Category: PORK

SWEET & STICKY PORK CHOPS with DIRTY RICE

I found this recipe in a pile to try and instantly fell in love with it.  I am trying better to remember to write down where I cut recipes from, but have not mastered it yet, LOL.

This is NOT a spontaneous recipe.  You have to plan!  This is best when the chops are marinated for the full 24 hours. I also make the dirty rice the day before while making the brine so that the flavors meld together.

Many dirty rice recipes also call for cumin and cayenne pepper.  I prefer to use more paprika and omit the cumin and cayenne pepper.

SWEET & STICKY PORK CHOPS with DIRTY RICE
DAY 1
BRINE
4 cups water
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
4-6 cups ice
4-6 thick bone in pork chops

  • In a large sauce pot whisk together water, salt, brown sugar and molasses.
  • Bring to a boil.
  • Remove from heat, add ice blending well to melt.
  • Add pork chops.
  • Cover and refrigerate 12-24 hours.

DIRTY RICE
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground beef
3 teaspoons paprika
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 cups water
3 gloves garlic, minced
Fresh ground salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons Dark Roux (recipe below)

  • In a large skillet brown the beef and pork together with garlic until well browned. Drain.
  • Whisk together water, chicken broth, paprika, salt and pepper.
  • Return meat to skillet and add chicken broth mixture, mixing well.
  • Add butter and roux, blending well.
  • Add rice, mix well, cover and simmer 20 minutes until rice is fluffy.

DARK ROUX (makes 1/2-2/3 cup – can be kept refrigerated for several weeks)

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup avocado oil

  • Whisk together the flour and oil.
  • Bake  at 350° for 1 1/2 hours or until dark golden brown.

DAY 2
GLAZE
3/4 cup maple syrup or equal parts light molasses and maple syrup
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

  • In a small saucepan whisk together the vinegar and syrup.
  • Heat to boiling.
  • Reduce heat slightly and simmer 30 minutes or until reduced by half, whisking as necessary.

ASSEMBLY

  • Preheat oven to 375°.
  • Remove pork chops from brine and pat dry.
  • In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium high heat.  Add pork chops and generously salt and pepper.  Sear pork chops evenly on both sides.
  • Spray large baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Evenly spread rice into baking dish.
  • Add pork chops to baking dish in single layer.
  • Top with glaze.
  • Bake 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.
  • Garnish and serve.

HERB MEAT LOAF & GRAVY – from scratch HOMESTYLE

Part of the flavor of meatloaf is from the fat content in the meat.  Ground chuck has a higher fat contact than ground round but if you can’t get ground chuck be sure to use at least and 80/20 fat content or decrease the beef and increase the ground pork.

  HERB MEAT LOAF & GRAVY

*2 pound ground pork
*2 pound ground chuck
4-6 tablespoons Classico sun dried tomato pesto(can also use Hunt’s tomato paste)
2 medium eggs
1 KNORR beef bouillon gel
1/2 cup milk or cream
1/2 cup moscato wine
2 cups fine bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups finely chopped celery
1 large Vidalia onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley (I used 1 tablespoon parsley paste)
Fresh ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Whisk eggs, milk, wine, bouillon and tomato pesto together.
  • With your hands blend together the meat, egg mixture, bread crumbs, onions, garlic, parsley and celery just until mixed.
  • Shape into loaf pan.
  • Bake 1 to 1 1/2 hours until cooked through.
  • Carefully drain and retain liquid from meatloaf for the gravy.

1/2 cup organic butter
1/2 cup Wondra flour
Beef broth, red wine and/or drippings from meat loaf for your favorite combo of 2 cups total
Fresh ground salt and black pepper, to taste

  • Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat.
  • Whisk in flour, cooking until golden.
  • Slowly whisk in broth/pan juices, increasing heat to medium and whisking constantly until gravy comes to slow boil.
  • Reduce heat and simmer gravy to desired consistency.
  • Season to taste.

    *I have found that buying these from a butcher vs. the grocery store has a more flavorful and tasty meat loaf.

    SLOW COOKER CARNITAS

    I LOVE carnitas! This is one of the tastiest and easy recipes.  So add some sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions, guacamole and add it to your next TEX-MEX gathering.

