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Thick Chops with Sauerkraut & Apples | ![]() |
Never Under- or Overcook Meat Again
This year’s favorite new kitchen tool is a digital thermometer [My Disclosure Promise]. Before now, poke-it-in-every-so-often meat thermometers only rarely, ahem, produced perfectly cooked meat.
Mine came from Santa. Who knew that Santa shops at my local kitchen shop here in suburban St. Louis?! It has a heat-resistant cord that connects the temperature probe to a digital display. While the meat cooks, the probe stays inserted while the display rests nearby away from the heat, whether the stove, the oven, even the grill.
No more is there cause to poke holes in the meat, releasing precious flavor and moisture. No more must the grill or oven door be opened, releasing precious heat. There’s even an alarm when the meat reaches the specified temp.
The best news is that with the new thermometer, I’ve overcooked meat only twice, once when distracted by the phone, once when the probe was resting on bone.
Does your Santa take suggestions? Meat thermometers make for great gifts for stockings and culinary pals.
Such An Easy, Adaptable Recipe
When I visit my dad in my hometown in Minnesota, the cooking setup is, well, different. He doesn't cook so there are basically no pantry staples, the few spices in the cupboard are more than a decade old, dating back to before my mom passed away. It's a small town, just 1000 people, so the grocery store isn't as well-stocked as I'd like.
When I'm visiting for a week or more, I'll carry along spices and staples and if the timing's right, stop for produce along the way at the wonderful St. Paul farmers market.
But when I'm just there for a day or two, these pork chops work beautifully! Here are my notes from the last visit. "VVG! No thick chops. No spices. No apple juice. Just S&P and a small can of pears. Drained sauerkraut in sack by cutting holes in bottom. Browned chops then put back in cast iron skillet, covered w foil, baked 45min 400F with roasting veggies, they went in first. Meat very tender & flavorful. Geese honking outside."
Tee hee, just a little local color there at the end. Twas fall, for sure!
QUICK SUPPER RECIPE: THICK CHOPS with SAUERKRAUT & APPLES
Time to table: 30-45 minutes
Serves 4
-
SAUERKRAUT
- 16 ounces sauerkraut (see ALANNA’s TIPS)
- 1 tablespoon bacon grease
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon caraway seed
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 2 tart apples, skins on, cored and sliced
- 1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice (chicken stock works too)
-
PORK CHOPS
- 1-1/2 pounds thick-cut bone-in pork chops
- Olive oil
- A bit of sugar (for browning)
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Splash of apple cider or juice
SAUERKRAUT Rinse and drain the sauerkraut. In a large, heavy skillet, heat the bacon grease on medium high until shimmery. Add brown sugar, caraway, then onion and apple as they're prepped. Let simmer until onions turn gold, stirring often. Add sauerkraut and cider, then return to simmer.
PORK CHOPS Meanwhile, pat the chops dry, then rub both sides with a little oil, one side with sugar, then season both sides with salt and pepper. Place the chops sugar-side down into a second skillet, it should be cold not hot! Set heat on medium, cook the chops for 5 minutes just until they're beginning to brown. Flip the chops and cook another 3 minutes.
COMBINE Arrange the chops on top of the sauerkraut, the sugared side up. Add a cider splash to the meat skillet, it will sizzle! Stir the skillet to collect all the meat bits, then pour those meat juices over the chops. Insert the digital thermometer probe horizontally into one chop until the tip reaches the fleshy midpoint, you don't want it to touch bone. Finish cooking either on top of the stove or in the oven.
STOVETOP OPTION Cover the skillet and let cook on medium heat until the chops are fully cooked, that takes 5 – 15 minutes depending on their thickness.
OVEN OPTION Cover the skillet and let bake at 400F/200C until chops are fully cooked, about 15 minutes.
WHEN ARE THE CHOPS DONE? The chops are done when the internal temperature reaches 145F to 160F. Why 145F - 160F? Here's the explanation, Should Cooked Pork Be Pink?











Thick-Cut "Iowa Chops" Are a Favorite Here!
(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)~ more pork recipes ~
~ more quick supper recipes ~
More Sauerkraut Recipes
(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)~ New-Fashioned Sauerkraut Salad ~
~ Ribs & Sauerkraut for Slow Cooker or Dutch Oven ~
~ more sauerkraut recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade
~ Reuben Casserole ~
~ more sauerkraut recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture, my food blog about vegetables
Shop Your Pantry First
(helping home cooks save money on groceries)~ pork ~
~ sauerkraut ~
~ apples ~
~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~
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Alanna, Chops and sauerkratu. That is sooo German and something we would typically get over at my mum-in-laws!! And this is pretty close to the way she makes it too. I was never a sauerkraut fan - but my mum-in-laws is irresistible and this looks great too. Perfect!
ReplyDelete11/10/2006
Thanks, Meeta! It was my aunt who turned me onto sauerkraut, by giving me a big jar of her local sauerkraut from Minnesota. It was just gorgeous so I've been having fun with it. The chops are very worth cooking, even without sauerkraut.
ReplyDeleteMy husband loves porkchops so I will make this, one question for the slow cook oven version do you brown the meat and vegetables first?
ReplyDeleteDebbie ~ Oh good! And yes, do brown the meat and vegetables first. I hope you both like this dish, it makes the house smell so good while it’s cooking!
ReplyDelete