Had the weather been more seasonally spring like rather than my barbecue station being covered with a few inches of snow I would have grilled these two beautiful pork chops for dinner. That, at least, was the plan several days ago when I took the chops out of the freezer to defrost and put in an overnight brine.

Instead I changed course and went to one of my favorite “winter” recipes for pork chops.  I came across this method in one of my favorite regional cookbooks, Shuck Beans, Stack Cakes and Honest Fried Chicken by Ronni Lundy, a book filled with the cooking of the Mountain South–hearty, delicious fare indeed.

Baked pork chops with onions and potatoes

Baked pork chops with onions and potatoes

The center cut loin chops on the bone were from that great butcher shop in Warren, Maine, Curtis Meats, the country butcher who cuts everything into great big slabs.  These chops (from Canada) were nearly 2 inches thick. To get them to emerge tender they need either quick cooking at high heat or slow and steady such as how these baked chops were prepared.

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