Hawaiian Pork Chops

Pork is king in this house ...ah that would be next to beef in the Big Guy's estimation but if I say it's king then it must be king. No seriously, I've been working on an index for this site which is a gargantuan job considering there's well over 900 recipes. I'm blown away by the amount of pork we eat (chicken too), so it's quite beyond me why we haven't had Hawaiian Pork Chops before now.

I used sirloin pork chops although chicken thighs would work wonderfully well too and coated them on all sides in cornstarch then gave 'em a quick saute in a hot pan. Removed to a casserole all brown and crisp, they looked edible right then but sirloin is notoriously tough unless it's braised first. Sauteed onions, garlic and celery top the chops followed by sliced green pepper and pineapple chunks, followed by a mix of pineapple juice, brown sugar, soy sauce and ketchup it all it the oven for a 50 minute meditation.

Plated with some smashed sweet potatoes, it made for a very quiet evening meal. Hey, we were too busy chowing down to have any meaningful conversation.

Hawaiian Pork Chops (an original from JBug’s Kitchen)

6 pork sirloin chops trimmed of excess fat

Salt and pepper

Cornstarch

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 large onions, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chopped celery

1 large green pepper, sliced in rings

1 – 20 ounce can of pineapple chunks

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Water as required

Preheat oven to 350. Heat oil in large sauté pan over medium high heat. Season pork chops with salt and pepper then dredge in cornstarch. Place chops in hot pan and cook until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove to a casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Remove all but 1 tablespoon fat from sauté pan and add onions, garlic and celery. Cook until onions are slightly softened. Place lightly sautéed vegetables on top of pork chops. Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Place pineapple chunks on top of sautéed vegetables followed by green pepper rings. Mix together reserved pineapple juice, brown sugar, soy sauce and ketchup. Pour over casserole, cover well with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove cover. Make a slurry from cornstarch and water and mix into liquid in casserole. Return uncovered to oven for additional 5 minutes. Serves 6.

A year ago - Brined Pork Loin with Port Sauce

Comments

[Lea]

This looks fabu - William loves pineapple - I might have to do an adaption for us!

[Mary from Apron Strings & Wedding Rings]

I rarely do anything pork except the tenderloins. Think you'll be changing that June! This one is worthy of trying! HUGS, Mary L.

[June]

Lea - I'd love to hear what your take is on it. By the way, you don't have to use ketchup at all since there's so little I'm not sure it does much except add some color.

Mary - I know what you mean as that used to be me mostly because pork can be quite dry unless it is brined or braised. By the way, that pork loin with port sauce is absolutely amazing.

[Mary from Apron Strings & Wedding Rings]

Betcha I'll be trying that one June!

[Lorraine]

I am with Mary in that tenderloins really are the thing for me, well, that and bacon, but I will have to give this a try because TH really likes pork and the addition of pineapple sounds very tropical.

[June]

Lorraine, I've found the key is working with the various cuts of pork much like you would beef and cooking it accordingly. Some is best braised, some brined. By the way TH would likely love the brined pork loin featured from a year ago too!