FNCCC 14 – Rachel Ray – Pork Chops with Beer and Bacon Gravy

Pork chops + beer + bacon + gravy = YES PLEASE!

How exactly can you go wrong with a pork chop covered in beer-flavored, bacony gravy?  You can’t!  This was super easy to make.  I didn’t use the bone-in pork chops that the recipe calls for.  Instead I used boneless loin chops.  I salted and peppered them and browned them in just a little bit of oil.  When they were done, I took them out of the pan and put them into a pie plate and covered it with foil to rest while I made the gravy.

I bought some super thick applewood smoked bacon, diced it up and cooked it til it was crispy.  Then I added a small yellow onion and let it get translucent.  Then I added even MORE goodness to the pan – a bottle of Shiner Bock beer.  I’m not a huge fan of beer, and I was a little afraid that the gravy would end up being too beer-y for my taste.  I toyed with the idea of reducing the amount of beer I added, but decided to stay true to the recipe.  It turned out great!  I did have to add just a little more chicken stock than the original recipe calls for to get the gravy to the right consistency, because I think I added too much flour to the bacon grease. \

My hubby and I loved the pork chops with the gravy, but my 11-year-old raved about the pork chops on their own.  She’s all about simplicity.  I will admit, though, they were pretty damn good!

I also made Rachel’s Paprika Parsley Potatoes.  I used smoked paprika, because we love the flavor.  These potatoes were decent, but they needed something.  I can’t figure out what, but they needed more flavor.  (Lots of) Salt helped, but there was still something missing.  Wil suggested that perhaps mashing the potatoes so the spices distributed to the entire potato would help.  I’d be willing to try that, but I probably won’t be making these with this method again.

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