Orange-Apricot Pork Chops in the CrockPot


I made pork chops last night, and packed them up for my friend, Stephanie, and family. She has a 9 and 13 year-old in the house, and is always up for some extra food. And their family eats pork---so it's a win-win for me.

An hour or so after picking up these chops, Steph called to tell me that her 13-year-old had sucked the bones clean, she liked these chops so much.

yay!

This is a recipe submitted by one of my long-time Internet friends, Alison. I love Alison. Alison homeschools her nine children on a farm and is hands-down my mommy idol, and was before even contemplating having children of my own. When we ever get around to RVing the states, The Big Pink Farm is going to be one of our first stops, guaranteed.

The Ingredients.

6 pork chops
1 cup apricot jam
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges (and juice!)

The Directions.

Use a 4-6 quart crockpot. I switched Alison's recipe up a bit to reflect ingredients I had in the house. She'd approve, because that's the way she cooks. I know she wouldn't have wanted me to wake up my napper to go to the store, I just know it.

Put pork chops into your crockpot. In a small bowl, combine jam, brown sugar, and spices. Spoon over pork chops. Add the entire can of mandarin oranges evenly over the top. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours, or on high for about 4.

Serve with rice to soak up the yummy juice.

The Verdict.

I tasted the sauce and liked it a lot. I had already packed it up and washed the crockpot before Adam got home, so he didn't get to try it. Stephanie reported back that her kids ate a ton, and her 9-year-old ate it without ketchup, which is unheard of. Apparently he even dips green beans in ketchup. Her husband thought maybe there was a tad too much cinnamon.
It really felt good to make a nice meal for friends; I could get used to this!
Thank you, Alison!

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Posted by: Stephanie O'Dea | A Year of Slow Cooking at January 27, 2009

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What they say about this article

  1. Wow! Two entries in 2 days, I could get used to this & pork even. Pork is our all time favorite meat. I haven't made pulled pork sandwiches in ages, but I will definitely try your recipe. The Orange-Apricot Pork Chops is definitely going on my Sunday dinner list.

    I've been using my crockpot as a humidifier, so I have to buy a humidifier before I can use my crock pot.

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  2. This recipe sounds fabulous! You should make it with chicken breasts so you can enjoy it also. It sounds like if you made it with chicken it'd be great over a bed of fresh spinach. Mmmmmm, yummy!

    I hope you get to try some of these great recipes you are coming up with. I am going to make this one for sure, but with chicken (cause that's what I have in the house). I'll let you know how it turns out if you don't get the chance to make it for you and your family.

    Take care!!!

    Erin

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  3. OMG, I must make that.
    I must.
    Must, dang it.

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  4. Anonymous1/28/2009

    I love you, too, Steph! MWAH!

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  5. This is on my menu list for whenever pork chops are on sale!

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  6. Anonymous1/28/2009

    I bet this sauce has an amazing flavor! I can't wait for the next time I have enough people over to make this recipe. Yum!

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  7. I'd love to see a post on which of the recipes from this year made it on to your family's regular meal rotation.

    I am new to the crockpot and trying to get up to around 8-10 reliable recipes so that I can use the pot 2-3X per week without too many repeats. So far the chili and azore beef stew recipes have been big hits.

    I've also tried a couple chicken recipes with frozen chicken breasts or thighs, but I think there's just something about the way chicken parts cook in the crockpot that doesn't go over well at my house...

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  8. Catastrophe Waitress, absolutely. We had a busy evening planned, but next time I've got chicken thighs I'm going to go with this sauce.

    Diana, I'd like to see a post on that, too! But that would mean that I have to go back to regular cooking...
    lol. one of these days. I promise.
    :-)

    xoxo
    steph

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  9. That looks delicious! Thanks so much for all of your recipes, I've made a few and have been so happy with them.

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  10. Anonymous1/28/2009

    I am SO going to try this one!

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  11. Anonymous1/28/2009

    Ditto, and nice blog!

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  12. I am imagining this with the jam, but with soy sauce, minced fresh ginger, and green onions.

    In my world, most everything tastes better with soy sauce.

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  13. I made this last night with chicken breasts and it is so good!
    I didnt have apricot jam so I made it with orange marmalade, plus to get in some veggies tossed in frozed broccoli on top of it all. Then served it over rice...yum!

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  14. Ooh! Glad I read through the comments. Love the original recipe, but the variations sound great, too.

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  15. This looks really tasty. I'll bet it's delicious. I love recipes that use up some of last year's home-made jam that I always seem to have hanging around :)

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  16. Anonymous1/28/2009

    Looks like a good recipe to try on my kids they tend to be very picky eaters:)

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  17. Hey Steph! Just thought i would stop by and say hello. I gave you an award on my blog today! Congrats!

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  18. Ladiebug,
    I've started using orange marmalade a lot with chicken with crushed red pepper flakes. A sweet/spicy combo.

    ~Marni

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  19. Though this recipe does sound good, I am suspicious of the cinnamon, as I do not usually like it in savory dishes. It just seems to belong on my toast, you know. I would love to see the original recipe, and see what ingredients were left out or changed. Please, Stephanie, post the original Pink Farm recipe, too. I went to their website, but couldn't find it. Thanks for all that you share with us!

