Irish Part 3--Guinness Pork Chops

Okay, I admit I'm on a bit of a Guinness kick lately. Maybe it's a sudden desire to be Irish, I don't know, but I'm thoroughly enjoying preparing and serving these main courses that fill the house with a comforting aroma (and the fam is loving it too--more the eating than the smelling though!).

This pork chop dish is almost as good as the Guinness Irish Stew and, again, it's just gotta be the Guinness. I don't care for it by itself--a little too heavy for me--but in gravies and soups I'm convinced it's the secret weapon. It may also have some tenderizing ability too, because the meats that could come out very fibrous or tough with all the simmering, end up fork tender. And the gravy! Don't get me started or I'll launch into something like I have in some of my recent posts. (I think I'm a little too passionate about delicious food!) 

Another secret I'll share with you is God's gift to the cook--immersion blenders. They are ideal for making smooth gravies, sauces, and soups right on the stovetop. No need to pour it all into a blender or food processor. This tool is a relatively new phenomenon and my adding it into the recipe below is my own doing. It wasn't in the original. Grandma used a whisk to make her divine gravies. I would probably get tennis elbow if I stood there whisking fast for 10 minutes. No thank you and I'm sure Grandma would forgive me. In fact, she would probably switch to an immersion blender as well!

Give these a try and let me know what you think!

Guinness Pork Chops

8 boneless pork chops (1 inch thick)
salt and freshly ground pepper
all-purpose flour
 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

2 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup Guinness
1 cup chicken and/or beef stock
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Wash pork chops and season with salt and pepper. Dredge in the flour, shaking off excess.  Set aside.

Melt butter and olive oil in Dutch oven or large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Sear chops in batches about 5 minutes on each side (being careful not to burn), remove from pan until all 8 chops are seared.

Put onions in separate bowl and sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons all-purpose flour on top. Mix with spoon until onions are coated with flour and season with salt and pepper. Heat reserved tablespoon of olive oil in the pan and pour in the seasoned and floured onions. Add garlic. Cover and simmer about 5 minutes.

Pour in 1/4 cup of the Guinness and 3/4 cup stock and bring to boil scraping up brown bits on bottom of pan. Return chops to the pan and spoon some of the onions on top. Add remaining Guinness and stock to almost cover chops. Cover pan, reduce heat to simmer about 20 minutes, then flip over chops and continue simmering about 20 more minutes.  

Remove chops from pan and heat remaining juices to boiling. When thickening begins, add parsley and balsamic vinegar, and blend with immersion blender until smooth.  Serve with gravy on top.