Dinner date with my dad

[April 6, 2013]

My dad is here. The day he flew in, I decided to take him to the Butcher and Larder for a delicious sandwich for lunch. B&L is one of my favorite spots in town. I'd love to go in more and actually be on a first name basis with my butcher, rather than the current state of affairs where I know his name - Rob - but he does not know mine. Since we're all Yankees fans I thought bringing my very outgoing father and have what I hoped would be a memorable visit.

What a great idea. While we were there enjoying some delicious sandwiches and baseball talk, several sides of pigs were brought in from Slagel Family Farm. My dad was very excited to see the shop in action. As we sat there, I thought back to some delicious pork chops that I'd made a few months ago. The memory of this meal sparked an idea - why should we go out to an expensive steak house (where I had made a reservation for later in the week, even though I knew that my dad would likely not order steak anyway) when we could buy some beautiful and freshly cut pork chops and eat a delicious meal in the comfort of home?

We did exactly that - waited for two beautiful pork chops could be cut fresh from the hog and prepared a beautiful dinner at home. I cooked, my dad spectated. As good a dinner as we could possibly have eaten at a restaurant, accompanied by some excellent scotch, and I got to wear sweatpants.

I served these amazing pork chops (recipe from Cook's Illustrated) with a side of braised brussels sprouts (adapted from this recipe from Epicurious) and a salad. 

I use fat from the chops in these dishes, but any fat (bacon, butter, olive oil, coconut oil) you have on hand will do. I might not use fat from a different animal (e.g., chicken) but it probably would turn out perfectly fine! 

Ingredients

2 pork chops, cut approximately 1.25 inches thick

Pork fat (the equivalent of one slice of bacon), sliced thin

Sage (optional)

1 lb brussels sprouts, cut in half

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup beer (I used a great farmhouse ale, but any honey-colored beer will do), or broth

Pork fat (the equivalent of two slices of bacon), sliced thin

A large handful of golden raisins

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (or slightly less)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

2. Dry pork chops with paper towels and cut small slits in the skin/fat layer on the outside of the chops. Sprinkle both sides with salt. Place on a metal rack and let sit for 45 minutes.

3. Pre-cook the chops in the oven for 30-45 minutes. I usually cook for about 40, but judge based on chop thickness and your oven. The center of the chops should come to 120-125 degrees. I don't have a meat thermometer so I just wing it.

4. Start on the brussels sprouts when the pork chops have been in the oven for about 15 minutes. Trim off the bottom of each one and cut in half.

5. Heat a heavy pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the pork fat (or bacon, or whatever fat you want) until it crisps, leaving the fat in the pan. Remove the crispy fat and save in whatever dish you'll be using to serve the brussels sprouts.

6. Add the onions to the pan and cook until soft and slightly browned (3-5 minutes). Keep the onions moving; as you stir scrape up any browned bits left by the crispy fat.

7. Add brussels sprouts to fat left in pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook the brussels sprouts until browned and soft (5-7 minutes); stir often.

8. Meanwhile, add some more fat to another heavy pan or skillet over medium heat. You will use this to sear the chops when they're done in the oven.

9. Reduce heat to low and add raisins. Cook briefly and add your liquid (again, scraping up any browned bits). Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a simmer. Continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated, depending on how soupy you want your sprouts.

10. Add the vinegar and continue simmering, again until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper, stir, and add to the dish with the crispy fat/bacon.

11. By now, your pork chops should be done in the oven and the fat in your skilled should be hot (test with a few droplets of water - if they don't sizzle, your pan is not hot enough). Transfer the chops from the rack to the pan. Cook on one side for about 2 minutes (rotate them in the pan to redistribute the fat), flip with tongs, and cook on the other side for about 3 minutes.

12. The center of the chops should now come to 140-145 degrees (again, I skip this). Move chops to a plate and tent with foil as they rest for about 10 minutes.

13. While the chops are resting, fry some sage leaves in the remaining fat. Crumble the fried sage over the pork chops to serve. Have some nice salt ready in case you need it.