Melt-in-Your-Mouth Pork Carnitas

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Pork Carnitas
Recipe from: Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary Ostyn

One 3-pound pork butt (I used a pork loin, because that's what I had!)
1 can lemon-lime soda
2 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
Twelve 8-inch flour tortillas, warmed
Salsa and sour cream or guacamole for serving

1. Trim pork of excess fat; cut into 2 to 3 inch cubes. Combine pork cubes in a large heavy pot with soda, water, and salt. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to low and continue to simmer, uncovered for 2 hours. Do not stir. (I actually transferred everything to my crockpot at this point)

2. After 2 hours, turn heat up to medium and cook, covered, until all liquid has evaporated and pork fat has rendered, about 45 minutes. Stir a few times, just often enough to keep pork from sticking hard to bottom of pan. If it starts to stick, add a little more water as you complete cooking time. When done, pork will be brown on both sides, and just a little liquid fat will remain in pot. Pork will be so tender that it will fall apart at a touch. (after it cooked all afternoon in my crockpot on low, I transferred back to the pot on the stove to cook down the juices)

3. Serve pork in warm tortillas with salsa and sour cream or guacamole. (Brandon likes the green salsa and cilantro!)

Our verdict: Great! We'll make this again for sure. Using the crockpot made it a really easy way to do the slow cooking - since I wasn't home all day! Also, our cat thought this smelled great, and was begging all evening to eat this! Even for leftovers!!! Silly cat! :)

Sauteed Pork Sandwiches with Mustard Sauce

Sauteed Pork Sandwiches with Mustard Sauce
Recipe from: Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary Ostyn

2 pounds pork loin, trimmed of fat
2 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large yellow onion, cut into long thin shreds
2 cups sliced mushrooms (we didn't use - since we don't like mushrooms!)
1 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 hoagie rolls, toasted

1. Cut pork loin across the grain into 1/4 inch thick slices; cut slices into 2-to-3 inch long strips.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot and butter melts. Add onion and cook, without stirring, 2 to 3 minutes. Don't stir until you start to see some browned bits. Add mushrooms and cook 2 to 3 more minutes, stirring once or twice. Remove onion and mushrooms to a separate bowl.
3. In the same skillet, heat remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat until hot and butter melts. Add half of pork and cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until it's the way you like it. Transfer to a bowl and cook remaining pork in the same way. Set aside pork and keep warm.
4. In the same skillet, quickly whisk together broth, mustard, soy sauce and cornstarch while broth is still cold. Heat mixture over medium heat until bubbly and starting to thicken. Return pork, onion, and mushrooms to broth mixture in skillet. Mix well and heat through. Serve spooned over toasted hoagie rolls.

Our verdict: This was ok. Surprisingly, the sauce had ZERO flavor! And I had actually doubled the amount of mustard! It was strange! The sauce smelled great cooking, and then once I put it all on the rolls, there was no flavor to it. So, we put some dijon mustard on our sandwiches, and then it was pretty good! :) Not sure I'll go to the trouble of making the sauce next time, or if I'll just saute some pork medallions and onions and toast some rolls and put dijon or deli mustard on the rolls!

Pork Chops with Apricot Sauce

Pork Chops with Apricot Sauce
Recipe from: Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary Ostyn

2 to 3 pounds boneless pork chops
1 onion, minced
1 cup apricot jam
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375* F.
2. Place pork chops in a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients; pour over top of pork chops. Cover pan with aluminum foil; bake until chops are cooked through, about 1 hour.
3. Remove from oven. To serve, ladle the sauce from pan over chops after plating.

Our verdict: These were good - but I think I will tweak it a little the next time! The pepper (which both of us normally like!) was a little overpowering in the sauce - so I think I will cut it in half at least. But other than that, these were pretty good - and I think I'll make them again, it's hard to find pork chop recipes that we like!! :) (Sorry there's not a picture!)

San Francisco Pork Chops

My mom made this when I was growing up - and it's a tasty, but different way to serve pork chops. I served it with sliced baked potatoes (I will post a separate recipe for those).

San Francisco Pork Chops
Recipe from here

4 Pork Chops ½ to ¾ inch thick, about 1 ½ lbs.
1 Tbs. Oil
1 Garlic clove, minced

Sauce:
2 tsp. Oil
4 Tbs. Dry sherry or broth
4 Tbs. Soy sauce
2 Tbs. Brown sugar
¼ tsp. Crushed red pepper
2 tsp. Cornstarch
2 Tbs. Water

• Trim pork chops of fat.
• heat oil in skillet. Brown chops on both sides.
• Remove and add a little more oil if needed.
• Saute garlic for a minute, being careful not to burn it.
• Combine oil, sherry or broth, soy sauce, brown sugar and red pepper.
• Place chops in skillet. Pour sauce over them. Cover tightly.
• Simmer over low heat until chops are tender and cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes. Add a little water, 1 to 2 Tbs.. if needed to keep sauce from cooking down too much. Turn once.
• Remove chops to platter. Stir in cornstarch dissolved in water. Cook until thickened.
• Pour over chops and serve.

Tips:

• Boneless pork loin chops can be used. Trim fat and pound to ¼ inch thickness. Cooking takes only 20 minutes.