Smothered Pork Chops

Pork chops. They are pretty much a staple in my boyfriend's freezer. I'm personally not a big fan of it but I don't mind it every once in awhile.


Anyway, after the surprisingly fun time I had with the Nong-Shim Oven Roasted Spareribs, where I basically threw together stuff found at my boyfriend's place, I decided to do the same thing a few Sundays ago, but with pork chops. Pork chops is definitely easier to handle.  There are also more recipes out there for them as well.  This time though, I didn't have to cook with random ingredients as I found a recipe in my America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook with ingredients that I had at home.


These pork chops turned out great. I mean, come on, sauce on pork chops with bacon bits on top? You can't go wrong with that. The only alteration I did was I doubled the sauce. After my experience with the Beef Straganoff where I didn't have enough sauce, I'm now paranoid about things being too dry. So I doubled the sauce here just in case - and doubling sauce never hurts IMO; just use as much sauce as you need and you can always save the rest (sauce also goes well with rice).


Smothered Pork Chops - Adapted from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
Serves 4

Using a nonstick pan is crucial here in order to prevent any browned bits from sticking and burning. Serve the pork chops with mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles to soak up the rich gravy.

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in rib pork chops (6 ounces each), 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra s needed
• 2 onions, halved and sliced thin
• 2 garlic clothes, minced
• 1 tsp minced fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
• 2 tbsps water
• 3 ounces bacon (3 slices), chopped fine
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp minced fresh parsley

Instructions
1. Pat the chops dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Brown the chops on both sides, about 6 minutes, then transfer to a large plate.


2. Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil to the skillet and return to medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook until frgrant, about 15 seconds. Stir in the water, scraping up any browned bits, then transfer to a bowl.

3. Add the bacon to the skillet and return to medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate, leaving the bacon fat in the pan (you should have at least 2 tbsps but if not, substitute vegetable oil for the missing bacon fat)


4. Whisk the flour into the fat left in the skillet and cook over medium-low heat until golden, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the broth, scraping up any browned bits. Return the chops to the skillet and cover them with the onions. Add the bay leaves, cover, and simmer over low heat until the pork is completely tender, about 30 minutes.

5. Transfer the chops to a serving platter and tent with foil. Continue to simmer the sauce until thickened, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves, stir in the parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the sauce over the chops and sprinkle with the crisp bacon before serving.

Yeah, I would say it's  "smothered" alright...can't even tell that's a pork chop under there =D