What's For Dinner: Maple-Glazed Pork Chops

These Maple-Glazed Pork Chops are perfect for grilling out.

The return of summer also means a return to grilling. Of course, you can totally grill out any time of the year, but here in Northern Wisconsin it's not quite that fun to grill out when the temperature outside is subzero and there is a foot of snow on the ground. (Well, at least I am admittedly not hardy enough to withstand such temperatures; tailgating Green Bay Packers fans do so on a regular basis.)

Pork chops are a great option for grilling out. The key to delicious pork chops is a good marinade. And don't shortchange the marination period. I suggest marinating the meat for at least an hour, and up to overnight. If you like, prep extra marinade for brushing the meat while grilling; for food safety reasons, do not re-use the liquid the meat was marinating in.

These pork chops get a tasty sweet and savory flavor from a maple syrup-balsamic vinegar marinade. The marinade is super-simple, and as such, is open to as much embellishment as you'd like to add: fresh herbs or garlic would be a perfect place to start.

Maple-Glazed Pork Chops (printer-friendly version)
makes 4 servings

6 tablespoons maple syrup
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 bone-in pork chops (about 3/4-inch thick)

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
2. Pour the marinade into a gallon-size plastic zippered bag. Add the pork chops, seal the bag closed, and gently turn to coat. Place the bag in the fridge and let the pork chops marinate for at least one hour, up to overnight.
3. Remove the pork chops from the bag and discard the marinade. Cook the pork chops on an oiled grill over medium heat for 13-17 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove the chops from the grill when they reach 145 degrees. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

(adapted from this Taste of Home recipe)

What's For Dinner: Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Apple Chutney

Though we are now officially in the summer season, last week it was a bit chilly and grey up here in Northern Wisconsin, which led me to look to my slow cooker for some dinnertime inspiration. Pork chops are one of the few meats available fresh at our local natural foods store (they sell most meats (chicken, beef, fish) in their frozen state), so, without any meat thawed in the fridge, I knew pork would have to be the main ingredient. Growing up, pork chops were typically served alongside applesauce at our house, so my next thought went to apples. Just adding chopped apples seemed a little too boring, so I opted to make a savory/spicy apple-based chutney instead.

Though the resulting dish may not look all that appetizing, let me assure you that it was delicious. The chutney helps to keep the pork chops tender and moist while they cook, and it adds a delicious sweet flavor that has just a little kick from the addition of red pepper flakes and mustard seeds. Though this dish might feature the flavors of fall, it tastes just as good in the summer months as it would any other time of the year.

Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Apple Chutney (printer-friendly version)
makes four servings

4 center-cut boneless pork chops, 1-inch thick, trimmed of excess fat
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (or use 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried whole yellow mustard seeds
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped coarsely
3 medium apples, peeled, chopped (I used golden delicious apples)

1. Spray a 4-quart slow cooker bowl with cooking spray. Liberally salt and pepper both sides of each pork chop, then place them into the bottom of the prepped slow cooker bowl.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the honey, apple cider vinegar, freshly grated ginger, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, mustard seeds, chopped onion, and chopped dried cherries.
3. Pour the mixture evenly over the pork chops.
4. Top with the chopped apples.
5. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 to 4 1/2 hours, or until the pork chops are cooked through.
6. Serve immediately.

What's For Dinner: Lazy Girl Slow Cooker BBQ Pork Chops

Happy First Day of Spring! Apparently springtime is still a long ways away up here in Northern Wisconsin. It was -14 with windchill this morning when I took Leroy for an abbreviated walk around the cul de sac. I have to admit, as much as I love the snow (and have had fun learning how to cross-country ski; although given the bruises currently on my knees, I have a long way to go), I am SO ready for green grass and blooming flowers. I'm also considering signing up for a half-marathon that occurs in early May; I could really use some snow- and ice-free roadways, as I just cannot deal with running on a treadmill for more than 4 miles. I hear that the "mud season" lasts for quite awhile up here as all the piles of snow melt ... we shall see.

All this to say that given the cold temperatures, it appears I won't be giving up my slow cooker meals just yet. (In the warmer months, I tend to stay away from slow cooker meals and instead focus on meals that feature the fresh produce that arrives in the late spring and is available all summer long). For today's slow cooker recipe, I'm sharing a super-simple (and let's face it, super-lazy) recipe for BBQ pork chops. I made this last week when I was (randomly) craving some barbecue pork and was swamped with work. Though I have made barbecue sauce from scratch in the past, I didn't have the time to whip up a batch this time around. So instead I opted to use the bottled variety, and found a brand that had an ingredient list I could get behind (and was quite similar to the ingredients I would have used if I had made the sauce from scratch myself). To make this dish, you just pour some sauce into the crockpot, add the pork chops, and add enough sauce so that the chops are covered. Set it on low, and let the slow cooker work its magic for 6 hours. The result? Amazingly-delicious barbecue pork chops with almost zero effort.

Lazy Girl Slow Cooker BBQ Pork Chops (printer-friendly version)
makes 4 servings

4 pork chops
1 bottle (20-24 oz) barbecue sauce (I used American Stockyard Smoky Sweet BBQ Sauce)

1. Pour about half the bbq sauce into a 2-quart slow cooker bowl. Add the pork chops. Pour in more bbq sauce if necessary to completely cover the chops.
2. Cook on low for 6-7 hours.
3. Shred the meat or serve the pork chops whole. I served the pork chops over a bed of wild rice (and had some steamed broccoli on the side, not pictured, obvs.)

What's For Dinner: Slow-Cooker Pork Chops

Work officially got in the way of blogging last week -- hence my radio silence following last Monday's post. After working over weekend, I also worked for several hours on Monday (a company holiday), and then proceeded to work 12- and 13-hour days on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was not fun, but our project schedule demanded it. Sleep took precedence over blogging -- but hopefully last week was the worst of it, and I should be back to my regular Monday, Wednesday, and Friday posting schedule this week. We shall see.

Meanwhile, last Monday was D's birthday, and later this week I'll share some fun cupcakes I baked up for our little celebration. I stopped by Golden Harvest last Monday afternoon to find some inspiration for his birthday dinner -- I ended up picking up a 10-oz grass-fed steak and a package of pasture-raised pork chops. D chose to grill the steak, so I made pork chops for dinner later in the week. Given my crazy-busy work schedule, I knew that a slow cooker recipe would be my best option. A quick Google search resulted in finding a well-reviewed recipe on Allrecipes.com, and after determining I had most of the ingredients on hand, I decided to go for it. I made a few changes to the original recipe, including subbing in a variety of herbs and spices for the called-for poultry spice mix. The pork chops cook in a herby broth which makes a delicious sauce. You might want to consider stirring in a tablespoon or two of cornstarch into the broth at the end to make a gravy to ladle over the cooked pork chops.

Though pork chops might conjure up thoughts of a super-tough cut of meat, this preparation results in  meat that is fall-apart tender and full of flavor.

Slow-Cooker Pork Chops (printer-friendly version)
makes four servings

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons rubbed sage
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon ground marjoram
1 teaspoon ground rosemary
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 boneless pork chops
salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine all the ingredients but the pork chops in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine. Pour into a 4-quart slow cooker bowl.
2. Use a sharp knife to get 3-4 small slits in each side of the pork chops. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Place the pork chops in the slow cooker, making sure that they are covered by the liquid.
3. Cook on high for four hours. Baste occasionally with the cooking liquid.
4. Serve over rice.

(adapted from this recipe)