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  20. Hi Cheryl, sure. Alison does use the cinnamon, but I don't see why you can't leave it out.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Orange Pork Chops

    6 pork chips
    1 can orange juice concentrate
    3 T brown sugar
    1 tsp. salt
    1/2 tsp. cinnamon
    1/2 tsp. allspice
    1/2 tsp. pepper
    8 oz. can madarain oranges

    Bwon chops, place in crock. Combine remaining ingredients except oranges and pour over chops. Cook low 6 hours. Arrange oranges over chops the last half hour.

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  21. Hi! I am new to following this blog. I have a crockpot but don't use it as much as i would like to. I never seem to find recipes for it. I am so excited about this and this recipe sounds yummy!

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  22. I was inspired by this to make the following:

    3 boneless pork chops
    3 heaping tablespoons apricot jam
    3 tablespoons honey
    1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
    1 teaspoon minced garlic
    1/2 c. soy sauce

    cook on high about 2 hours or low about 4 hours.

    My husband loved it, I actually cooked it longer than what I wrote above and I thought they were overcooked (perhaps because they were boneless?). The flavor was good, though.

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  23. These are in the crock pot right now! Thanks for another meal idea with everything that I had on hand!

    We made the Indian Butter Chicken yesterday. It was sooo good. Now I have to find more recipes to make with cardamom pods. :)

    kt

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  24. I love your blog so I'm gave you a Lemonade Blog Award! Please go to my blog for details!
    www.getonthegravytrain.blogspot.com

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  25. I wish I ate pork! this looks delicious! I will have to try it with turkey or chicken perhaps. . . I love cooking for friends, it's fun!

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  26. Anonymous1/29/2009

    I just wanted to tell you you're a genius. I just got my first crockpot from ebay. I was terrified of using it. I thought I'd burn the house down or something. I don't know. Or it would just not work. Anyway, I was scared and my friend told me not to worry and sent me the address for your blog. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You're a genius!

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  27. I have never been here before glad I check it out looks great.

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  28. Loved the Stew interview. How wonderful that you found the man of your dreams so early! :)

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  29. Yum! I think I need to make a double batch - half for us and half for friends who are having a new little baby. Thanks! This sounds like just the thing I need to make.

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  30. I have given your blog an award - The Spreader of Love Award. It's posted on my site - http://firstadream.blogspot.com/.

    I am hoping this award will bring a few more readers to your wonderful site.

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  31. Hi Stephanie,

    I just wanted to drop you a line to say thanks for all the wonderful work you've done over the past year. I only just discovered your blog today. I decided I'd go through it and bookmark any recipes that looked particularly good. I figured I'd get maybe half a dozen. No - I ended up with over fifty bookmarks!!! Holy cow! I do all the cooking in my house, and I can tell you my wife and I are going to be eating well for a long time to come, thanks to you.

    (I'm actually really glad I didn't discover this site a year ago because then I would've had to wait for each post and I'm a much bigger fan of instant gratification.) ;)

    All I have is one 5 quart Rival - the old kind with no timers, just on off/low/hi knob. I may be upgrading soon. You should see if Rival offers any affiliate programs so you can earn some commissions on the many sales I'm sure you've made for them!

    Thanks,
    Marshall

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  32. Anonymous2/01/2009

    what a great plan (recipe) to work with! It would be good for those who are allergic to tomato (and products) or don't want to use bottled bbq sauces.

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  33. Stephanie,

    Now, whenever I make a pork recipe I think of you--which I am sure you think is ironic since you can only cook it, not eat it. I am sure your friend and her family think you are the best!! (Well, of course, you are!)

    We especially enjoy pork during the winter. I just made a pork with maple glaze recipe, but not in the CP ... although I am sure it could be adapted. Will definitely try this one when we get the craving for pork again! :) Thanks!

    Shirley

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  34. I've just found your blog...I know one year too late! and I've been checking out a bunch of your recipes. They all seem to turn out, do any of them not turn out? I'm only wondering cause I'm a novice crockpotter and I want to make sure I can do them all.
    thanks!

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  35. Anonymous2/02/2009

    Hey Steph, the picture shows black pepper but I don't see it in the ingrdient list, did you end up using it? If so how much?

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  36. Good golly, this blog is amazing. I've made kind of an informal commitment to crockpot every Sunday, or most Sundays, this year. I've got 3 or 4 more to try and then wasn't sure where to go for more possibilities, since so many are just variations on the ones I've already tried. Luckily I found you through a friend's blog so this is awesome! Thanks for doing what you do!

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  37. ugh. I hate that. Yup, I did. I used 1/2 teaspoon, according to my notes. I'm sorry! I'll fix it right now.
    --steph

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  38. Anonymous2/02/2009

    Made this the night before last. I used homemade apricot jam. It was fabulous! Since I started it with frozen pork chops, the sauce ended up being really thin. So I poured it out into a sauce pan (putting the chops back into the warm crock pot), reduced it by half, added 1/2 cup chicken stock (for another layer of flavor) and added a bit of corn starch slurry to thicken it up to gravy thickness. Awesome. My husband took leftovers (rice and green beans too) to work today.

