Tennessee Whiskey Pork Chops

This is my new favorite way to eat pork chops, and it's an easy dish to prepare.  And you know it's a good one, because I got it from America's Test Kitchen, and those people are amazing.

I served with bacon green beans because we don't get enough veggies around here, but I am sure it would be delicious with mashed potatoes or rice.  Basically any side you choose works.  I made it after work so I skipped their suggestion to marinate 1-2 hours, but I will try that next time.  Either way, I'm sure it's good.

Ingredients

1/2 c Jack Daniel's whiskey.  I suppose you could use bourbon, but I like Jack.

1/2 c apple cider

2 tbsp packed brown sugar

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

4-6 pork chops

2 tsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

Salt to taste

Directions

Combine whiskey, cider, sugar, vinegar, mustard, vanilla, and pepper together in a bowl and whisk.  If you are going to marinade the chops before had, take  1/4 cup of the mixture and pour over your chops in a 1-gallon ziplock bag.  Press out the air and seal, turning the bag to completely coat the chops.  Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.  Put the remaining sauce aside in the fridge until ready.

*Again, I skipped this step because I made this after work, so I used the entire sauce in the pan while cooking.

Remove chops from the bag, and discard marinade.  Heat oil in your skillet over medium high heat.  Salt your chops and cook until brown on both sides (about 10 minutes or so) turning halfway through cooking.  Transfer your chops to a plate and cover tightly with aluminum foil.  I put mine aside in the microwave to keep the heat in a smaller space.  

Add your whiskey mixture to the skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up the leftover browned bits with your spoon.  Cook until reduced to a thick glaze, about 5-8 minutes, then reduce heat to medium low.

Carefully take the chops you have set aside on a plate,  You will have some delicious juices under them--pour these accumulated juices back into your skillet.  Whisk in the butter and simmer this glaze until thick and sticky.  Mine took about 5 minutes.  Remove the pan from heat.  

Return the chops to the skillet and let them rest in the sauce about 5 minutes, turning occasionally to coat both sides so the sauce clings to them.  Test your chops to be sure they are heated to 145 degrees internally, then transfer to a platter and spoon the sauce over your chops.  Serve and eat.

Honey Glazed Pork Loin

Pork is such a versatile meat, and fairly affordable.  On my quest to cook more, I picked up a few different cuts of pork on sale and will be trying some different recipes on the family.  Tonight I am making honey glazed pork loin from a recipe I found on about.com's southern foods recipes and will be serving with my easy cheesy mashed potatoes.   I call this one a "day off dish" because it takes more than an hour to prepare and serve, but it's worth the time involved.

Ingredients
3-4 lb pork loin
2 tsp pork seasoning blend (your choice--I used McCormick's)
1 c apple cider
1/3 c honey
1/2 c brown sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 400.  To save cleanup, line a baking pan with heavy duty aluminum foil and place the roast on the foil.  Rub the pork loin all over with your seasoning, then roast for 20 minutes.  Combine the apple cider, honey, and brown sugar and mix well.

After 20 minutes, reduce heat to 325.  Roast for 60-90 minutes, basting frequently with the honey glaze until the internal temperature is about 155 degrees.  Let the roast rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

And there you have it!  A simple, juicy pork roast your family will love.