Guest Post: Danielle Makes Smothered Pork Chops

While Rob and I are on vacation in Florida I thought I'd share some awesome blog writers with you.  This is my first guest post extravaganza so I hope you enjoy!  Today's post is from Danielle from Danfredo Rivera.  Danielle is an awesome sassy blogger from the Big Apple who blogs about her life as a newlywed and her job as a dietician.  She's a great read so after you check out this recipe (which sounds amazing!) you should check out her blog!

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Hai, guys! I'm Danielle from Danfredo Rivera and I'm here to talk to you today about the most AMAZING pork chops I have ever eaten in my entire life. Like Caitlin, my diet is gluten-free, but don't let that scare you...I swear on my life that you would never know the difference between my smothered pork chops and the ones served at your local Cracker Barrel. These bad boys take a bit of time to prepare, but then again, I was taking pictures for the blog and Instagram and Twitter and Facebook when I probably should've been chopping or stirring something. Nevertheless, give yourself at least an hour to get this dish ready. Okay, let's do this thing!

Take all your delicious pork bacon (because we need more pig in this recipe), throw it in a deep skillet, chop it up into little, tiny pieces and fry it up until crispy. Put the bacon to the side, but make sure you keep the grease; it's going to come in handy when we start making the gravy...

...which is NOW! Add in your coconut flour and get it nice and toasty. Keep an eye on it because it won't be too long before you're ready to add the other animals (via broth) in the mix.

Now comes the fun part the part that went too quickly to take pictures! Heat up your coconut oil and saute your onions and garlic. Take 'em out, sent 'em to the side, then brown your chops. Once they've got some nice color on 'em throw everything back in the pot. Since I didn't take a picture of this part, here's another gratuitous bacon shot.

After 45 minutes, remove the chops and wrap them in tin foil. Turn up the heat on your pot, add in the thyme and thicken up your gravy (or thin it, if that's how you like it). Once your gravy is good to go, set your chops on your plate, pour some gravy on top and enjoy the ride! I served these with mashed parsnips, which are an incredible substitute for mashed potatoes. Oh, and wine. Lots of wine.

Smothered Pork Chops: (Adapted from The Domestic Man)


Ingredients:

4 half-inch pork chops (bone-in, center cut preferred)
6oz uncured/nitrate-free bacon (about six strips), chopped
2 tbsp rice or coconut flour
1 cup each chicken and beef broth
1 tsp each sea salt and pepper
1 medium onion, chopped or blended
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
10 mushrooms, sliced 1/2 tsp thyme (fresh preferred, dried okay)
2 tbsp heavy cream
2 tbsp coconut oil

Directions:

1. Cook the bacon pieces in a saute pan on medium heat until crispy. Next, remove the pieces with tongs and set the aside, keeping the grease in the pan. Turn the heat down to medium/low and slowly stir in the flour.

2. Toast the flour/grease roux for a few minutes, stirring frequently until it becomes aromatic. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up the bacon/pork bits that get stuck on the bottom to mix them into your roux.

3. Stir in the chicken and beef broths, salt and pepper. Bring to a slow boil and turn the heat down to low, then leave it to simmer while you prepare your pork chops. Don’t worry if the gravy is too thin, but if it’s too thick, thin it a little with some water.

4. In a dutch oven, heat up 1 tbsp of the coconut oil for a few minutes on medium heat. Add the chopped/blended onions and saute until they start to become translucent. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. Scoop everything out and set aside.

5. Add the second tbsp of coconut oil and turn up the heat to med/high, letting it heat up for a couple minutes. Add the pork chops and brown on each side for about two minutes. If the pork chops are too big to brown four at once, brown them in batches.

6. Once the pork chops are browned, layer them on the bottom of the dutch oven and turn the heat down to low. Scoop the onion/garlic mixture on top of the chops, then the mushrooms, and then the bacon. Pour the gravy over everything. Cover with a heavy lid and cook for 45 minutes on low.

7. Pull out the pork chops with some tongs and set them on a platter, covering them with tin foil. Turn up the heat on the dutch oven to medium and stir the cream and thyme into the gravy. Be sure to scrape up any browned pork chop bits so they mix into the gravy. This is your opportunity to get the proper consistency with your gravy. Allow it to reduce if it’s too thin or add some water to thin it if it’s took thick. Once the gravy is bubbling and at your desired thickness, pour it over your pork chops.