just a comment based on a post about pork chops

foxysnana · **Posted:** Thu Jul 13, 2006 8:25 pm

I noticed there were a lot of suggestions about how to cook or prepare pork chops in another thread. The best thing I have found to tenderize chops with out altering the flavor very much is beer. For some reason, beer and tougher cuts of prok work well together. Pour beer over chops and place in the fridge about 3 hours before frying. Will tenderize and give a mild flavor, but not alter things very much.

An easy way I have found to prepare pork chops for the grill (tastes the best there, but can be baked) is to put the chops in a ziploc bag. Pour in some prepared Italian dressing, even the bargain brand will work. Marinate 4 to 6 hours. then grill 4 to 6 minutes per side, longer if very thick, or until done. Baste with melted butter as you turn them. The chops will fall right off the bone this way. Very good for chicken as well. Hope this will help some of you.

Mary K. · **Joined:** Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:34 pm **Posts:** 9788

Nice to see you posting foxysnana,

Thank you for your suggestions for something that is a very popular meat, and widely fixed in various ways. I know many people wait, as I do, to stock up on chops when they are on sale, and then love having a lot of different ways they can fix them.

I've gone back to using my cast iron skillets to cook pork chops. I don't know why I ever quit using them, because we feel they brown so much more nicely, and give so much better flavor than the non-stick skillets. The last few times I've fixed them I first put about 2 Tbsp. of olive oil in a 10 to 12-inch skillet with a lid(smaller skillet works if it holds your chops single layer), season the chops, then lay them in the hot skillet on a piece of butter, around 2 Tbsp. per each chop. Quickly sear both sides really well, turn the heat way down, and pour some balsamic vinegar over the chops, cover them and let them finish cooking. That too, makes very tender and very tasty chops. I love using balsamic vinegar, so if you all haven't tried it, don't hesitate, it doesn't taste like vinegar, but really adds a nice flavor to things. Look for it at your grocery store, along with other vinegars. There are some really expensive ones you can buy, but those in the grocery also, are quite good for things like this.

KathyBrimhall · **Joined:** Sat Sep 25, 2004 11:16 am **Posts:** 748

Great idea Mary! I love balsamic vinegar and use it on a lot of things - salads, veggies, fruit (a little sprinkled on strawberries or watermelon makes a nice low cal dessert) and always to carmelize onions. If you reduce it, it makes a spectacular sauce for chicken, fish or pork but hadn't thought about doing pork chops just that way. Must give it a whirl. BTW, one of my favorite ways to do pork chops is to season and give them a quick sear and then put in a baking pan with a couple of slices of lemon on them. Then I make a mixture of ketchup, brown sugar, wine vinegar and garlic powder, thinned with a little water. Pour it over, cover and bake for about a half hour. Put some sweet potatoes in the oven when you start browning the pork chops, add a fruit salad, some green beans qhick steamed in the micro and it is a nice, easy complete dinner.
KathyB

Mary K. · **Joined:** Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:34 pm **Posts:** 9788

Thanks Kathy, that sounds so good, I still have chops that would love that treatment and I love sweet potatoes, green beans and salad. What more could a person want?

Do you have a ratio you use to make the mixture of ketchup, brown sugar, wine vinegar and garlic powder? I would appreciate it if you do. TIA

I'm afraid many of us have only tried the 2 most popular vinegars, apple cider and white. While those are very good for certain things, if we haven't tried some of the others, we are really missing a treat. Many of them don't even taste like vinegar, and add so much to the taste of our foods, making them, one might say, "a cut above," and certainly a whole new experience. I want to encourage you all to take that step and try them. I'll bet you're really in for a nice surprise. :wink:

KathyBrimhall · **Joined:** Sat Sep 25, 2004 11:16 am **Posts:** 748

Mary, I always kind of eyeball my proportions, but for 4 chops I would probably use 3-4 tablespoons ketchup, 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar and maybe 1 teaspoon garlic powder (we like things a little garlicky so I often use use more). If you have any lemon leftover that didn't go into slices for the chops, I squeeze that in too. Then I add about 1 tablespoon water. You are looking for a consistency a little thinner than ketchup but thicker than an eastern Carolina barbecue sauce (that will make sense to some of you!)
KathyB

Mary K. · **Joined:** Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:34 pm **Posts:** 9788

I cook the same "eyeball measurement" way, so I'll just give the old "eyeball measurement," treatment, and go with it. I don't know about an eastern Carolina barbecue sauce, but you gave a good visual picture otherwise, so it's clear enough. Thanks Kathy!

