Pork Chops

A couple weeks ago, I got some thick-cut pork chops. I have never been a huge fan of pork chops. I guess probably because I've never had them cooked right (sorry, mom). I wanted to try something different because these were about twice as thick as I've seen before and they were loin chops. I probably looked at 16 recipes before I found a slow-cooker recipe that looked interesting and utilized my CSA a bit. I had to wait for a day when I could be on top of the cooking. It is very easy to overcook pork loin. As it happened, Friday was one of those days. I had worked 19 hours only Thursday, getting home at 3 am. Thus, I woke at 10am, started the chops first thing and then went to work for a couple hours. About an hour after I got home from work, the chops were done.

 Slow-Cooker Parmesan Honey Pork Chops
Adapted from: www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/12/slow-cooker-parmesan-honey-pork-roast.html

•  2 thick-cut pork loin-chops*
•  2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
•  1/2 cup honey*
•  3 Tbsp soy sauce (I used low sodium)
•  2 Tbsp minced garlic*
•  2 Tbsp dried basil
•  2 tbsp olive oil
•  salt, to taste

 Spray slow-cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place chops in slow-cooker. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Pour sauce over the chops.Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or until meat thermometer reads 160F.

* CSA ingredients

Pork Loin

As I was researching recipes for ideas of what to do with a small pork tenderloin, I was interested to read a long thread with arguments about whether you could cook a pork loin in a slow-cooker or not.  The people arguing against it claimed that since the loin doesn't have enough fat, it would end up dry and stringy.  The people arguing for it all claimed to have done it with great results.  I have never found a meat that I couldn't cook in my slow-cooker.  I especially like it for Boston butt and whole chickens, but I have only cooked 2 pork loins in my lifetime and both were the prepackaged, pre-marinated types that you really can't mess up.  This is a local pork loin that I received in my CSA this summer.  Since it came to me frozen, I put it in my freezer until I could figure out what to do with it.  I found it today as I was straightening up my freezer and decided to give it a try.  It is is my slow-cooker as I type and I used a recipe I found on www.foodnetwork.com:

Slow-Cooker Parmesan Pork Loin

Adapted from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/robin-miller/slow-cooker-parmesan-sage-pork-loin-watercress-salad-sliced-pears-goat-cheese-toasted-pine-nuts-recipe/index.html

• 2 pounds diced yukin gold potatoes*
• 1 cup chopped candy-stripe beets*
• 1 cup chopped baby carrots 
• 1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth 
• 1/2 cup Shock-Top raspberry wheat beer
• 1 (2-pound) pork loin*
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt-free garlic and herb seasoning
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Romano

1. Place diced vegetables into base of slow-cooker. Pour broth and beer over vegetables.

2. Season pork loin with pepper and garlic and herb seasoning.  Place on top of the vegetables.  Sprinkle with grated Romano; press into surface of pork loin.

3. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.  Remove pork from cooker and place on a cutting board; temper the meat for 5 minutes.  Slice pork crosswise into 1/2" slices.  Serve with vegetables.

*CSA ingredients.

As you can see, the meat was very, very well-done.  I cooked this overnight (about 8 hours) and that probably was a bit too long.  The meat is tender and moist, but it fell apart as I tried to cook it.  The other sad thing was the fact that the beets lost all their color in the cooking.  They actually kind of look like turnips now that they are cooked, however, they definitely taste like beets.  This is a very tasty dish, but I would keep the cooking time down to 6 hours the next time I tried it.