Smith Family Pork Chops
In high school, I had a crush on an All-American boy aptly named James Smith. James was everything I wasn’t: an athlete, a singer, a straight. I spent a lot of time at his house, 99% of which I was talking to his mom (obviously). On the best visits, she would make this delicious pork chop/onion/can-of-beer dish for dinner, and I was mesmerized by it. It was just so exotic and opposite of whatever my Italian family was cooking for dinner.
Of course, when I told Mama Pelosi about the chops, her immediate response was “Oh, honey. I can make that better!” And she did. We even made it for James Smith once, and Mom let him know about all the improvements she had made to the dish. Unfortunately (and surprisingly), that didn’t make him fall in love with me or my mom. Regardless, I will always be in love with James Smith and the Smith family pork chops.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
4 thick cut pork chops, bone-in or boneless
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 large onions
1 can of beer, preferably a lager
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 lb orzo pasta
Salt
Pepper
WHAT YOU'LL DO:
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet or large frying pan over medium heat. Add your pork chops and brown for about 5 minutes on each side.
While your pork chops brown, peel and slice your onions into large wedges. Once your pork chops are nice and browned, remove them from the pan and set them aside. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and the sliced onions into the pan with juices from the pork.
Cook onions over medium heat until they're nicely browned. Add the can of beer and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar to the pan and stir to combine. Simmer the onion/beer/sugar mixture over medium heat for about 20 minutes or until the liquid has reduced and has a perfectly sweet, nutty flavor.
Add pork chops back into pan with the onions. Simmer until they are heated through. Be careful not to overcook! We want them tender and juicy.
Meanwhile, cook your orzo in a big pot of salty boiling water. You can serve your orzo on the side and place it under the pork chops and onions on every plate, OR you can do it the Pelosi Family way and serve it over the orzo in a nice shallow bowl. The juices will seep into the orzo and the flavors will be that much more perfect. Enjoy!
Make it step-by-step with me below!
1. Hey, Bud.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet or large frying pan.
3. Add your pork chops and brown for about 5 minutes on each side.
4. While your pork chops brown, peel and slice your onions into large wedges.
5. Pork chops are nice and browned.
6. Remove pork chops from pan, set aside.
7. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan in which you cooked the pork chops. Do not clean or wipe out pan. We want all those juicy juices.
8. Now add chopped onions and cook over medium heat until they are nicely browned.
9. Perfection.
10. Grab that can of beer. You can take a sip if you want.
11. Add the can of beer and a tablespoon of brown sugar to the onions. Stir to combine.
12. Simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes or until the liquid has reduced and has a perfectly sweet, nutty flavor. Don't mind Smiley Spoon, they're a little tipsy...
13. Add pork chops back into pan with the onions. Simmer until they are heated through. Be careful not to overcook! We want them tender and juicy.
14. Get your orzo going in a nice pot of salty boiling water!
15. Drain your orzo.
16. You can serve your orzo on the side and place it under the pork chops and onions in every plate OR...
17. You can do it the Pelosi Family way and serve it over the orzo in a nice shallow bowl. The juices will seep into the orzo and the flavors will be that much more perfect. Your choice! Enjoy!