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I am not much of a beer fan. I’m not. I have had a few over the last few years, though. I can tell you for sure that I do have a few ‘girly’ ones that I do in fact like but through and through I am a wine girl.
So what do I decide to make for my crew when a manly, yet light meal is on order? Beer braised Pork Chops with pears. The flavor profile for this one if off the charts! Sweet, savory and succulent, this pork was so tender you could cut it with a fork. No knife needed here! Say good bye to dry pork chops. This last zinger was coined by my oldest son…Nice.
Use a full bodied Lager for this. The first few attempts I used a sissy-fied, watered down beer that had under 100 calories. Do yo know what that means? No taste whatsoever. I settled on a local wheat from Upland Brewery. I would not recommend a Blonde here as they can be a bit hoppier (more bitter in my opinion) but to each their own. My husband suggested that next time I use Yuengling Beer. It is America’s oldest brewery, after all!
I served this with a wonderful side, a special request from my oldest. I can’t tell you what it was yet. It is tomorrow’s post ????
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| The beer reduction…I have no words. Other than it is my NEW favorite sauce. It couldn’t be easier! |
Beer Braised Pork Chops with Pears
Adapted from an old Country Living recipe from 1998
olive oil
4 center-cut , bone in pork chops
2 large Anjou Pears (I used 4 small so we could each have our own), sliced and peeled, if desired
1 12oz bottle of Lager style beer
3/4 tsp dried sage
Heat a few TB of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the pork chops with S/P. Add them to the skillet and sear each side until lightly browned , about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
Peel (if you want to) and core the pears and slice into 3/4″ slices. Add pears to the skillet and saute over medium-high heat until golden, about 6 minutes. Transfer to the plate with the chops.
To the skillet add the beer and sage. De glaze the pan and loosed any browned bits here. Carefully place the chops back in and cover with the pears. Place a cover on top, but slightly off set, and simmer on low for 5 to 7 minutes or until just cooked through. I took out the chops at this point and arranged on a hot plate with the pears.
Skim off any fat from the liquid (I didn’t have much) and increase heat to medium and cook until the sauce is reduced, about 10 minutes. Serve over the chops and pears.
*On a side note: I like to have plenty of sauce, especially when I actually saw my husband and son using their fingers to get the last of this sauce off of their plates. If you are like me, then add a bottle of beer and another 3/4 tsp of dried sage to this. If your skillet can hold all of this, I say go for it. Then you will have enough of that golden perfection to go around ???? !
