Meredith Deeds | (TNS) Star Tribune
Smothered pork chops, browned and covered in a tasty sauce, are the quintessential Southern comfort food.
You can “smother” almost any type of meat. In New Orleans, shrimp is frequently used in this method, known in French as étouffée.
For this week’s recipe, we’re using the popular pork chops, and to ensure they stay juicy and tender, I’m taking a few important steps.
First, I soak the chops in a simple mixture of salt and sugar. The soak not only adds flavor, but also changes the structure of the muscle proteins, helping them retain more moisture when cooked.
The next step is to brown the chops first, then set them aside while allowing the sauce to simmer and intensify in flavor. The pork chops are returned just in time to cook to the desired level of doneness. The USDA now advises that 145 degrees is safe for cooked pork, which is more of a pinkish medium than well done.
I cook these pork chops to 140 degrees, as they will continue to cook while resting. This leads me to my last tip: Let the chops rest before serving. This allows the juices to spread throughout the meat so they don’t all come out with the first cut.
While this dish is iconic, I did make a few changes to the sauce.
Normally, the sauce includes mushrooms along with the onions, and often has a splash of heavy cream.
For this recipe, I leave out the mushrooms and enhance the sweetness of the onions with a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup.
Dijon mustard perfectly balances the sauce, preventing it from becoming too sweet.
I like to serve this with mashed potatoes to ensure I enjoy every bit of the delicious sauce, but rice or buttered noodles would also be a tasty option.
Maple Mustard Smothered Pork Chops
Serves 4.
A classic comfort food, this version has a just a hint of sweet and sour thanks to the addition of Dijon mustard and maple syrup. It's best made ahead of time. From Meredith Deeds.
- 1/3 c. sugar
- 1/3 c., plus 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
- 4 (1-in. thick) bone-in pork chops
- 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 3 c. chicken stock
- 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp. pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp. chopped parsley
- Mashed potatoes, buttered noodles or rice, for serving
Directions
Mix 3 cups water, sugar and 1/3 cup salt together in a large bowl until dissolved. Place pork chops in brine mixture, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours. Remove chops from brine and pat dry with paper towels.
Coat the chops in the flour, shaking off the excess. Save the extra flour for later.
Heat the oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the pork chops and cook until they are browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Add the onions, garlic, pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are softened and lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
Use 2 tablespoons of the flour set aside for dredging to cook with the onions, stirring for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the stock, mustard and maple syrup, stirring and scraping the pan well, until the mixture has boiled. Then, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
Put the chops and any collected liquid back in the pot and bring it to a simmer again. Cook without disturbing it until the sauce thickens and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork shows 140 degrees, about 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a platter. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with mashed potatoes, rice, or buttered noodles.
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Meredith Deeds, a cookbook author and food writer from Edina, can be contacted at [email protected]. You can also follow her on Instagram under the handle @meredithdeeds.
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