Pork Chops with Guinness and Onion Gravy

A couple of weeks ago I was in the mood for a piece of cake. Don't ask me why, I probably only crave cake a couple of times a year, but the craving was strong, and I just had to have it. When I make cake, I generally make my favorite chocolate cake, the rich and delicious Chocolate Stout Cake, with equally rich and delicious chocolate frosting.

I had all of the ingredients on hand, including a large can of Guinness (don't ask me why). The problem was that the cake only called for half of the can and not being a beer drinker, I had no clue what to do with the rest. I cannot abide waste in any form, so started hunting around for recipes, and fell upon this one for pork chops in Guinness gravy. I knew this was fated because I had thawed pork chops the night before.

It's a recipe that I had cut out of a Bon Appetit magazine from 1989 (!!) and am only just getting around to trying (and am kicking myself for not trying it sooner). These are tender and delicious, and the gravy is incredible over a side of mashed potatoes. I only made two chops, but halved the sauce so as to have plenty.

Pork Chops with Guinness and Onion Gravy

8 1-inch thick pork chops
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
All purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 large onions, thinly sliced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup Guinness stout

1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon coarse-grained mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Season pork with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, shake off excess. Melt butter with 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork in batches and brown well, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer pork to plate. Set aside.

Dredge onions in flour; shake off excess. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in same skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Season with salt. Cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring once.

 Uncover and cook 4 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1/4 cup stout and 3/4 cup stock and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Return pork to skillet.

 Spoon some of onions over pork. Add enough additional stout and stock to bring liquid halfway up sides of pork. Cover skillet with foil, then lid. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Turn pork over and cook until very tender, about 25 more minutes. Transfer pork and onions to platter using slotted spoon. Deglaze pan juices. Boil juices until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Whisk in 1 tablespoon mustard. Add chopped parsley and 1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar. Taste, adding more mustard or vinegar if desired. Pour gravy over pork. Garnish with parsley and serve.

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This post is linked to: Silver Pennies Sunday, Art of Homemaking, Amaze Me Monday, Busy Mondays, Inspiration Monday, Cooking & Crafting with J&J, Inspire Me Tuesday, Tuesdays At Our Home, Two Cup Tuesday, Tutorials and Tips Tuesday, Homemaking Party Tuesday, Wow Us Wednesday, Work It Wednesday, Wine’d Down Wednesday, Wake up Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Create It Thursday, The DIY Collective, Thursday Favorite Things, Share Your Style, and Foodie Friday & Everything Else