Painless Pork Chops

In light of recent gatherings with friends, I have decided to dedicate this blog post to those of you who are "cooking impaired".  Many times I have heard that people do not cook simply because they do not know where to begin, so let us start here.

A basic rule of protein: generally your meat has more flavor if you have the bone still attached to it (same goes for fish... the skin keeps a more genuine flavor to the dish).  Next time you go to the grocery store, pick up some bone in pork chops that are about one inch thick - about the length of the index finger between the top joint and the middle joint of the finger - and try this recipe.

You will need at MINIMUM one hour of marinade time but better yet, make this marinade the evening ahead and let the chops sit overnight to let the flavor really seep in.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 bone in pork chops, one inch thick
• 1/3 Cup balsamic vinegar (I happened to have some of my Maple flavored on hand but you can use regular, or even a red wine vinegar)
• 1/4 cup apple juice (or just use 1/2 cup of vinegar if you do not have apple juice)
• 1 TBSP canola oil or melted ghee
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• salt & pepper to taste (optional)

Directions

One day prior (or at minimum, one hours prior to cooking)

1. Place pork chops into gallon ziplock bag.  
2. In a bowl, combine all remaining ingredients and whisk together.  
3. Pour contents into the gallon bag, remove as much air as possible and seal the bag.  
4. Let rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours, max of a day.

Cooking

1. Prior to cooking, take the meat out and let it rest for about 20 minutes. 
2. While the meat is hanging out, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. (see below for TIPS on making this a complete meal)
3. Place about a teaspoon of grape seed oil (or canola... just DO NOT use olive oil, it is delicate and burns very easily) in a cast iron or heavy skillet and heat pan over a medium flame for about 5 minutes.  
4. Gently add the pork chops to the pan and sear each side for 2 minute per side.  
5. Place the skillet in the preheated oven.  
6. Continue to cook the pork chops another 5 minutes or until a meat thermometer reaches 135 degrees.  
7. Remove the pan from the oven and place pork chops on another plate. Let the meat rest for about 7-10 minutes.  The meat will continue to cook (safe consumption is between 145 degrees and 160).
8. Serve!  I recommend a dry white to pair :)

Tips for making a complete meal: When you take the meat out of the oven to rest, thinly cut a sweet potato into 1/8 inch slices (your iphone is 1/4 inch  in height when you have it laying flat so half of that) and a zucchini into 1/4 inch slices.  Place vegetables in a bag, add a tablespoon of olive oil, a clove of garlic and a pinch of salt then shake the bag until the ingredients are well dispersed.  Pour the vegetables onto a cookie sheet and place in the oven just before you START the pork on the stovetop (so when your 20 minute timer to start cooking hits 10 minutes, get your veggies in the oven).  They will be ready when the meat is done.  Easy peasy

Carnitas for the Homesick Texan

Blame it on the rain... but I was homesick for Texas this morning as I was pondering what I should do with this massive pork loin I had in the fridge.  I was feeling a bit lazy so the crock pot instantly came out of the cupboard.  Add a little spice, some beer and the proper accoutrements and we had ourself a nice little tex-mex meal this evening.

Ingredients

• 3 pound pork loin
• 1 can green chiles
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp Adobo spice
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cilantro
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp grape seed oil
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1/2 bottle of mexican beer (I say that since it's appropriate for the genre but I used Miller Lite since it's what was in our fridge)

Directions

1. Place bay leaf in the bottom of the crock pot.  
2. Cut a few slices into the pork loin and stuff them with garlic
3. Place the loin into the crock pot, add vegetable stock and the remaining spices.  Pour beer over the top of the loin and place the pot on medium
4. Cook for 6-8 hours and if possible, flip the meat halfway through.
5. Serve with tortillas, guac, salsa and sour cream (and maybe a margarita... if it's Sunday Funday)