Embrace the Pig – Braised Pork Chops and Cabbage
Thanks to The Amateur Gourmet’s post a couple of weeks back, I had really been craving pork chops and cabbage. So I made them. This is a pretty wintry dish, as it’s quite hearty and gut-warming, but good cabbage is available year-round, so the seasonal eater in you does not need to worry about this one.
Pork chops are a terrific cut of meat for the burgeoning cook, because, as far as meat goes they’re quite cheap. They’re also pretty forgiving, and so long as you avoid cooking them to death, they’ll be tender. I do recommend a high moisture cooking method like this one for chops, though, as they can tend to get a little dry.
This is a one-pot dish that takes less than an hour from start to finish, and there’s something about those caramelized bone-in chops that really makes you look like a professional. Simple, tasty, and impressive. Try this dish, and add it to your arsenal. you won’t regret it.
1. Chop up the cabbage and set it aside. I used one head with these two chops, which looks like a HUGE amount of cabbage, but it cooks down more than you would think.
2. In a deep-ish pot heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Carefully add the pork chops, avoiding second-degree oil burns. Brown the pork chops, roughly 90 seconds or so on each side. Just eyeball it and take them out when they look good.
3. Admire pork chops:
4. Add the cabbage to the pot with the oil and pork fat. Mix until all the cabbage looks shiny and starts to wilt a little bit, then add half a cup of wine, about a quarter cup of red wine vinegar, a few tablespoons of whole grain dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. once this is all bubbling along, lower the heat to medium, lay the chops on top of the cabbage, and partially cover the pot. Now you are BRAISING, which is just a fancy work for simmering in a little bit of liquid.
5. Let this go for about 25 minutes, then check the pork chops for doneness. Contrary to popular belief, you do NOT have to cook pork chops until they are grey and leathery. I am sure I am going to get hate mail from the health police on this one, but it is perfectly ok to eat porkchops that are still just a tiny bit pink. I don’t mean pork sashimi here; your chops should be white throughout, but a well-cooked porkchop has just a hint of pink in it’s color. If you’ve ever ordered a pork chop at a good restaurant, you’ve seen what I mean. Err a little on the side of doneness, but don’t panic if your meat is not dark grey throughout.
I also served these with some roasted green beans and the rest of the white wine used in cooking. It was awesome.
what can i use instead wine?
You can just skip the wine.