BBQ Beer Pork Chops

Pork chops are inexpensive and generally come in pretty big packages.  Therefore, when I buy them, I usually prepare half and freeze half for later.  This is a great recipe for those days when you are really needing to hit up the grocery store but you're too lazy, and instead, you're trying to 

scrounge up something with whatever scraps you have left.   Pork chops. Potatoes. Ketchup. Brown sugar. Beer.  Ingredients that I'm sure you've already got on hand.

BBQ Beer Pork Chops

5-8 pork chops (boneless)

salt & pepper

2-3 T. olive oil (or butter)

Season pork chops and brown in oil over medium heat.  Remove from pan & set aside.

4-5 T. flour

1 bottle beer (anything but LIGHT beer)

1/2 c. brown sugar (light or dark)

1/3 c. ketchup

salt & pepper, to taste (maybe a pinch of crushed red pepper?)

Whisk flour into drippings leftover in pan.  Allow roux to cook for a minute, whisking constantly, to get rid of flour-y taste.  Deglaze pan by whisking in about half of the beer. Slowly whisk in remaining beer, ketchup, and brown sugar.  Stir until smooth and well combined.  Allow to simmer and thicken.  Add pork chops and their juices to sauce.  Turn to coat. Cover and continue simmering for about 10-15 minutes.  

Brown generously s&p-ed pork chops in EVOO.

Remove chops and make a roux with a few tablespoons of flour.

Deglaze pan with 1/2 bottle of beer, then whisk in remaining beer, ketchup, and brown sugar.

Allow sauce to simmer and reduce.  Add back in chops and their juices.  Turn to coat.  Allow them to simmer for another few minutes.  Definitely serve over mashed potatoes.

Credit:  Drunken Pork Chops

Hamburger Steaks with Caramelized Beef-Onion Gravy

I don't post sub-par things on this blog.  I post food that is "tried and true"; food that we like enough to make again and again.  This homestyle dinner is definitely worthy of writing a post about, regardless of how ugly it might look, because it really hits the spot.  Essentially, this is a recipe for fried hamburger steaks, simmered in a beef-onion gravy, and served over mashed potatoes.  Yes, I know--it sounds "onion-y," which isn't always a good thing--but these really are very tasty! As a general rule of thumb, each person usually eats as many burger steaks as they would hamburgers.   Tyler eats 2 hamburgers, so I make him 2 hamburger steaks. Furthermore,  my gravy measurements are more of estimates/suggestions.  Adjust the seasonings and thickness to your personal preferences. If your gravy seems a little thick, whisk in some more broth, and if your gravy seems too thin, whisk in some more flour combined with milk or water.



Roasted Carrots
Drizzle carrots with Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Season generously with Salt & Pepper
Bake @ 400 for about 20 minutes
After 20 minutes, toss and season with Dill (or thyme)
Continue roasting for 10-15 minutes

As you can see, there is a LOT of excess oil.  Blot up using paper towels to keep as many of the lovely beef drippings and as little of the oil as possible. 

Hamburger Steaks with Caramelized Beef-Onion Gravy

Hamburger Steaks:

1-1/2 lbs. ground beef

seasoning salt & pepper

1/2 c. flour

vegetable oil

Season ground beef with seasoning salt and pepper. Shape into patties.  Coat with flour and fry in pre-heated vegetable oil.  Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil. Reserve drippings for gravy.

Onion Gravy:

1/2 onion, roughly chopped

2-1/2 c. beef broth

1/4 c. milk

1/4 c. flour

1/4 t. seasoning salt

1/4 t. pepper

3-4 dashes worcestershire sauce

1 T. ketchup

Add onions to beef drippings and saute until golden and slightly translucent over medium heat.  Using paper towels, blot up some of the excess oil.  In a separate bowl, mix up the broth, milk, flour, and seasonings with a whisk until smooth and well incorporated.  Add gravy mix to caramelized onions, and allow to thicken, stirring frequently.  Add a few dashes of worcestershire and ketchup for extra flavoring*. Add in hamburger steaks and allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes.  If desired, remove excess onions from gravy using a slotted spoon.  Serve steaks with mashed potatoes and plenty of gravy!

*I almost always add Worcestershire and ketchup to my gravies/sauces--a trick my grandma taught my mom, and my mom taught me.  It just gives them a little something extra!

For another homestyle dinner, click HERE. 

 BBQ Beer Chops