    SLOW COOKER CARNITAS
    3-4 pounds pork shoulder, cut into several pieces
    1 bottle green taco sauce
    4 cloves garlic, minced
    1 can original Rotel tomatoes
    1 can chopped green chiles
    Fresh ground Sea Salt and Black Pepper
    1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
    1 cup water

    • Place onion pieces in bottom of slow cooker.
    • Pour Rotel tomatoes and green chiles over onions.
    • Add pork pieces.
    • GENEROUSLY salt and pepper pork.
    • Whisk together water and taco sauce.
    • Pour taco sauce over top of pork pieces.
    • Cover and cook 6-8 hours on high until meat shreds.
    • Remove from crock pot (reserving 1/2 cup of liquid) and shred all your meat.

    1/2 cup milk
    1/2 cup liquid from crock pot

    • Preheat oven to 300°.
    • Whisk together the milk and cooking liquid.
    • Place shredded meat on a cookie sheet.
    • Pour liquid over meat shreds.
    • Bake 45 minutes until meat begins to crisp.

    Golden Blend tortillas
    sour cream
    shredded cheese
    sliced green onions
    guacamole

      PORK SCHNITZEL, PLUM SHALLOT CHUTNEY & GRANDMA DOLL POTATO SALAD

      PORK SCHNITZEL
      6-8 thin pork cutlets
      1 cup Panko crumbs
      1/2 cup Wondra flour
      Coarse sea salt to taste
      Fresh ground pepper to taste
      1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
      2 large eggs, beaten
      4 tablespoons butter

      • Stir together the flour salt, pepper and cayenne.
      • Melt butter in large skillet over medium high heat.
      • Dredge each cutlet through the egg and then the flour mixture before adding to the hot butter.
      • Brown to golden on each side.

      PLUM SHALLOT CHUTNEY
      1 jar Smuckers Red Plum Jam
      1 large shallot, sliced thin

      • In a small food processor add both the jam and shallot slices, processing until smooth AND chunky.

      GRANDMA DOLL’S POTATO SALAD
      3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, baked and cooled
      4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
      1 small red onion, chopped
      2 large kosher dill pickles, chopped
      2 tablespoons dill relish
      Lots of mustard
      A little mayonnaise
      salt and pepper to taste

      • Grate potatoes in a large mixing bowl.
      • Add eggs, onion, pickles and relish, mixing to blend well.
      • Add mustard and mayonnaise to taste and desired consistency.
      • Add seasonings to taste.

      VANILLA LATTE MEATBALLS with COFFEE GRAVY

      Anyone can make a meatloaf or fried chicken.  When I search for recipes for recipe experiment night I look for the unusual. I found this recipe loose in my file. Heaven only knows where it came from.  It was a xerox of a xerox called Norwegian Meatballs. I changed it enough to utilize what I had on hand and we really liked it so I’ll make it the same way again, but I changed up the directions a bit.  I’ll give you the original ingredients in red with my changes in black.

      VANILLA LATTE MEATBALLS with COFFEE GRAVY
      1 1/2 cups ‘nilla wafer crumbs 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
      1/2 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup half and half
      1/4 cup espresso 1/4 cup strong coffee

      2 eggs, lightly beaten
      1 medium onion, finely chopped (I used a small Vidalia)
      1/4 cup fresh chopped Italian leaf parsley
      1 teaspoon fresh ground Himalayan Pink salt 1 teaspoon salt
      1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
      1 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
      1/4 cup organic butter
      3/4 pound ground chuck 1 pound ground beef
      3/4 pound ground country pork 1/2 pound ground turkey or ground pork

      • In a large mixing bowl combine ‘nilla wafers, heavy cream and espresso until evenly moist.
      • Add eggs, onion, parsley, nutmeg, salt and pepper, mixing again by hand until well blended.
      • Add meat and blend again until evenly mixed.
      • Cover and chill for several hours.
      • With gloves or moist hands form golf ball sized meatballs.
      • Chill again for 30 minutes or so.
      • In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over a medium-high heat.
      • Cook meatballs, turning as necessary until cooked through, about 10 minutes. As meatballs finish remove them with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels as you cook the rest of the meatballs.  Add remaining butter as necessary until it is all in the skillet.

      1/4 cup flour
      1 KNORR beef gel bouillon 1 cup beef broth
      1 cup boiling water
      1 cup espresso 1 cup strong coffee
      1 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
      1/2 teaspoon  Himalayan Pink salt 1 teaspoon salt
      1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

      • After meatballs are all cooked, whisk flour into skillet, scraping all the bits from the bottom.
      • Whisk together KNORR gel, coffee, water and seasoning.
      • When flour is golden and smooth, gradually add coffee mixture, whisking until smooth.
      • Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.
      • Return meatballs to gravy, lower heat, and simmer a few minutes until meatballs are hated through.