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  39. I had the Orange-Apricot Pork Chops last night and they were YUMMY!

    Thank you for the recipe!

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  40. Anonymous2/03/2009

    Made this yesterday and it was a hit with everyone in the family. A couple of notes... I used a different cut of pork, used homemade peach jam instead of apricot, and skipped the ginger (I was out). Served it over whole grain rice. It was WONDERFUL! Just the right amount of sweetness. Thanks!

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  41. Anonymous2/03/2009

    am trying a variation, using the last quarter cup of orange marmalade that was in the fridge, boneless chicken breasts and a few other jazzy flavors. My last can of mandarin oranges went into jello. I may or may not add some canned peaches (but probably won't).
    I'll let you know how it all works out.
    Thanks again for the inspirations!

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  42. Anonymous2/03/2009

    okay... chicken variation with marmalade. No added fruit, but I added some orange juice to the marmalade, brown sugar and spices. Tasted good, worked well. Chicken itself got a bit dry in the crock, of course. The liquid was too thin, so I made a little slurry to thicken it after removing the chicken. It thickened fast in the crock and I put the chicken back on top of the sauce while finishing the rest of the meal prep.
    Not bad on some brown rice with a green veg and some blueberry corn muffins (that I made in toaster oven).

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  43. Anonymous2/03/2009

    Another winner!!! I made this tonight and my entire family loved it. When I told my husband what we were having he made an ugly face and said it sounded disgusting. He changed his mind once he tasted it. My 3 teenagers lapped it up as well. Thanks!!

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  44. I just made the orange-apricot pork chops. The pork chops were amazing- so tender. The sauce was much too sweet for us. I will definetly make them again.

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  45. Anonymous2/04/2009

    This was really good! FYI: If you don't have any jam except cherry, and you also don't have any OJ concentrate, you CAN use 2-3 all-natural lemonade Popsicles. We will be trying all sorts of variations with this one!

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  46. Anonymous2/04/2009

    I tried this recipe...the sauce was great. However, I only had four thin cut chops on hand and made it in my big crockpot on low for 8 hours and the meat was overdone. Sadly, I could tell that it was perfect at some point because the bones feel away..I just was not attentive enough :( I will try it again (since everyone liked the sauce), but I definitely need to use the regular sized crockpot.

    Thank you so much for all of these great recipes!!!

    shelby

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  47. I made this last night. Hubby said that for a long and happy marriage, I must make this often!

    Here is how I changed the recipe. I omitted the brown sugar and cinnamon. I added I Tbsp. of soy sauce and some grated fresh ginger (as well as the powdered ginger). When it was almost done, I took out the sauce and thickened it in a separate pan the way you'd thicken gravy. Then I served the thick sauce on top.

    I thank you. Hubby double thanks you.

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  48. Made this today. Loved it! I added garlic, cause everything is better with garlic. LOL
    I forgot the brown sugar, but it was certainly sweet enough. Want to try it with chicken in the future.

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  49. I didn't get around to making this until just yesterday and... wow. Delicious. So easy. And the bf loved it! Thanks again for another wonderful recipe!

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  50. OK, an old post, but I just made this today with pork tenderloin (also added onion and garlic powder because we don't cook anything without those in my house) and YUM! I also reduced the sauce a bit afterward. My mouth wants me to eat more right now, but my tummy's telling me it's full. Darnit.
    Thanks, Stephanie!

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  51. Anonymous4/19/2010

    This would be the 4th recipe I have tried. I made the cabbage rolls last night, and saw this recipe and had to make sure I had all the stuff to make it. So far we haven't been disappointed..Thanks!

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  52. I just made this yesterday, and it came out wonderful! I used a tad bit less on the sugar and spices, though, just because I don't like stuff overly sweet. My g/f and her mother loved it! Thanks for this recipe!

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  53. Frau_B9/06/2010

    Made this for dinner tonight. **I** absolutely loved it. Barely lifted my head up between slurps to notice that my husband was picking at it and pushing it around his plate. He said it was "good" but asked me not to make it frequently, didn't like fruit with his meat. The clove taste was gorgeous (I used 5 intact cloves rather than powdered) so despite what my husband says, we are having it again next week :p

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  54. I made this for dinner last night. Same recipe, however I only had 2 chops, so I used it as marinade for 24hrs(just stabbed chops a few times with a fork before marinating) and then put the chops on the grill - WONDERFUL !!!!

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  55. I made this recipe this week, and was so sad with the finished product. It smelled like heaven, but, the liquid was very watery at the end, and the chops were dry (how can that be!?!) Also, even though I had my cooker on low, the chops were done after 3 hours. I think my problem is that I should have put the slow cooker on warm at that point, but I let it cook for the full 6 hours on low. I'll definitely try other recipes you have, but I was bummed about this one.

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  56. i woder if i can use orange marmalade and a can of pineapple with the juice

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