San Francisco Pork Chops

Wowee - I loved this recipe !! Someone passed it on to me the other day and i had to give it a go. It's a slow cooker recipe but if you wanted to I'm sure you could make the sauce marinade your chops for a few hours and then cook in the oven. But anyway i knew yesterday was going to be a busy day so i decided to get out my slow cooker and cheat with a bag of frozen wedges. However on arriving home i realised there wasn't enought wedges for two so i had rice. (the original recipe suggested rice anyway).

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 pork chops, about 1-inch thick
Salt and pepper for seasoning
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water

Hot Cooked Rice/wedges, for serving

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is simmering and hot. Season the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Brown the pork chops for 1-2 minutes on each side in the hot oil until golden. Transfer the chops to the slow cooker. Add the garlic to the drippings in the pan and stir constantly over medium heat until the garlic is aromatic and golden (but not burned or it will turn bitter!). Stir in the soy sauce, stock, brown sugar and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over chops.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours until the meat is tender. If using bone-in pork chops, fish out the bones from the slow cooker. Remove the chops from the slow cooker to a shallow pan or plate – they will most likely be falling apart in tenderness at this point. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce in the slow cooker. Return the chops to the slow cooker. Turn the slow cooker heat to high and cook for 30 minutes to an hour longer, until the sauce is slightly thickened.

Serve the tender chops over rice and garnish with whatever you fancy really … I think if you were serving this to guests you could roast some cherry tomatoes on the vine to pop on top of the plate.

i must admit - i didn't thicken the sauce, I just left it as it was.