Bourbon Apple-Sage Pork Chops

Bourbon Apple-Sage Pork Chops, exclusively Skirt in the Kitchen

This is my favorite way of cooking/eating pork chops, and it just might be yours after you try this.  Liquor has to be included for the saucy-sassiness of it, yet, for the calm and gentle flavor that it produces.  This is considered a gourmet meat dish, and is perfect for a holiday gathering.  Serve an apple wine with it along with some good sides.  It’s got a festive style, it’s king.Choose thin chops and have them at room temperature.  Fry 2 slices apple-smoked bacon, pecan or cherry.  Set aside the cooked bacon but keep the bacon grease in the skillet.  If there is a lot of grease, remove half the amount.  Keep it in a separate dish in case you’d like to add it back in, if there is not enough saucy liquid for the meat dish.  The liquor with the butter and the bacon grease is essential; it all works together.  Quickly sear the chops on both sides of each, on a very hot flame, then remove the meat from the skillet.

Carefully pour into the skillet 1/2 cup liquor, a little at a time, and reserving some of it throughout the course of cooking the onion.  Immediately add 1/2 stick butter, and sauté 1 white chopped onion.

 [Bourbon, for this dish, can be substituted for Junior Johnson’s Midnight Moon Moonshine, the strawberry or cherry flavor-base.  It gives it a robust twist and turn, even better than the bourbon, but the bourbon is still a shiner. They can have their boxing match any time, and it would be a close call-every time!  Either one you choose, you can’t go wrong.  You’ll be satisfied.]The white onion is sharp in onion flavor for the liquor to absorb, so it’s important that you have a white onion instead of yellow or red.  Salt and pepper the onion while sautéing.

It’s smelling so good!  You should be feeling the holiday spirit at this point-the aroma, the spring in your step, the vibe in the kitchen.  Are you hungry?!  It won’t take long, just a few minutes to cook this.My dog knows good food, just look at her!  She’s got the best sniffer even though she’s not so good at squirrel hunting, but she’s smelling it, now! She’s got bacon in her mind, you can see it in her eyes.  Her full name is Suzi Jalapeño-she’s eaten jalapenos before, coupled with bacon that she’s snatched from a plate!  She’s got a ferocious appetite.  When the onion is almost caramelized, or lightly browned, add a generous amount of torn sage leaves.  I happen to have pineapple sage in my garden, so I’m also using the blooms.   Any kind of sage will be alright for this.Stir in 1/2 pint dark, spiced applesauce.  This applesauce recipe is perfect for it.  Lay the pork chops, then spoon 1/2 pint, more, of the applesauce.  Turn down the heat, just slightly, and cover with a lid.  After a couple of minutes, flip the pork chops, then the meat dish is ready after one more minute.holiday chop