Cider-Glazed Pork Chops

 Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup cider vinegar

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- 1/3 cup apple cider or apple juice

- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

- 1 teaspoon soy sauce

- pinch of Cayenne pepper

- Salt and pepper to taste

- 4 boneless center cut pork chops, 1/2" - 3/4" thick

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

1.  Combine the cider vinegar, brown sugar, apple cider (or juice), mustard, and Cayenne pepper for the glaze and set aside.

2.  Trim the chops and slash through the fat with a sharp knife, making two cuts about two inches apart (do not cut into the meat of the chops).  Pat the chops dry and season with salt an pepper to taste.

3.  Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until smoking.  Add the pork chops to the skillet and cook until well browned, 4-6 minutes.  Turn the chops over and cook 1 minute longer.  Transfer the chops to a plate and our off any oil in the skillet.  Returned the chops to the skillet, browned side up, and add the glaze mixture.  Cook the chops over medium heat until the center of the chops registers 140F.  Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the chops to a clean platter and tent with aluminum foil to rest for 5 minutes.

4.  After the chops have resting for 5 minutes, add any accumulated juices to the skillet and hear over medium heat.  Simmer, whisking constantly until the glaze is think and the color of dark caramel.  This should take 4-6 minutes.  Once thickened (a heatproof spatula should leave a wide trail when dragged through the glaze), return the chops to the skillet and turn the chops to coat both sides with the glaze.  Transfer the chops to individual plates and spread the remaining glaze over the chops.  Serve immediately.

Cook's Notes:

My sister shared this recipe with me from a Cook's Illustrated article a few years ago and this is a personal favorite for me for pork chops.  This pan searing method added a great flavor with the glaze.  To prevent the chops from drying out, the trick is to sear them on just one side until they are well browned.  By adding the glaze mixture the chops are gently "poached."  This cooking method helps the chops retain moisture, and reduces the glaze to the right consistency.

Mustard and Soy Marinated Pork Chops

I found this recipe at recipetineats.com.  I tried it and the results were amazing.

Ingredients:

- 2-4 pork chops (bone in or boneless)

- 1/3 cup soy sauce

- 2 tablespoons brown sugar

- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 

- 2 garlic cloves, minced

- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1.  Mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic, and black pepper in a ziplok bag.

2.  Place the pork chops in the bag and massage the chops to coat them in the marinade.

3.  Place the bag with the marinated pork chops into the refrigerator for at least two hours.

4.  20 minutes before cooking, take the bag with the pork chops out of your refrigerator.

5.  Prepare a grill.  Once the grill is hot, remove the pork chops from the bag and reserve the marinade.  Place the pork chops on the grill and cook for four minutes.  Baste the chops with the reserved marinate before turning them over. baste the other side of the pork chops with the marinade, then discard the marinade.

6.  Grill the pork chops for three to four minutes, and when done, remove the chops from the grill.  If you are using an instant read thermometer, check the temperature of the meat after about seven minutes of grilling.  The pork chop is done when the meat has an internal temperature of 135F.

7.  After you remove the pork chops from the grill, place them on a plate and cover with aluminum foil.  Allow the chops to rest for five minutes and then serve.

Cook's Notes:

This was an incredibly simple and delicious recipe.  The good thing is that I had all of the ingredients on hand when I discovered the recipe.  This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Sesame Pork Chops

OK, this is a recipe I just sort of made up.  We are fortunate to have access to the Meat Lab at Michigan State University.  We have used the animal protein we have purchased from the Meat Lab to our benefit.  The spouse of one of my co-workers at GE Aviation is a Ph.D. candidate at State and he lets me know what beef, pork, lamb and poultry is available for purchase from the Meat Lab.  The pork chops from the Meat Lab have never let us down, and I made up the recipe because we like everything in it.  Here we go:

Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 T sesame oil
- Seasoning to taste
- 2-4 pork chops (can be boneless or bone-in)

Instructions:
Season the chops to taste with salt and pepper.  Place the chops in a zip lock bag or sealable plastic container.  Mix together the soy sauce and the sesame oil, and pour the mixture over the chops.  Place the chops in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for 4-6 hours.  Remove the chops from the refrigerator about and our before you place them on the grill.

Prepare a your grill.  When the grill is up to temperature, cook the chops until done, 12-14 minutes total.  Remove the chops from the grill and place on a plate or a cutting board and cover loosely with aluminum foil for 8-10 minutes to rest.  After the chops have rested, serve and enjoy.

Cook's Notes:
You can season the chops as you like, but we use a seasoning called "All American Season."  You can purchase this amazing season at this website.  We know the owner, Mickey, and we can vouch for all of his products.

Grilled Pork Chops

Since we did not cook a turkey for our Thanksgiving meal, we are not trying to eat our way through a couple pounds of turkey leftovers. Last night, I grilled a couple of Delmonico steaks. Tonight, I am going to once again fire up my Weber and grill a couple of pork chops. Deirdre and I are still debating the side dishes, but I am fairly confident that there will be some tossed greens, maybe some sort of rice.

Back to the main course, the pork chops. We are using the All American Seasoning from Mickey. We love love love his products and tonight I sprinkled some of his All American Season on the chops. The piggies are quietly marinating in the fridge and I know that they will turn out great, all because of Mickey's seasoning.

I took a gamble this past summer and purchased some of his stuff at Oscoda's Art on the Beach fair in June and I am a believer. As readers of this blog know, I am a little picky about the ingredients I use when I cook. I can't say enough about Mickey's products. Take a moment, look at his website and see if there is a rub or a seasoning you might want to try. Mickey's stuff is awesome.