      APPLE CINNAMON PORK CHOPS

      APPLE CINNAMON PORK CHOPS
      4 boneless pork chops
      1 KNORR chicken gel bouillon
      1 large frozen apple juice
      1 cup water
      1/4 teaspoon celery seed
      1 teaspoon + 1 teaspoon cinnamon
      1/4 cup + 1/4 cup brown sugar
      1 apple, cored and sliced
      Fresh ground pepper and salt to taste

      • Arrange pork chops in a single layer in the bottom of the crock pot.
      • Whisk together the bouillon, apple juice, water, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
      • Pour over pork chops.
      • Cook on low 4-5 hours.
      • Add sliced apple and sprinkle with remaining brown sugar and cinnamon.
      • Cook another hours.

      SAUER PULLED PORK

      SAUER PULLED PORK
      2 cups sauerkraut, rinsed and drained*
      2 pound pork tenderloin
      2 tablespoons Dijon mustard mayonnaise mixture
      1 cup beer**
      salt and pepper, to taste

      • Place sauerkraut on the bottom of your slow cooker.
      • Cut tenderloin in half and lay on top of sauerkraut.
      • Generously salt and pepper meat.
      • Spread Dijon on top of meat.
      • Pour beer over around meat.
      • Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 4-5 hours.
      • Remove meat to cutting board and shred using 2 forks.
      • Serve on thick toast layers with sauerkraut and with sliced red onion.

      *I used a local organic sauerkraut as is without rinsing or draining
      **I used a pumpkin ale and used ALL of it

      MEAT LOVER’S CASSEROLE aka SPANISH RICE & MEAT

      This recipe started out as Baked Rice with Chicken and Lemony Meatballs from a Cook’s Illustrated Skillet Dinner Magazine, but became something entirely different before I was done. Hubby was still raving about this recipe this morning and even considered having leftovers for breakfast so I think it was a hit!

      MEAT LOVER’S CASSEROLE
      MEATBALLS
      1 slice sourdough bread
      1 tablespoon milk
      1/4-1/3 cup Panko crumbs
      1/2 pound fresh ground pork
      1 large egg
      2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
      zest from 1 lemon
      salt and pepper to taste

      • Using your hands mix everything together until well blended.  Use only as much Panko crumbs as needed to keep mixture from being too “wet”.
      • Roll into 1 inch meatballs.
      • Cover and chill meatballs while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

      CHICKEN & BACON
      1 pound chicken breast tenders, salt and peppered to taste
      4 slices bacon, browned crisp and crumbled*

      *I prepare the bacon in the microwave on paper towels while browning the chicken pieces to save time and absorb the grease to make the bacon crispier.

      SAUCE & RICE
      4 cloves garlic, minced
      1 large hot house tomato, cut into pieces
      Juice of 1 lemon
      1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
      2 KNORR chicken Gel bouillon
      1/2 cup hot water
      2 cups water
      1 cup Jasmine Rice

      PREPARATION
      6 tablespoons avocado oil

      • Heat oil over medium high heat in large skillet.
      • Add garlic and saute until golden and fragrant.  Remove to small food processor with a slotted spoon.
      • Add chicken to pan and sear both sides. Remove to paper towels to absorb any excess grease.
      • Add meatballs, cooking, turning and rolling until browned on all sides.
      • Prepare bacon in microwave while the other meats are being prepared.
      • Add bouillon gels, tomato pieces, lemon juice, red pepper flakes and 1/2 cup hot water to the garlic in the food processor and process until smooth.
      • Add rice and broth mixture to pan stirring until rice is translucent.
      • Add 2 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens and rice is tender.

      ASSEMBLY
      Parmesan Cheese

      • Spray 2 quart casserole dish with non stick cooking spray.
      • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
      • Layer a small amount of the rice mixture on the bottom of you baking dish.
      • Top with a small handful of Parmesan cheese.
      • Layer chicken pieces on top of rice.
      • Sprinkle crumbled bacon on top of chicken.
      • Put another layer of the rice mixture.
      • Top with meatballs.
      • Top with remaining rice.
      • Sprinkle another handful of Parmesan cheese over everything.
      • Bake 20-30 minutes to heat through.

      PORK CHOPS with PEANUT BUTTER GREEN CHILE CREAM GRAVY

      I ran across a little blurb of a recipe in an old pamphlet and thought about trying it.  It was just weird enough that I figured it must really be good. I found it a bit plain when I first combined the ingredients and made some adjustments for us, but I’ll give you both versions (original in black with my changes in red) and let you decide.

