Stout-Glazed Pork Chops

New Year's resolution #1 - check! I made something new last night and damn, was it good! I actually made this one up so I'm quite proud of it. I had some pork chops on hand, along with a fridge full of really good beer that we've accumulated over the last month. Neither of us are big stout drinkers however, I thought it would add a nice richness and act as a perfect glaze for pork chops. So, I winged it and used what I had on hand and it was delish! Mike loved it and made me write it down to make again. I made the recipe for two however, I doubled what I used so here is the recipe based on 4 servings. Enjoy!

Stout-Glazed Pork Chops

- 4 boneless pork chops, about 1 inch thick

- 8 to 10 ounces of stout beer (I used Magic Hat Heart of Darkness)

- 1 1/2 Tablespoons of brown sugar

- 1 small sweet onion, sliced

- 2 Tablespoons of olive oil

- 1 Tablespoon of unsalted butter

- Salt and pepper to taste

- Garlic powder, paprika and thyme, to taste

Heat olive oil and butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat.

Season chops with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and thyme.

Add to skillet and brown on both sides - about 3 minutes per side.

Remove from heat and transfer to a plate. Add onions to the pan and saute for about 3-4 minutes, until lightly browned and softened.

Remove onions and transfer to the same plate as the chops. Cover with foil to keep warm. 

Add beer to the pan (don't be scared if it steams up! It's supposed to do that.).

Whisk in brown sugar and let the mixture thicken up for 4-5 minutes, stirring several times to scrape up all the yummy bits on the bottom of the pan.

Add chops and onions back into the pan. Cover and cook in the beer sauce for 3-4 minutes per side, turning once. 

While waiting, drink rest of beer. Don't let it go to waste!

Remove chops and serve immediately. Top with onions and beer sauce from the pan.

I made a simple roasted veggie dish to go along with this. Something just seems so comforting about pork chops along with hearty potatoes and carrots. It's really easy - I just chop up carrots, onions and potatoes (sometimes I use red but Kroger had a killer sale on Russett potatoes and they were great!). Toss with some extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, pepper, paprika, thyme, rosemary and chopped garlic. Roast in a 400 degree oven for about 35-40 minutes. Simple and easy. Even better (since I hate doing dishes), I toss them all together in a large Ziploc bag and use Reynold's Non-Stick foil to line the baking sheet (a genius idea by Reynolds. NOTHING sticks to that baking sheet.). 

Enjoy! Let me know if you make this and how it turns out!