Pork Chops and Guinness Onion Gravy

This Irish HubMob group of topics has yielded several well written Hubs that include mentions of Guinness Stout and the Guinness Brewery. You can find them by accessing the RSS feed at the bottom of this article.

While enjoying the various Irish Hubs, I remembered some recipes that call for Guinness Stout. Friends had given them to me and I'l like to share them here. These are recipes that I have not tried yet myself, but they look good enough that I think I can taste them while I type.

Serves 8 with 1 chop each, or 4 people that are very hungry.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 Pork chops, 1-inch thick
• Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
• Enough all-purpose flour in two pans for dredging chops and onions
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 3 Large yellow onions, trimmed and sliced thin
• 3 Cloves garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 Cup or more of Guinness Stout
• 1 Cup chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp good-quality grainy mustard
• 2 Tbsp chopped parsley (1 Tbsp for the pot and 1 Tbsp for garnish)
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

• Rub the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Dredge chops in flour and shake to remove the excess.
• In a very large, heavy, deep skillet or Dutch oven, melt combination of the butter and 1 Tbsp canola oil over medium-high heat.
• Place 2 or 3 chops into the skillet and brown them well on each side (this will take 5-6 minutes on the first side and a few minutes on the second). Place the chops on a platter when browned and set all aside temporarily.
• Next, dredge onion slices in flour in the second pan.
• In the same skillet, add 1 Tbsp oil and heat over medium-high heat as before.
• Place the dredged onions and the garlic into the hot oil and stir.
• Cover the skillet and cook for 5 minutes checking the food once or twice and stirring briefly.
• Remove the lid from the skillet and cook 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Pour in 1/4 cup Guinness and 3/4 cup chicken stock, stir and bring the skillet to the boil.
• Scrape any browned pieces of meat and vegetables up from the bottom of the skillet and stir briefly.
• Place the pork chops back into the skillet carefully and distribute then as evenly as you can, then spoon up some of the cooking onions over the meat.
• Pour in more Guinness and stock alternately, until the skillet is filled halfway up the inner sides.
• Cover the skillet, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes.
• Remove the cover and turn the chops to their second sides; finish cooking until fork-tender (another 18-20 minutes).
• When done, place the chops and onions on a serving platter and save pan juices for gravy.
• Deglaze the skillet with some more Guinness and stir up all the browned bits from the bottom.
• Boil the skillet contents until beginning to thicken, or 8-10 minutes.
• Quickly whisk in 1 Tbsp mustard, 1 Tbsp chopped parsley, and the balsamic vinegar.
• Taste and re-season if necessary – you might like more mustard, vinegar, salt, or pepper.
• Cook the gravy until it is reduced and thickened to your liking, then ladle it over the chops and onions.
• Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

Herbs de Provence, which take their name from the region of the southeastern corner of France, contain five different herbs that include.

• Basil
• Fennel
• Savory
• Thyme
• Lavender flowers

One might say that this is the 5-spice from France to parallel the Chinese 5 Spice (cinnamon, cloves, fennel, pepper, and star anise).

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 Cup butter and 1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil for extra flavor
• 3 Spanish or Vidalia onions, sliced very thin
• 1 Pound sharp cheddar, shredded
• 2.5 Cups (20 oz.) Guinness Stout
• 4 Cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp Herbs de Provence
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• 1 Tbsp grainy mustard
• Fresh crusty bread or giant-size croutons

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, place the butter and oil together, stir, and cook until the butter begins to starts foam.
• Place the onions into the pot, separate then into rings and stir with a wooden spoon to coat well with the oil and butter. Reduce heat to medium.
• Continue cooking for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Pour in the all-purpose flour and stir the pot well; allow to simmer 5, stirring once.
• Pour in the Guinness and the stock alternately until all is used, stirring each time. Then bring the pot to the boil.
• Immediately turn the heat down to medium-low to simmer.
• Pour in the hot sauce, Herbs de Provence, and salt and pepper. Stir well, add the mustard, stir and taste for seasoning. Re-season if necessary.
• By handfuls, add the shredded cheddar cheese to the pot, stirring with each addition until all of the cheese is melted and well blended.
• Cover the pot and cook over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, checking every 5 minutes in case a large head of foam forms or the mixture cooks too fast – if it boils, turn down the heat quickly. If there is foam, stir it into the soup. remvoe form heat after 15 minutes total.

SERVING

• Place a slice of your favorite bread or a handful of giant croutons into the bottom of each serving dish.
• Ladle the hot soup up from the bottom of the pot to catch all of the ingredients and pour over the bread. Add an additional ladle or two per bowl from the top of the pot.
• Garnish each bowl of soup with some chopped parsley and serve.