Crock pot pork chops, potatoes, and onions

I "slow cooker chops" from allrecipes as a starting point for this recipe.  (Allrecipes is almost always my starting place when looking for ideas to use what I have on hand, or looking for a specific type of recipe.  I love the reviews!  They really help you fine tune your recipe.)  I usually use 6-7 chops and 6-7 potatoes.  But I have doubled this recipe in my lg 7 qt crock pot using at least 15 potatoes and 14 chops.  I filled it right to the top layering 1/2 of the potatoes and chops and then the other half.  And it still worked great!  (By the way, when smith's puts their whole pork loin on sale, that is a perfect chance to make your own boneless pork chops.  I just slice the whole thing up and freeze them in the portion sizes I want.  Thanks must go to my sister Candice, for sharing this idea with me.  Thanks Candy!)
So here goes!

Ingredients
6-8 potatoes (8 if they are small)
6 pork chops
1 large onion
2 cans of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
tony chacherie's and onion powder, any seasoning you usually use when cooking meat.

First, you season your chops and start to brown them at medium heat on the stove.  (I use a deeper pan, but whatever
works for you is fine)  I sprinkle them pretty generously on both sides with tony chacheries, (my favorite all purpose spice), and with a little onion powder.  While browning the meat, or just before, peel and slice your potatoes.  I have a progessive hand held slicer that I LOVE!  It isn't to expensive, just a simple tool with a handle and a slicing blade.  So they slice up thin and even in no time.  Of course you can slice them by hand, just remember, for quick cooking, the thinner the better.  I place the potatoes in the bottom of the crock and stack my chops on top.  After browning your chops, you slice the onion into thin slices and put it in your pan to brown(my slicer works great for onions too).  Onions are the star of the show in this dish.  I sometimes use two.  And if your onion isn't huge I would use two!!  If you don't like onions, you probably won't like this recipe, because it is so bland without them, and of course, being the star, they are the main flavor player here.  The onions are so much better if they get that carmelized cooked flavor and they also help you pull all of the delicious brown bits off the pan from your pork chops.  I am actually a pretty messy cook.  If I'm in a hurry, I just dump my onions on top of the chops, and they fall around them, and start cooking.  As I lift out the chops, more and more onions get brown,  I sometimes turn the heat up too much and some get a little too brown while others don't get cooked at all...It doesn't seem to matter, it always tastes good!  I'm sure a cooking expert could tell you all of the reasons that is the wrong thing to do, but it works for me!  After the onions are brown I pour them over the chops in the pan.  The last step is to pour the mushroom soup and water into the pan you cooked the onions and pork in.  I am obsessive about getting all of the good flavor out of that pan and into my crock.  You don't necessarily have to cook it, just stir it around in there and pick up all of the spices and brown stuff of the pan, then pour it into the crock. Then set it on high and cook for 3-4 hours.  (In fact, it can probably be eaten after 2/1/2, but I like it to get a little brown on the sides, kind of like when you cook it in the oven)

Grandma Brown's Barbecued Spare Ribs

This is not your typical sweet barbecue sauce.  When I was a kid, this was the only bbq sauce I even liked!  It has a very different, but AMAZING flavor.

1st I will list her original recipe, then I will write how I make them for my convenience :)

2 lbs boneless country style pork ribs
1 onion, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
1 cup ketchup
1/3 cup worcestershire
2 cups water (1 cup if using crock pot method)
1 tbsp salt (I use half or less than this much salt)
1 tbsp chili powder
1 shake of hot sauce (frank's etc.)

Slice onion and lemon over ribs.  Bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 450.  Make sauce with rest of ingredients.  Pour over and bake at 350 one hour, basting often.

My method...
I love the crock pot for meat so I changed this recipe slightly.  I also have used chicken breasts interchangeably with the pork and they are AMAZING and I assume lower fat.  First, I brown the meat, onions and lemons on the stove.  (The meat doesn't need to be fully cooked, just brown on the outside, I usually use med-med high heat)  I Place the meat in a skillet with just a little oil and then pour the onions and lemon slices over the top,  squeezing as much lemon juice as I can over the meat.  I brown the meat and then if necessary, I brown the onions after. (it's usually not since they fall all over and get brown with the meat.  And I usually have to fill the skillet more than once with meat.)  While the meat is cooking, I dump the sauce ingredients in the crock pot with ONE IMPORTANT CHANGE:  Make sure you cut the water to one cup.  Double the sauce recipe if necessary to cover your meat.  If you do not cut the water, they will not be flavorful enough when cooked.  Turn on the pot to start heating while you mix the ingredients together.  Then when the meat is cooked, place in crock pot.  One more important tip.  Pull most of the lemon slices out after browning and discard them.  One or two are okay, but you will be sorry if you leave more than that.  The sauce gets way too lemony.  After discarding the lemons, dump the rest of that yummy carmelized onion into the crock pot.  Put the lid on and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for double that.  We usually serve them with funeral potatoes or mashed potatoes.