Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Marinated and Braised Pork Chops

We like to cook and, as such, we don't use a lot of prepared foods; favoring cooking from scratch. There are, however, a few exceptions. One such exception is a preserves product we found on one of our bi-monthly treks to Costco. We usually only buy bulk items there, but every so often, we stumble on products that are just too good to pass up. In this case, it's a peach, mango and orange "More Fruit" preserves by E. D. Smith. I have no idea if this product is available elsewhere, but if you can find it, buy it; it's uber-yum.

Marinade ingredients:

2 1" thick center-cut, boneless pork chops
1/2 tsp. each of ground ginger,  and dry mustard*
1/4 tsp. each of ground nutmeg, ground cloves, garlic powder
Salt and pepper
1/2 low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp. olive oil

Towel dry the chops and then rub in olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and rub in a nice layer of spice mix on both sides. Place chops in a plastic bag and add soy sauce. Marinate for at least two hours (I usually do 4 or more).

Take the chops out 30 minutes before you're ready to cook them to allow them to come to room temperature.

Pre-heat your oven to 325f.

Additional ingredients:

1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. water (tepid)
1/2 c. E. D. Smith Peach, Mango, Orange More Fruit (or your favorite preserves)
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. olive oil


Heat an oven-safe cooking dish (I use a 5 qt. Le Creuset round french oven) over a medium to high flame. When hot, add the butter and oil and then, after a few minutes, add the chops. Brown on both sides for about 2 minutes or until the chops begin to caramelize. Add the water and soy to de-glaze and then add half of the preserves to the top of each chop. Cover and bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature is between 160 - 170f.

Serve with your favorite sides (we like roasted red potatoes with salt, pepper and rosemary and roasted asparagus).

Enjoy!

~David

* Coleman's dry yellow mustard is the best I've used.

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