Wine Braised Pork Chops

Pork, as the ad slogan goes “The other white meat”, is good. I mean, bacon makes everything better and, well, Boston Butt in the slow cooker is divine. This particular recipe uses pork chop. The only problem is that if you overcook pork it can get a little tough. Well, there’s a solution, and, it’s one of my favorite ingredients, wine. Seared in the skillet to caramelize and braised in wine to tenderize. Wine braised pork chops are drop dead gorgeous on a plate.

Wine is the ultimate tenderizer. It helps to breakdown the proteins, making the meat juicier. Also, it absorbs flavors more effectively than water based sauces. This means the dish is more flavorful. When it comes to cooking with wine, there’s red and white. Red will add an earthy tone, whereas, white will add a light crispness to the dish. They both have their place in the kitchen. As a simple rule of thumb, white wine for light meat and red wine for dark meat.

Cast iron is a wonderful cooking tool. From searing to baking, the list is endless. However, there has been a lot written about what you should and shouldn’t cook in cast iron. Take the opportunity to read my post on the subject, there’s some good info. According to most, acidic foods are not supposed to be cooked in cast iron, they can potentially remove some of the seasoning from the pan, and wine, is acidic. And, that is true some of the time. Well, let me offer some clarity, it’s not what is being cooked, it’s how long it’s being cooked for. In this particular case, the wine will be reduced in the pan with the pork chop and vegetables for about 5 mins, this will be fine. Certainly not enough time for any damage to be done to the seasoning of pan.

Moving on to the protein. In this case I used a thin chop, and, thin to medium works best here. It all comes down to cooking time. A thicker cut will take longer to cook. As with most meat, I like to sprinkle with salt and let it sit a bit. There’s a lot of discussion about salting before cooking and how long before it should be done, but in this case it’s about the flavor. Kosher salt works best, the granules are a bit larger, don’t dissolve as quick, I like to taste the salt. Sprinkle some on the chops and set it on a plate in the fridge while everything else is prepped. Also, take the opportunity to preheat the skillet in a 350 degrees oven. Don’t forget to wash up, kitchen cleanliness is very important. Please read my post on safe food prep.

When cooking onions the cut of the onions is affected by the cooking process. Finer cut for short cooking and coarser cut for longer cooking, and, here, I also want to add some texture. Because they will go in a hot skillet for a bit, coarse cut works for this recipe. I cut them into 1/8ths. Similarly the peppers, cut into large chunks adds some texture. Cut the garlic coarse too, but, it will be added with the wine, otherwise it will burn.

Now to cook. Place the preheated skillet over a medium high heat, add some olive oil, and you’re ready to go. Sequence is very important when putting a dish together, each ingredient cooks differently. The onions and peppers will need longer to cook than the pork chop, then the wine and garlic will be added. First go in the onions and peppers, give them a few minutes to soften and get a little caramelization, now remove and set aside. Now for the pork, cook approximately 2 minutes on each side. For a thin chop that works fine, medium thickness would be about 3-4. The cast iron will make a beautiful sear on each side. Now put the onions, peppers and garlic in with the pork and add the wine.

The heat of the pan will boil the wine when you add it, and, it will start to reduce. The wine will tenderize the meat as it reduces in the pan, and a thick red sauce will develop. Give that a few minutes to boil down to your desired thickness then plate the wine braised pork chops and vegetables, and pour the sauce over everything. Serve with sides of your choice, enjoy dinner