Let's talk pork chops.
No. Seriously. Pork chops.
A little back story...
My quest to turn my family vegetarian has met with dismal failure. Shocking, I know. For some reason, and I think I may blame The Fresno Crew, Joseph loves and adores all things meat. Bacon, sausage, chicken, turkey, fish, shellfish, beef...the kid would probably eat venison, rattlesnake and squirrel if it was put on a plate with a little BBQ sauce. But...
I don't really cook non-chicken meat well. First of all, in order to successfully cook it, you probably have to touch it. And we all know how I feel about that. Second, since I never really had someone to prepare the raw meat for me before I met Chad, I never really got to practice.
Which means that Sunday was the first time I've ever attempted to prepare pork chops.
After a few internet searches, I decided not to broil them. For no other reason than I don't know how to use my broiler.
You may be asking yourself, what does she mean she doesn't know how to use her broiler? Well, if you're not cooking steaks or chops, what else would you use it for?
Using tongs, I put the poor pork chops into the slow cooker with a lovely mango chutney. Within an hour, the house smelled amazing. The sweet tart chutney with it's hint of ginger made our mouths water. I prepared mashed sweet potatoes and broccoli. It was, as Joseph said, a real dinner.
Because apparently couscous and fish does not constitute a "real dinner".
One bite and I knew I was in trouble. It was not tender in any way, shape or form. It took me five minutes to chew one piece. While I appreciated the fact that it was now necessary for us to slow down our eating, I was disappointed. I would have thought the slow cooker would make it fall-apart tender.
Joseph and Chad did what any good son and husband would do. They raved and then dipped it in sweet and sour sauce.
Now I have four more chops to cook up. I want to make them perfectly. It's a matter of pride. It's a matter of determination. And I'm stubborn.
So, my dear, wonderful, lovely readers...
Hit me with your best (and easiest) pork chop recipe. Low cal or low fat would be nice too. No pressure!
Just remember, if it involves any touching, I won't be able to handle it. (HA! I crack myself up.)
4 comments:
You blame the FRESNO CREW - LOL!!!!
Easiest low-cal way we do them is on the BBQ ... use any seasoning you like ... just good 'ole garlic salt works great. The trick is to not overdo them. Get your tongs out - slap them on a medium heat BBQ grill - if they are less than
1" thick, grill no longer than 8 minutes a side. Let them sit a bit after you've grilled them.
Now for my not so lo-cal easy delish pork chop recipes ... call me!!!
Dave makes this one and I LOVE it:
http://books.google.com/books?id=zbLGPFXMYhIC&pg=PA220#v=onepage&q&f=false
I'm not sure how many chops "8 ounces" are but he usually makes four chops at a time. He often adds some greens (spinach, collards, chard, whatever) on top of the chops.
Wear gloves or put plastic bags over your hands if you're squicked out by the meat. (I used to be too, but I'm getting used to it.)
Mandy,
Grilling porkchops works great. I also bake them in the oven sometimes with sauteed (sp?) shallots and pineapple slices on top.
Also, about the slowcooker - how long did you cook it for? Mine always come out tender, but I usually cook them on low all day (6-8 hrs), sometimes simply with cream of mushroom soup (or you can put a cup of low-fat chicken broth, if you want them to be more juicy and tender).
Hope this helps!
Irina :) (yep, I'm still around, even if rarely ;)
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