Braised and Grilled

Tonight we had braised pork chops and grilled potatoes. Delish.

I started with the thick cut chops. Seared those in the pan on each side. When each side had a nice crust on them, I removed the chops to a plate and added one large onion which had been diced. Giving them a minute to start to release their juices, I then added a few garlic cloves that were minced a a handful of chopped rosemary. I let this cook for a minute when I added 1/2 a cup of beer. This reduced for a minute and I added 1 cup of beef broth. With this simmering over low heat I added the chops back, covered and let sit for 40 minutes, flipping the chops 1/2 way through.

During the last 15 minutes, I took a large russet potato and sliced it into 1/4 inch slices. Each side was drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. I placed these on the hot grill pan and let them go for about 4 minutes, then rotated them a 1/4 turn, so they could get nice grill markings, they went another 4 minutes. Flip and repeat.

By this time the chops were done. I removed them from the braising liquid placed on a plate. I strained out all the solids from the braising liquid and then returned the liquid to the pan and brought to a boil. The sauce reduced for about 5 minutes. I added 1 TB of butter and stirred until melted and incorporated.

Plate up the chops and the taters. Spoon sauce over the chops and potatoes. Garnish with rosemary and serve!



Easy and tasty! The pork was dry and I knew that was happening as I couldn't get the temperature low enough on the stove; what should have been a bare simmer was much more than that. To remedy this, in the future, I will bring the chops and braising liquid to a simmer, cover and place in a 375 oven for an hour. This will slow cook the chops, allowing the braising liquid to penetrate into the meat, making it tender and juicy.