Basil-Garlic Grilled Pork Chops

In preparation for the whole pig we recently purchased, we have been trying new pork chop recipes. If you like limes and basil you need to try this recipe.

Basil-Garlic Grilled Pork Chops

Ingredients

• 4 (8 ounce) pork chops
• 1 lime, juiced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Toss the pork chops with the lime juice in a bowl until evenly covered.

Toss with garlic and basil. Season the chops to taste with salt and pepper.

Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil the grate.

Cook the pork chops on the preheated grill until no longer pink in

the center, 5 to 10 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer

inserted into the center should read 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

Cook's Notes:

We like limes so I juiced two limes for this recipe. Also, I placed the marinade and the piggies in a zip-lok bag and marinated the chops over night. The chops were nothing short of delicious.

Grilled Teriyaki Marinated Pork Chops

It has been a busy week here, just East of the Equator. I am making an easy dish tonight for our dinner: Grilled Teriyaki Marinated Pork Chops. Here is the full menu:

- Teriyaki Marinated Pork Chops

- Tossed Greens with Croutons and Creamy Ceasar Dressing

- Long Grain & Wild Rice

- 2009 Crios Torrontes wine (Argentina)

I am using a store bought teriyaki marinade. I put the piggies into a large Ziplok bag ~9AM and poured the teriyaki sauce into the bag. The chops have been quietly marinating for the past 9 hours. I will take them out of the bag ~7:30PM and put them on the grill.

The other white meat

We found a whole bunch of pork on sale. We bought it. Hence, LOTS of pork recipes. Here is what's cooking tonight at the cafe.

Modenese Pork Chops

2 tablespoons butter
2 (1 inch thick) pork chops
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
1 clove garlic, minced


In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Cook chops in butter, turning once to brown evenly. Pour in wine, and season with salt, pepper, rosemary, and garlic. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until chops are tender. Transfer pork chops to serving plates, and spoon sauce over the meat.

Hmmmm ... yummy. Cheers!

Parmesan Sage Pork Chops

Rockin' Saturday night.  Pork Chops.  Sweet.

INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
3/4 cup soft bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 bone-in pork loin chops
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter or margarine

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a shallow dish, combine the flour, salt and pepper. In another shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, sage and lemon peel. Place egg in shallow bowl. Coat pork chops with flour mixture, dip in egg, then coat with bread crumb mixture. Let stand for 5 minutes.

2. In a skillet, brown chops in oil and butter for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until juices run clear and a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F.

Cook's notes.  

The coating totally sticks to the chops in the browning process.  I was happily surprised. 

You could use less bread crumbs/cheese.  It's enough for like 8 chops.
I would add a little more lemon zest and maybe even take the lemon and squeeze it into the egg wash.
We would add one more herb next - maybe rosemary because we love it so.  Tarragon would also be good. 

It was fantabulous.  Served with long grain rice, green beans and salad.
And of course wine. 

This little piggy went to market

Deirdre writing, Paul cooking ...
The little piggy purchased through a local farmer came home on Tuesday. Paul picked up the pieces on Tuesday night. And he is making the first recipe with bee-u-ti-ful chops in honey mustard sauce. The honey is local too. Even the BEER is local. :) We've gone native and we are loving it.

6 lean cut boneless pork chops
4 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
low fat cooking spray like Pam

Mix the honey and mustard together
Spray pan with cooking spray
Brush mixture on while cooking pork chops
Cook until fully done

Stand by for cook's notes and pictures. You know, there are ALWAYS pictures. :)

Yummy Pork Chops

¼ cup soy sauce
2 cups Italian salad dressing
½ teaspoon black pepper
4 boneless pork chops

1. In a bowl, mix the salad dressing, soy sauce and pepper. Place the chops
into the bowl and allow to marinate for 20-30 minutes. Reserve the marinade.

2. After marinating, place the pork chops in a skillet over medium heat
and cover with the reserved marinade. Cover the skillet and cook the pork
chops 25 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove cover, reduce heat to low
and simmer the chops until cooked to desired doneness.

Cook’s Notes: I used Newman’s Own Italian Salad Dressing, but I think
that any Italian dressing will do. The pork chops I had were about
¾ inches thick and I cooked them for 25 minutes, turning them every
5 minutes or so. After the chops had cooked for 25 minutes, I checked
for doneness and they were, well, done! We served this dish with some
basmati rice and a tossed salad. This recipe was incredibly easy to
make and was nothing short of delicious. Next time I make this,
I will marinate the chops all day in a zip-lok bag.

Balsamic Pork Chops

I made this meal last night, courtesy of the Super Mom. It was nothing short of fantastic!

Balsamic Pork Chops
Recipe Courtesy: Southern Living, October 2001

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 (3/4-inch-thick) boneless pork chops
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chicken broth
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
Garnish: fresh rosemary sprigs

Preparation:
Combine flour, 1 teaspoon rosemary, salt, and pepper. Dredge pork chops in flour mixture.

Melt butter with oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Add pork chops, and cook 4 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove pork chops.

Add broth and vinegar, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Cook 6 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Add pork chops, and cook 5 minutes or until done. Serve over rice. Garnish, if desired.

**Cook's Note: I think the garlic in this recipe goes in much too early. Per the recipe, by the time you saute the garlic and brown the chops, the garlic has been sizzling away over medium-high heat for nearly 10 minutes. The first two times I made this, the garlic was scorched and bitter. I'd recommend browning and removing the chops, first, then saute the garlic just before you deglaze.