      PEANUT BUTTER PORK CHOPS
      PORK CHOPS with PEANUT BUTTER GREEN CHILE CREAM GRAVY
      6 large pork loin chops
      1 stick butter
      2 cups peanut butter 1/2 cups JIF peanut butter
      seasonings to taste Hawaiian pink salt & fresh ground black pepper
      2 cups milk 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
      3/4 cup green chile verde sauce (Las Palmas or Old El Paso)

      • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
      • In a large skillet melt butter over medium high heat.
      • Season pork chops with salt and pepper.
      • Add pork chops to butter and brown, searing both sides. Remove pork chops to a prepared baking dish and cover.
      • Bake 30 minutes.
      • Add peanut butter to butter drippings, stirring to blend well.
      • Add chile verde sauce, blending again.
      • Add milk blending together until you have a creamy gravy. Add whipping cream gradually blending until you have a creamy gravy.
      • Pour gravy over pork chops. DON’T DO THIS! Instead make this gravy while pork chops are baking.  Gravy will be creamier and tastier without going into the oven.
      • Bake 30 minutes.
      • Enjoy.

      SWEET FIRE GRILLED PORK CHOPS with PARSLEYED RED POTATOES

      SWEET FIRE GRILLED PORK CHOPS with PARSLEYED RED POTATOES
      4 bone in 3/4 inch pork chops
      2 tablespoons Avocado oil
      1/3 cup Frank’s Sweet Chili Sauce
      1/3 cup tangerine juice
      2 cloves garlic, minced
      1/3 cup honey
      sea salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste
      small red potatoes, washed and halved
      Avocado oil
      chopped Parsley

      • Arrange pork chops flat in a baking dish. 
      • Salt and pepper to taste.
      • Whisk together the oil, Frank’s, juice, garlic and honey.
      • Pour over pork chops and turn to coat.
      • Cover chops and refrigerate (4-8), turning every 30 minutes.
      • Toss Potatoes with Avocado oil and parsley.
      • Arrange in baking dish.
      • Generously salt and pepper.
      • Roast until fork tender.
        • Prepare grill to medium high heat.
        • Place chops on grill and close lid.
        • Turn once, grilling both sides 4-5 minutes each until internal temperature is 145-160 degrees.
        • During last 2 minutes coat each side with honey.
        • Remove from grill and let rest 5 minutes.

        HEAVENLY HASH for that rainy Sunday morning brunch or Christmas Brunch

        HEAVENLY HASH
        2 pounds OreIda frozen diced hash brown potatoes
        1 can cream of celery soup
        2 + cups diced ham
        1 cup sour cream
        1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
        1/2 teaspoon sea salt
        1 bunch green onions, finely diced
        2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese ( I use a combo of medium, sharp and Skellig Sweet)
        1 cup crushed potato chips

        • Preheat 350 degrees.
        • Spray large flat baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
        • Whisk together soup, sour cream and seasonings until smooth.
        • Fold in the ham and green onions.
        • Fold in 2 cups of the cheese.
        • Fold in hash browns.
        • Spread into prepared baking dish.*
        • Bake until top is slightly golden , about 1 hour.
        • Sprinkle with last cup of cheese and potato chips and bake additional 10 minutes.

        COOK’S NOTES:
        Great for brunches and large groups.
        *We like a firmer casserole so I use a flatter baking dish to spread out the mixture.

        CHINESE BBQ PORK LOIN

        CHINESE BBQ PORK LOIN
        2-2 1/2 pound pork loin, cut into 1 inch chunks
        3/4 cup Hoisin sauce
        1/4 cup ketchup
        1/3 cup packed brown sugar
        1/4 cup soy sauce
        1/4 cup honey
        2 teaspoons sriracha
        4 cloves garlic, minced

        • Place pork pieces in a large zip log bag.
        • In a mixing bowl whisk together the Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sriracha, ketchup and honey until well blended.
        • Add brown sugar and garlic and mix well.
        • Pour over pork pieces and toss to coat.
        • Marinate for 24 hours.

        • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
        • Cover baking pan with heavy duty foil*.
        • Remove pork pieces from bag, reserving marinade.
        • Place pork pieces on baking pan.
        • Bake 20 minutes.
        • Turn pork pieces and brush with reserve marinade.
        • Bake an additional 10 minutes or until cooked through.
        • Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

        *This will make clean up sooooooooooo much easier.