KathyBrimhall · **Joined:** Sat Sep 25, 2004 11:16 am **Posts:** 748

FYI, REALLY "eastern" Carolina BBQ sauce is basically vinegar colored with a little ketchup and hot sauce. The farther east in N. Carolina you go, the thinner the BBQ sauce gets. In the mountains it is more like Memphis BBQ (the one most of us think of and that is in most of the bottled BBQ sauces) in consistency, like ketchup thinned with a little vinegar. At least that's my down and dirty analysis of the range of BBQ. (I have recently developed a passion for South Carolina mustard based BBQ sauce. We did a pork roast in the smoker last weekend with applewood and hickory chips and then I made a batch of the mustard sauce. We would have eaten well for several days if we hadn't made such pigs of ourselves on this at dinner on Sunday!)
KathyB

Mary K. · **Joined:** Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:34 pm **Posts:** 9788

That sounds like pretty thin barbecue sauce. I think I'll do as you suggested and make it a bit thicker than the eastern variety. The mustard based sauce would be perfect for pork. Fact is, I've mixed mustard, soy sauce, and maple syrup together for a pork marinade, and that's good, but I have an idea, yours may have a more mustard taste than that, and certainly thicker than a marinade, and how much better does it get than an apple wood and hickory chips smoked pork? That really sounds good.

KathyBrimhall · **Joined:** Sat Sep 25, 2004 11:16 am **Posts:** 748

I made Mary's balsamic pork chops for dinner last night and they were really good. My kids gobbled them up too. Thanks Mary.
BTW, I have finally found a good way to get my kids to eat veggies. They are both fairly adventurous eaters, except veggies, which have been a problem. I bought some baby veggies (haricots verts, small carrots with a little green left on top, tiny zucchini, little patty pan squash) that our supermarket just recently started carrying. I did the haricots verts with teriyaki sauce one night and they were a huge hit, so last night I quickly steamed a variety of the above and then tossed them with a mustard-balsamic vinaigrette I whipped up and the kids gobbled them, too. The cost is more than for regular veggies, but if the kids will actually eat them, it is worth the price!
KathyB

Mary K. · **Joined:** Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:34 pm **Posts:** 9788

That's wonderful Kathy! I'm so glad you all enjoyed them, and many mothers will thank you, for your idea with the veggies. Mine ate veggies better when they were little than they do since they're grown. I hadn't thought about the balsamic trick. So many times, I have really appreciated the ideas that are exchanged here on the board. Often it gives us a whole new outlook on cooking. Thanks!!

Mary K. · **Joined:** Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:34 pm **Posts:** 9788

I'm here to tell you all, I made KathyB's red wine vinegar pork chops for one of the boys and myself, and loved those things. Thanks Kathy for another very good idea. I'll be doing that again!

Since the weather didn't want to stay cool, after I seasoned and seared the chops on top the stove (in my trusty old cast iron skillet which has been dragged back into service :wink:

) I put them in a square stainless steel baking pan covered with foil, then popped them into the electric roaster, set on 350°, on the rack with an ear of corn at each end to cook right along while the chops finished. Actually, I put the corn in around 10 minutes before the chops were added. I had never before fixed the corn by that method, but took the advice of Phyllis, and peeled most but not all the husks off, leaving the silks inside, and then pulling the remaining husks up close to the corn, and I may never fix corn any other way. That was very good! What can I say, a good tossed salad added, some fresh peaches, and that meal was a real winner!

Thank you Kathy, and Phyllis for new ideas which really were tasty, and very well accepted by not only myself, but also, my finicky guest. :wink:

Joni M · **Posted:** Fri Jul 28, 2006 11:55 am

Hi all, just a quick note since Mary talked about baking her corn in the post above: my MIL told me to put the whole ear of corn--outer husks and all--directly in the micro and bake on hi for 3 minutes. Well, we like our corn just a little crunchier than mooshy, so I dropped back to 2 1/2 minutes per ear--(so if you do 2 ears then bake for 5 minutes, 4 ears for 10 etc.), and frankly, I'll never husk them first and boil on the stove again. This was so easy and when finished in the micro--a person really needs to wait a minute or two, but the husks and silks just drop off the ears--talk about easy! So since we are in the height of corn-on-the-cob season--try the micro at 2 1/2 minutes per ear and see if it isn't just the best way to fix corn yet!!!

Mary K. · **Joined:** Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:34 pm **Posts:** 9788

Joni, the microwave would certainly be faster for sure, and it just seems like when they are roasted in the husks they have a different flavor which is sooo much better. Thanks for telling us about this method. I have some I can fix for tonight's meal and I'm going to try that.

Emerogork · **Posted:** Mon Oct 16, 2006 8:35 am

Braise the chops, or ribs, in a pan with a table spoon or two of oil. Remove the pork and add 1/4 cup of sliced onions & sautee. Add a small can of sauerkraut. Heat and about 4oz of water. This cleans the burnt offerings from the bottom of the pan. Replace chops on top of the saurekraut. Cover and simmer about 1 hour or until meat starts falling off the bone.

Works nicely with hot dogs instead of the pork!

Forgive me, I posted this elsewhere thinking it was here, so you may see this post twice....

pumpkin · **Posted:** Fri Oct 20, 2006 10:24 pm

Emerogork, thanks for the reminder on how to fix them this way. I've done it in the past, but haven't lately. We enjoy our pork chops nice and tender also. In fact, I have some homemade Sauerkraut that a lady gave me. It's time to try it out.

Joyce

just a comment based on a post about pork chops

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