I'm looking forward to some pork tonight. I've bought some great pork chops from my friends at Bassian Farms who use an excellent packer, Coleman. If you are looking for that authentic pork taste without any artificial ingredients or preservatives, Coleman pork chops are perfect for any occasion. I've been marinading them in Woody's BBQ sauce for many hours and cannot wait to fry them up and serve them with some candied yams, apple sauce and broccolini.
I was fortunate enough to be shown how to butcher a pig by a top man Joe Rueter (pictured above), the Windsor GreenGrocer, up in Sonoma. Joe was a sous chef at the French Laundry and chef at a michelin-starred restaurant in New York. A nicer man you could not wish to meet and I was amazed by the way he took off cut after cut with a little dexterity and gravity.
You need to know what pork to select, it is a great animal to take cuts from but probably the most 'treated' and 'unpleasant' meat if you skimp or just make the wrong choice.
Always buy fresh, correctly stored pork. There should not be any excessive moisture in the package and any residue liquid should be clear. Avoid dark or blemished areas on the flesh. Look for moist meat, not slimy or sticky and there should never be any discernible odour with pork. Fat should be well trimmed, any leftover should be white and smooth.
Unlike beef, the top grades of pork are numbered: USDA 1 is the best quality, USDA 4 the lowest. These grades are based on how much lean meat is produced per carcass with the top grade having the highest proportion of lean to fat. Fear not of you are getting confused, good supermarkets and butchers will only offer grade 1 pork.
Best buys tend to be a fresh leg of ham, pork tenderloin, picnic ham or ham hocks for stews and soups. Don't overlook country spare ribs for when the weather improves enough for BBQs or belly of pork for slow cooking.
Make sure you cook the pork meat to at least 145F. It will be medium and still a little pink but not too dry and it will be free from the harmful parasite trichinosis at anything over 138F in the centre.
Smothered Pork Chops Recipe
1 – 4 pork chops, 3/4 to 1 inch thick
1 – Vidalia or sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 - teaspoons seasoned salt
2 - teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 - teaspoon black pepper
1/2 - teaspoon paprika
1/2 - cup self rising flour
1/2 – cup vegetable oil
2 – cups water
Cookware and Utensils:
1 – large heavy or cast iron skillet
1 – measuring spoons
Recipe Instructions:
As always the key to great cooking is to be prepared and to use quality ingredients.
This recipe calls for 4 pork chops because that's about what you can fit into a standard frying pan. I recommend you double the recipe because smothered pork chops are so delicious that you will definitely want to eat leftovers.
Start off by giving your pork chops a good rinsing in cold water. Next pat your pork chops dry with paper towels and set aside.
In a small bowl form your seasoning mixture by combining and mixing together seasoned salt, garlic powder, black pepper and paprika.
Rub about 3/4 teaspoon of seasoning on each pork chop. Next thoroughly coat each piece of meat with flour and set aside. Save all leftover seasoning for later use in onion gravy.
Heat vegetable oil in heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot enough add pork chops and brown on each side for about three minutes. Once your meat is browned remove it from the skillet and allow to cool on a plate covered with paper towels.
Now it's time to form the onion gravy. Without removing any dripping add sliced onions to the skillet and cook until browned. Add remaining flour to the skillet and a very small amount of water if necessary. Stir the onions and flour together until golden brown, paying careful attention not to burn the gravy.
Add two cups water to the onion gravy and stir. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Return pork chops to skillet, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for about 1 hour. The meat is done when it’s tender. Add additional season to taste if necessary.
Serve the smothered pork chops over cooked rice with your favorite vegetable side dish and cornbread.
Big Party Cooked ham
Ingredients: (serves 12)
12-14lbs cooked leg ham or picnic ham
2 tbs whole cloves
Juice of 2 lemons
1 bunch bay leaves
handful juniper berries
1 cup of honey
1 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
Method
Using a sharp knife, score a zig-zag pattern around shank end of ham. Starting at the bottom of ham, slide your fingers under the skin and work them up between skin and fat, loosening the skin as you go. When you reach the scored shank end, gently pull skin back in one piece and discard.
Preheat oven to 350f. Using a sharp knife, trim fat layer, if necessary (this is more likely on a picnic ham), so that fat is no more than 5mm deep. Score a shallow diamond pattern in fat, at 1/2 inch intervals, without cutting into meat. Stud the point of each diamond with a clove. Place ham in a large roasting pan. Pour orange juice over ham then pour 1/3 cup water into base of pan.
For glaze, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Crush juniper berries wwith mixture and brush thickly over ham. Bake ham for 50-55 minutes, basting with juices occasionally.
Push an uncooked clove into each of 12 bay leaves and press into ham. Brush ham with pan juices then bake for a further 15 minutes or until glaze is deep brown. If juices in pan evaporate too quickly, add a little more water.
Bake for around 18mins per pound, so a 12lb ham would be 12 x 18mins (about 3 and a half hours) but don't forget to take off the 50mins cooking you have done! Check meat temp in the middle every 20mins of the last hour.
Transfer ham to a platter.
To carve, remove cloves and bay leaves. Steady the ham with a carving fork (or use a regular dinner fork) then use a long, thin carving knife to carve thin slices away from the bone, following the grain of the meat. Using the fork, transfer slices to a platter. Continue slicing in the same manner, working around the bone, then turn ham over and repeat on the other side. Serve warm or at room temperature with remaining bay leaves, tomato relish and honey mustard.
To speed things up, you can score and stud the flesh 24 hours ahead of time then cover with the removed skin. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to glaze and cook.
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