SMOTHERED PORK CHOPS

PREP TIME: 1 HR COOK TIME: 30 MINS SERVINGS: 3

EQUIPMENT:

• Cast Iron Skillet

• Food Thermometer

When I think of comfort food, one of the first meals that come to mind is Smothered Pork Chops. To be fair, I’m pretty much a sucker for anything covered in gravy. This recipe is packed with flavor and the same love that our grandmother’s brought to the kitchen. This is perfect for your next Sunday Dinner.

I prefer bone-in pork chops. I like to find decently thick cuts, not too thick or too thin. Feel free to experiment or use whatever your preference is here. (Turkey chops or Chicken breast would work well here also, just make sure to cook them to at least 165 degrees internal temp)

We are going to whip up a delicious buttermilk brine to kick things off. This is going to add flavor, moisture, and also help us develop a nice crust on our fried chops. Let’s get started!

Season the pork chops with salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder, and Sazon. We are going to also add some fresh herbs, bay leaves, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce to our buttermilk brine.

Once your chops are adequately seasoned, toss in some bay leaves and fresh herbs. Next, we are going to fill our container with enough buttermilk to submerge the chops. Mix in a few dashes of hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce for good measure, and give everything a stir to incorporate.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 4.

Next, prep the flour. Always season your flour thoroughly! Here, I used salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder, creole seasoning, and Sazon. (Taste the flour to make sure it is seasoned to your liking)

From the buttermilk brine, dip your pork chops into your seasoned flour. After your pork chops are thoroughly coated with your seasoned flour, place them on a wire rack for 10 minutes before frying. This step ensures that the flour stays on your meat and not at the bottom of your skillet to burn up.

Fill your skillet or frying pan with about 1 inch or so of cooking oil. (I used peanut oil) and get this up to 350 degrees.

Fry your pork chops for a few minutes per side until the internal temp reaches about 150-155. Then remove from the oil until it’s time to smother.

Next, drain the remaining grease from your skillet or use a new pan. (Do not pour grease down your sink!!)

Add some butter and begin cooking your onions until they begin to caramelize. (About 10-12 minutes)

Lodge Cast Iron Skillet

Season the onions (salt, pepper, sazon) and then add in flour.

Mix the flour and onions together and cook for about 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Next, add in 1 cup of chicken stock and 1/4 cup of buttermilk. (The buttermilk will add a delicious creaminess to the gravy)

Stir to combine all ingredients. Simmer on low until your gravy reaches the consistency you’re looking for. (You can add more stock to thin the gravy if you need to) Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Once you’re happy with your gravy, add your chops back into the skillet.

Smother the pork chops with gravy from the pan and add some fresh herbs. Allow this to simmer until your chops are cooked through.

Plate and top your pork chop with the onions and a generous serving of gravy. I served this with collard greens and dirty rice.

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RECIPE

PREP TIME: 1HR COOK TIME: 30 MINS SERVINGS: 3

INGREDIENTS

• 3 bone in pork chops

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 2 cups buttermilk

• 1 cup chicken stock

• 1 large yellow onion

• 1/4 cup butter

• 3 bay leaves

• 3 cloves minced garlic

• 1 tbs hot sauce

• 1 tbs worcestershire sauce

• Peanut oil (1 inch for shallow frying)

• salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic, sazon, creole seasoning

• thyme

INSTRUCTIONS

Buttermilk Marinade

1. Season your pork chops with salt, pepper, Sazon, garlic, onion powder, and cover with buttermilk. Mix in some hot sauce and Worcestershire and throw in bay leaves and some thyme and mix together. Marinate the chops for 1-2 hours. (Save some buttermilk for the gravy later)

Fried Pork Chops

Season your flour thoroughly with the same seasonings you used in the marinade (obviously not the wet ingredients) – Taste your flour before you put the meat in it to ensure it has the flavor you want. Next, coat the chops with flour and set aside on a baking sheet to rest for a few minutes while you get your oil hot. (Save some flour for the gravy later)

Pour about 1-1.5 inches of oil into your skillet or frying pan. You want to shallow fry these chops, about 2-3 minutes per side or until they are golden brown. Oil should be 350-365 degrees. Once they are golden brown, set them aside. You will finish them in the gravy shortly.

For the Gravy

1. In a separate pan, add butter and caramelize your onions. (About 10-12 minutes) Add a few sprigs of thyme and salt and pepper while you cook the onions so the thyme can give off its flavor

2. Once your onions are almost done, add in garlic. Next, add in 2 tbs of flour to your onion/butter mixture.

3. Cook this for about 2 minutes to cook off the raw flour flavor. Next, add in 1-1.5 cups of chicken stock and bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. (Depending on how thick you want the gravy, you can adjust the amount of liquid)

4. Next, add in about 1/4 cup of buttermilk to add some creaminess to the gravy. Simmer this on low and adjust seasoning as needed – salt, pepper, garlic, etc) Once the seasoning is where you want it, add your chops back into the gravy and simmer for about 10 minutes or until pork chops are cooked through.