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
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.
It’s a simple devise with loads of flavor. First is to make a paste of garlic, salt and pepper that’s spread over the chops and refrigerated for a few hours to marinate.
The chops are browned in a cast-iron skillet followed by browning the skin-on potato halves and then a pile of onions on which the chops are placed and set in a covered pot to cook for one hour in the oven.
You can make a version of this on the grill. Build a good fire, loaded with coals and fruit woods for smoking, and follow the recipe similarly using the grill heat for cooking. Cover the grill and let these chops smoke to deliciousness.
Sources: Curtis Meats, 1719 Camden Rd. (Route 90), Warren, Maine, 207-273-2574
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 cloves of garlic
- Generous amounts of freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
- 2 thick (about 1 to 2 inches) center cut pork chops on the bone
- 2 medium-size Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled
- 1 large onion, peeled and cut into thick slices
- 1/2 cup water or chicken stock
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Smash the garlic cloves with a chef’s knife and remove the skins. Put in a mortar and pestle and season generously with salt and pepper. Mash the cloves until a paste forms. Rub the paste into the chops and put in a glass casserole dish, covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 4 hours or longer.
- Heat about a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven. Brown the chops on each side over moderately high heat for several minutes per side or until the chops are nicely browned.
- Meanwhile cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Remove the chops to a plate and put the potatoes, cut side down, to brown lightly. Remove. Add the water, scraping up the browned bits and reduce until syrupy. Put the potatoes back in the pan, skin side down, cover with thick slices of onion and lay the chops over this. Cover the pot tightly and put in a 350-degree oven to bake for 1 hour. Serve with two potato halves and onions for each serving and accompany by green beans or sautéed local spinach.
