Beer Braised Pork Loin

Peter Brady succinctly expressed it with the shrug of his shoulders and upper lip curled against his teeth when uttered in a Humphrey Bogartish voice, "Porkchopsh and appleshauce." 

Somehow the combination of succulent pork and sweet juicy apples are perfect together.  

Pair that with a spiced Autumn ale and you got yourself a little slice of heaven right there!



Beer Braised Pork Loin

1 Tablespoon Bacon Fat
1 Pork Loin Roast, About 5 Pounds
3 Cups Chopped Sweet Onion
2 Granny Smith Apples, Peeled and Diced
1 Tablespoon Spicy Guinness Mustard
12 Ounces Woodstock Autumn Ale
3 Teaspoons Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning
1 Bay Leaf

Rub pork loin all over with Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning.  Brown pork loin roast in hot fat in a large Dutch oven or roasting pan.  

Sauté onions until they start to brown.  Add apples and continue to sauté until softened.  Stir in mustard.  

Return pork to pan or Dutch oven and pour beer over top.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 350° for 2 hours, or until pork is tender. 

Place pork loin on a serving platter and keep warm.

Place liquid with vegetables into a blender; cover and process at low speed until smooth. Or, press through sieve or process in food processor in batches.

Pour sauce into a saucepan and bring to a boil

Slice pork and serve with sauce ladled over top.  

Beer Brined Grilled Pork Chops

Beer tenderizes the pork chops and adds subtle flavor.  The brine creates a salty sweet taste that perfectly compliments the flavor of the meat.

Yum!

Beer Brined Grilled Pork Chops

2 Cups Water 

1 12-Ounce Bottle Red Ale

1/4 Cup Kosher Salt 

3 Tablespoons Packed Light Brown Sugar 

2 Tablespoons Dark Molasses 

2 Tablespoons Honey

1 Cup Ice Cubes 

6 Thick Center-Cut Bone-In Pork Chops 

Seasoned Salt ( I use Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning)

Combine water, beer, salt, sugar, molasses and honey in large bowl. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Stir in ice. Place pork chops in large resealable plastic bag. Pour beer brine over pork chops; seal bag. Refrigerate 4 hours, turning bag occasionally. 

Preheat grill to a medium high heat.  

Remove pork chops from beer brine.   Sprinkle with seasoned salt.  

Grill pork chops for approximately about 10 minutes per side or until no longer pink inside.

Transfer to a plate, cover with foil and allow to rest for about five minutes before serving.

Beerific Pork and Sauerkraut

One of my favorite meals is pork and sauerkraut.  It's hearty and intensely flavorful.  The addition of beer to this traditional recipe at a new dimension of flavor that makes it something extra specially good!

Beerific Pork and Sauerkraut


3 Strips Bacon 
1 Pounds Kielbasa
1 Pound Country Style Pork Ribs 
2 Tsp Caraway Seeds
1 1/2 Tsp Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning
2 Pounds Sauerkraut
1 12-Ounce Bottle Brown Ale



Chop the bacon into small pieces. In a large pot, fry the bacon until it's crispy.

Add the ribs and brown lightly on all sides in the bacon fat.

Sprinkle with caraway seeds and season with Tony Chachere (or salt and pepper).

Top with the sauerkraut, including the brine from the bag. I use the bagged kind that is found in the refrigerator section of the grocery store near the hot dogs.

Lay the kielbasa on top of the sauerkraut.  

Pour the beer into the pot. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer, cooking low and slow for 3-4 hours. 

At the end of cooking, the kielbasa will have darkened and the pork will be fork-tender and falling off the bone.

Serve with mashed potatoes or applesauce, if desired.

Cider / Beer Brined Pork Chops

These pork chops are flavorful and tender . . . easy to make and simply amazing!  

Cider / Beer Brined Pork Chops


6-8 Pork Loin Chops, Bone-In
2 1/2  Cups Apple Cider (Not Apple Juice)
1 Can Beer (Your Choice)
1/4 C. Kosher Salt
1 Tsp. Allspice Berries, Cracked But Not Crushed
1 Tsp. Whole Peppercorns, Cracked But Not Crushed
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil 
1 Tbsp. Honey
1 Tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tsp. Ground Thyme
Pinch Of Salt And Fresh Ground Pepper 

Combine cider, beer, salt and sugar in a large container and stir until most of the salt is dissolved.   I use a large zip lock bag for marinating.

Add in the peppercorns, allspice and pork chops, making sure the brine covers the pork. 

Allow to marinate for at least an hour before grilling.




Make the glaze by combining the thyme with the oil, vinegar, and honey. Stir to combine.


You can use an indoor grill or an outdoor grill, just make sure that you have enough room to cook indirectly on the grill space over medium heat. 

