There should be more of these in the world!
The other day I had decided that a nice fall-inspired dinner was in order, and smothered pork chops were going to be the centerpiece. I’ve made a few different recipes for it, and actually, I think I could successfully just wing it and put together some acceptable smothered pork chops. But this time, when I went to the grocery store, they didn’t have the pork chops I wanted. I wanted thick cut chops- thick and meaty, with some substance to it. All they had were boneless chops or skinny anemic thin-cut chops. I stood there for a minute and chastised my choice of grocery store. I chose the one closest to home, when I should have gone to the one that has the meat department I prefer. But I was there, so I surveyed the offerings and my eyes landed upon the pork steaks that were on sale. The wheels started turning and I couldn’t see why I couldn’t take pork steaks and smother them the same way I do chops…
The obvious accomodation that needed to be made was with the pans. Pork steaks are rather large, and there was no way I was going to get four of them in my largest saute pan. I needed to brown them in batches, and then I would put the browned steaks in a 9×13 pan. Once the steaks were nicely browned, I would finish the sauce in the saute pan, and then pour that over the steaks in the baking dish, and slide the whole thing in the oven to finish.
I used an old recipe from Cooking Light for Smothered Pork Chops with Thyme as my base recipe. I only made a few minor changes, and pretty much stayed with the recipe. My first change was that I doubled the spices I sprinkled on the steaks- these were big steaks, so they needed more seasoning. I also added a good teaspoon of fresh thyme to the sauce, and finally, I gave the onions a little more time than indicated. I wanted a good level of caramelization on the onions, so I probably gave them a full ten minutes before finishing the sauce.
This was seriously good eating. The pork steaks turned out tender and completely delicious. These were a hit, and I would totally make them again. If you do opt to make this with a thicker cut of pork like I did, you’ll need to either simmer them on the stove in the sauce for a few minutes to ensure they are cooked through, or do what I did and pop them in the oven for about 20 minutes or so. Either way, this is a great recipe, and it gets dinner on the table rather quickly.
Smothered Pork Chops with Thyme
1 cup beef broth, divided2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 (2-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/4 inch thick)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme Olive oil
1 cup coarsely chopped onion 1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Directions:
Combine 1/4 cup broth, milk, flour, mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Set aside.
Sprinkle one side of each pork chop with paprika and thyme. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add a good drizzle of olive oil to the pan. Add half of the pork to pan; sauté 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until pork is done and lightly browned. Remove pork from pan.
Repeat procedure with remaining pork.
Reduce heat to medium. Add chopped onion; sauté 4 minutes or until lightly golden, add the fresh thyme and allow it to cook with the onions for a minute or two. Add remaining 3/4 cup broth; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes. Add milk mixture, stirring with a whisk. Add pork, turning to coat; cook 1 minute. Sprinkle with minced parsley.