Maple-Braised Pork Chops

By esabourin

By Essentials of Slow Cooking, Williams-Sonoma
With its sweet-and-tangy combination of flavours, this popular home-style recipe from New England is a cousin to the well-loved barbecued or pulled pork of the American South. If you like, tuck some wedges of apple among the chops during the last half hour or so of cooking. Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose (plain) flour
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 bone-in pork loin chops, each about 12 oz (375 g) and 11⁄2 inches (4 cm) thick
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons chile powder
• 3 ⁄4 cup (6 fl oz/180 ml) chicken broth
• 3 ⁄4 cup (6 fl oz/180 ml) maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from canadianparents.com

Preparation

Step 1

On a plate, stir together the flour, 3⁄4 teaspoon salt, and 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper. Turn the pork chops in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the canola oil. Working in batches if necessary, cook the pork chops until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.


Pour off all but a thin coating of fat in the pan and return it to medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and chile powder and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the broth and deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the maple syrup, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil.


STOVE TOP: Transfer the pork chops to a large Dutch oven. Pour the maple syrup mixture over the chops to cover them. Partially cover and cook over very low heat until the pork chops are very tender and the sauce is thick, about 2 hours.


SLOW COOKER: Transfer the pork chops to a slow cooker. Pour the maple syrup mixture over the chops to cover them. Cover and cook until the chops are very tender and the sauce is thick, 4 hours on the high-heat setting or 8 hours on the low-heat setting.


Arrange the chops on warmed plates. Top with the sauce, garnish with the chives, and serve at once.

Excerpted from Essentials of Slow Cooking: Delicious New Recipes for Slow Cookers and Braisers. Copyright (c) 2008 by Weldon Owen Inc. and Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Excerpted with permission of the publisher.