Remove the pork chops from the brine.  Brush the grill with oil and sear each side of the chops for 2-3 minutes. 


Brush the chops with the glaze on one side, turn over onto indirect heat and cook. Glaze the other side, turn over and finish chops until meat is no longer pink.

Print Recipe

Cranberry Apple Pork Loin Roast with Sour Cream Sauce

Cranberry Apple Pork Loin Roast with Sour Cream Sauce


1 (3 To 4 Lb) Boneless Pork Loin Roast
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Can Whole Cranberry Sauce
1/4 C Brown Sugar
1/2 C Apple Juice
2 Apples, Cored, Peeled And Coarsely Chopped
Salt And Pepper To Taste
1 Coup Sour Cream 


Place roast in slow cooker; rub all over with the minced garlic. 

Add remaining ingredients and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours. 

Pork should be about 160° when fully cooked.

Remove roast from crock pot and cover with foil.  

Mash the apples in the sauce with a hand masher or the back of a fork.

Remove a cup of sauce from the crockpot.  Allow to cool then mix in sour cream.  The mix the sour cream mixture in with the rest of the sauce.

Slice the roast and spoon sauce over slices.  Delish with rice.

Print Recipe

Mustard Breaded Pork Chops

Mustard Breaded Pork Chops


3/4 Cup Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Paprika
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 Egg
3 Tablespoons Spicy Brown Mustard
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
4 Pork Chops


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare a baking pan by coating with a thin layer of oil or cooking spray.

Combine bread crumbs, salt, paprika and pepper in shallow dish; set aside. Combine egg and mustard in another shallow dish.

Dip each pork chop in mustard mixture, coating all sides. Cover with crumb mixture and place on baking pan.

Cook 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Print Recipe

Go sit down and look pale.

I find the intense abhorrence of all things Twilight amusing if not perplexing.  I mean, people are literally slamming the teen vamp trilogy as if it sucked as bad as the Carter presidential administration.  Really!

And then, on the flipside, people that so are infatuated with the story that they cry, scream and worship the characters; much like the teenagers of the 60's with their adoration of Beatles.

Complete devotion . . . concentrated loathing.  How can one story be so very polarizing?  It’s quite compelling and, frankly, I don’t get it.

Curiosity beset me.  I had to find out what all the hubbub and hullabaloo was about.  I read the books.  Nay, I devoured them.  I thought they were well written and fun.  While the characters were not entirely believable the storyline was fascinating.  And besides, who cares, its fiction.  It was entertaining and that's what it's all about.  Anybody who takes this kind of storyline seriously has bigger problems

That being said . . .  I like the books but I wouldn't . . . say . . . go out and get a tattoo of Edward and Bella in the throes of a passionate moment.  

 

Admittedly these vampires aren’t at sexual as Anne Rice's or as vicious as Larry Correia’s or as singularly evil as Bram Stoker’s.  But give them a break, they’re just kids.

Here’s the gist . . . the books are suspenseful and romantic with a little blood letting thrown in.  Oh, and because they are geared towards teenagers there is no swearing or explicit sexuality.

So, if romance isn’t your thing or horror isn’t your thing or you just can’t read a book without someone cursing . . . cursing not curses, there are plenty of those . . . or folks getting laid every five seconds then this is not for you so stop bitching.  No one is forcing anyone to read it.

Let the fans enjoy themselves and allow Stephenie Meyer have her moment sparkly in the sun.

Ranch Pork Chops

1 Packet (1 Ounce) Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix

Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper

6 Pork Loin Rib Chops About 1-Inch Thick

Dash Of Paprika (Optional)

Preheat the oven to 450ºF.

In a small bowl, add the Seasoning mix, together with the salt, pepper, and paprika and mix well. Liberally sprinkle the pork chops on both sides with the seasoning mixture.

Arrange the chops on a baking sheet or try with a rack. Bake the pork chops for 20 minutes, turning once until browned or an internal temperature of 160ºF is reached. Serve immediately.

Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy

Yuengling is one of my all-time favorite beers.  If you know me, you know how much I like beer so that’s saying something. 

The problem is . . . and it’s only a small problem . . . is that it’s not available in New England.  In order for us to have it, we have to haul a couple cases back to Connecticut when we’re visiting places that do sell it.

The Yuengling brewery hails from my home state of Pennsylvania;  Pottsville, Pennsylvania to be exact.  It holds the distinction of being the oldest brewery in the United States and is the second largest American-owned brewery . . . second only to the Boston Beer Company, makers of Sam Adams beer.

Starting in 1829 the founder David Yuengling, a German immigrant, made beer for thirsty coal miners in Pottsville.  In the 1940’s Yuengling was a struggling company barely making ends meet.  Now it’s sells 1% of the country's beer.  And for good reason . . . it’s outstanding beer!

