like more of a gravy with your meal, thicken the broth up with a little cornstarch slurry (a little cold water and cornstarch mixed together) and serve.
Read Next: Easy Crockpot Chicken Recipes
What to Serve with Cuban Style Crockpot Pork Chops
A simple garden salad and some mashed potatoes turn this into a well balanced dinner any night of the week. Or you can try a few of our favorite side dishes:
You can also try it with some of these other fantastic recipes:
- Creamy Potatoes and Peas
- Best Oven Roasted Asparagus
- Easy Garden Vegetable Rice
- Perfect Mashed Potatoes
- How to Cook Rice for a Crowd (Easy Oven Method)
FAQs About Cuban Pork Chops
When cooking the in the Crockpot, the trick to moist pork chops is cooking low and slow. If grilling, the trick is to not over cook. Remove from the grill when chops have an internal temp of 145-degrees F. Wrap in foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Pork chops can be slow cooked, grilled, or even baked. It really just comes down to your personal preference.
Crockpot Cuban Pork Chops
Equipment
- Crockpot
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops 1 inch thick
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 3 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 onion sliced
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- avocado (optional, for garnish)
- Roma tomatoes (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, combine all dried spices. Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel and rub with the dry spice mixture.
- Heat oil in a large saute pan over high heat.
- Place the pork chops in the pan and sear on 1 side until brown. Flip over sear until brown.
- Remove chops and place in crockpot (slow cooker).
- Add onion and garlic to pan and saute for 1-2 minutes, add onion/garlic to crock pot with the pork. Combine chicken broth, lime juice, vinegar, and pour over the pork in the crock pot.
- Cover and cook for 2-3 hours on high heat or 5-7 hours on low heat. Check for doneness depending on the size of the chops. They may need more time in the crock pot if they are bigger pork chops.
- Pour remaining liquid over the chops when ready to eat. Garnish with the slow-cooked onions. Enjoy!
Notes
- Creamy Pork Chops: If you want a creamy gravy to put over the chops, add 1 can of cream of chicken to the crockpot along with the other ingredients. It will thicken the sauce and still give the pork chops great flavor!
- For even more of a Cuban flair, you can marinate the pork chops in orange juice from fresh oranges and a little orange zest before cooking. Marinate for 2-3 hours then drain and discard marinade and pat pork chops dry.
I made this last night and it was delicious! I love my crock pot and these flavors were incredible!
I stayed very true to this recipe and the results were great! I did cook this on the stove top. The seasoning is outstanding and I ❤️ the aroma. Served with small lime slices which was very well received. Will fix again.
Absolutely loved the flavor of these pork chops! Such a fun way to switch things up! Will be making again.
Yum! I love the pickle juice in this!
OMG! The citrus makes this recipe for me!
So yummy! Thank you so much for this keeper recipe!
The seasonings are perfect and it’s so easy to make – love it!