Barbecue Journey with Dan ‘The Man’ — Smothered Pork Chops

I used to request the portion with the bone in it on nights Mom cooked a ham steak. I'd take my little finger and poke out the marrow as an appetizer before I tore into the rest of the steak.

That small, succulent piece of fat tastes better than any other part of a pig I've enjoyed.

Growing up, my family wasn't big on pork products. Bacon was the exception.

Sunday mornings were spent standing next to my mother at the skillet as she fried bacon in its own grease. A strip would be in my mouth within seconds of it coming off the fryer. Six strips would be down my gullet before breakfast was even served, and by the end of the meal, it was not uncommon for me to consume half a pound of it.

I have a sweatshirt on which is printed "Got Bacon?" I have a T-shirt with a printing of Ron Swanson's head and the words "Give me all the bacon and eggs you have."

I put bacon in or on just about everything. Ham is as common in my lunch sandwich as turkey is in yours.

I make a sandwich called "The Curly Tail" in which I top pulled pork with deli ham and bacon. It's delicious.

You get the point.

But pork chops have never been on the menu in my mother's house. My grandmother hated them as well.

"Dryer than a popcorn fart," she'd say.

My mother puts it more delicately: "It's too darn dry."

You can understand my trepidation in attempting a pork chop recipe from "Ribs, Chops, Steaks and Wings" by Dr. BBQ. It's a book my Uncle Ed gave me for Christmas 2012 and from which I am cooking a recipe a week until I run out of recipes and go on to the next.

I can't remember ever eating a pork chop before. I'm sure I have, but it's one of those foods that was so rare growing up that it has evaporated from my memory. I vaguely remember some grilling attempt that included a lot of aluminum foil and peppers. I'm sure it was too dry.

"Smothered Pork Chops" was my recipe of choice this week solely on the fact that it is a dish cooked in a broth. I figured it couldn't possibly dry out if it is baked in what is essentially a soup.

This is the best dish I have made yet. The pork was tender and the gravy broth kept it moist throughout the cooking and the eating. Considering my low expectations of the underrated pork chop, this completely won me over. I give it a 7 1/2 on my scale of 1-10.

One of the ingredients that may be off-putting for some is the jalapeno. Rest easy because it is only one jalapeno to flavor a dish that makes six pork chops. I barely tasted it. In fact, the next time I make this, I will add three or four jalapenos to add some more kick.

Perhaps next time I'll also wrap it in bacon.

Here's what you need:

Ingredients
Flour
Salt
Black Pepper
Oil (for pan frying)
Bone-in Pork Chops
Yellow Onion
Green Bell Pepper
2 Celery stalks
2 Garlic Cloves
Jalapeno
Vegetable Broth
Gravy Base

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350, Heat Oil in Skillet

2. Make flour mixture

Mix flour, salt and pepper into bowl. Dredge each pork chop in mixture before adding to hot skillet.

3. Partially Cook Chops in Skillet

Cook the chops in the oil for about four minutes per side. Transfer chops to 9x13 baking pan, reserve oil.

4. Cook Onion, Bell Pepper, Celery, Garlic, Jalapeno

Cook these ingredients until onion is soft, then add a pinch of flour.

5. Add vegetable broth

Add vegetable broth to skillet with some salt and pepper. Add a palm-full of gravy base and bring to simmer, stirring. Pour mixture over chops.

6. Cover with Foil and Bake

Cover the dish and bake four 1 hour. Let rest for a few minutes after pulling from oven before serving.

7. Take a bite shot