Yuengling, pronounced ying-ling,  is German for "young man"; which is appropriate considering that it’s a family owned company that changes ownership by the offspring of the previous owner. However, currently there are no more young men to carry on the family tradition -- only young women.  The current owner is training his four daughters the ins and outs of the brewing buiseness and one day they will take over . . . will the brewery then change it’s name to Yuengdame?

Just askin’  . . .

 __________________________

Yeungling Drunken Pork Chops

5-6 Pork Chops- Bone-In Or Boneless, Your Choice

Salt And Pepper To Taste

1 Bottle Of Beer (The Darker The Beer, The More Flavorful The Sauce. I Used Yeungling Black And Tan. 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

1/3 Cup Ketchup

Bread Crumbs

Marinate the pork chops in the beer overnight (or longer)

Put a little bit of extra virgin olive oil in the bottom of a skillet. Coat the chops in the bread crumbs.  Reserve the beer.

Brown 10-15 minutes on each side.

While pork chops are browning, combine beer, ketchup, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to boil and turn down to a simmer.

Remove pork chops from the pan.  Add the sauce and thicken the sauce a bit. In a small cup, combine 1 TBSP of cornstarch in 1/4 of water. Stir to combine and add to boiling sauce, whisk so no lumps form.

Serve over mashed potatoes or rice. And top with the thickened sauce

Ain't nothing like the real thing!

Coca Cola . . . what’s in a name?  Coca . . . as in coca leaves.  Cola . . . as in Kola nuts.

The coca plant contains the alkaloid cocaine . . . yep, that cocaine, the narcotic. Without coca there would be no cocaine.  The coca leaf has been chewed and brewed for tea traditionally for centuries.  When chewed, coca acts as a mild stimulant and suppresses hunger, thirst, pain, and fatigue.

 

Kola nut has three times the caffeine of coffee.  It is chewed in many cultures . . . often by African Muslims, who are forbidden to drink alcohol.  Chewing kola nut is a stimulant and can also ease hunger pangs.

So, in case you were wondering, Coca-Cola actually did have cocaine in it  . . . but, alas, no longer.  Coca-Cola has been cocaine-free since 1929. 

How much cocaine Coke actually contained and how much kick you got from it is not known.  But for years the drink eas called  "dope" or "a shot in the arm," while soda fountains were called "hop joints" and Coke delivery trucks "dope wagons."

Coke was  formulated in 1886 by an Atlanta druggist. Among other things it contained . . . and presumably still contains . . . three parts coca leaves to one part cola nut. Coca-cola's recipe is a closely guarded secret with only a handful of people who know the entire recipe.  

Back then cocaine was not considered a dangerous drug and could be purchased over the counter at pharmacies . . .  it was advertised as a benign substitute for alcohol.  Soon after it was introduced, cocaine lost its popularity and the public turned against it.  Coke quietly switched from fresh to "spent" coca leaves  . . . the cocaine removed. 










So Classic Coke isn't exactly THE classic and it ain't nothin' like the real thing!

_________________________

Incredible as it may seem Coca-cola makes for a moist, delicious ham.  I was looking for a recipe for a ham with a sweet crust and I found this one.  I took a chance and tried it . . . it was delicious!  Don’t be shy . . . give it a try!

Classic Coke Baked Ham With Brown Sugar Crumb Crust

1 Ham, Butt End Or Shoulder 

10 Cups Coke Classic (depending on the size of the ham.  I only used one can for a small ham.

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Cup Bread Crumbs

1/4 Cup Butter

2 Tsp. Dry Mustard

1 Tsp. Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 350F.  If you eat the ham skin, leave it on, if you don't eat it, remove it now. Place the ham in a roasting pan.  Add about 1 inch of Coke to the pan.

Bake, covered, allowing for 15 minutes per pound.  Baste the ham frequently with the Coke.

Add more Coke to the roasting pan during the cooking as it evaporates to prevent burning.

Turn the ham over 1/2 hour before your baking time ends.

Meanwhile make topping:  In a medium bowl combine the brown sugar, bread crumbs, butter, mustard, and pepper.

After the ham has baked for 15 minutes per pound, remove it from the oven.  Carefully press the crumb mixture onto the ham, don't worry if some falls into the liquid in the roaster.

Return the ham to the oven, UNCOVERED, for 30 to 40 minutes more, until the coating is golden.

Again, don't let the bottom of the roaster dry out -- add more Coke if required.

Let sit 10 minutes before carving.

Sauce:

There will be crumb mixture that has fallen into the roaster. Stir that into the liquid in the roaster, pour into a gravy boat and serve as a sauce.