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Sauerkraut is an excellent base for many types of meals. It makes delicious salads, flavored soups or main dishes, it can be stored in the refrigerator for a long time and its juice is tasty and healthy. Of course homemade sauerkraut is always the best, but not all of us can make it at home, because it’s not quite simple and because it usually tastes better when you make large quantities, which call for a lot of storage space and for a big family to eat it before summer comes. Sauerkraut pork chop recipes are usually prepared in the oven, but they can make a great slow cooker meal. The following recipe is oven baked, but it also suits slow cooker preparation.

Ingredients:

• 4 bone-in pork chops (smoked chops are also very good with sauerkraut)
• 1 average sized sauerkraut, finely shredded
• 1 cup sauerkraut juice
• 4 smoked bacon slices cut in small pieces (if using smoked pork chops, bacon can be left out)
• 8-10 black pepper berries
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation time: 5 minutes (15 minutes if the sauerkraut is not already shredded when you buy it)

Cooking time: 1 hour

Serves: 4

Method:

Brown the pork chops in a skillet. Put the browned chops in a baking dish, then add the sauerkraut on top of them, making sure to cover the meat completely. Mix the sauerkraut juice with the paprika, add the black pepper berries then pour the liquid over the food. If needed, you can add some water (you want to see the liquid inside the dish, but not completely cover the sauerkraut). Add the bacon, then put the dish in the preheated oven and bake it at medium heat for about one hour.

Serve hot with mashed potatoes. If you want, you can add some diced vegetables to the dish (carrots and onions are great).

Pork chop recipes can be cooked in many ways. Broiling is a relatively convenient cooking method and it makes delicious meals. In order to be able to cook the following recipes you need a broiler. If you don’t have one, you can use a cast iron grill and the oven. Beware, though, if your cast iron grill has a wood or plastic handle, do not use it as broiler, because you’ll manage to burn the handle in very little time.

Ingredients:

• 4 loin pork chops, 3/4 inch – 1 inch thick (bone in or boneless, as you wish)
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt, pepper

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Method:

In a saucepan, mix the garlic, the onion, the paprika, the Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and some water and bring it to a boil, then simmer it for 5 more minutes, stirring frequently. Preheat the broiler. Meanwhile, brush the pork chops with the garlic sauce thoroughly, then put them on the broiling pan rack. After broiling the chops for 5 minutes turn them on the other side and baste them with sauce. Repeat this operation for a couple more times or until the chops are done. If you have a probe thermometer, you could measure the internal temperature of the meat: it needs to reach 150 F in order to be safe for eating.

Grilled pork chops recipes are excellent for many occasions, from a simple barbecue party to sophisticated dinners. Grilled meat can be served with a big variety of side dishes. This makes them a very convenient meal for people who don’t have too much time to cook.

Ingredients:

• 8 bone-in pork chops of average thickness (approx. 3/4 inch)
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary (fresh rosemary is better if you can find it)
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme (also fresh thyme is a more interesting choice, but quite hard to find sometimes)
• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper, coarsely ground
• 1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
• Salt according to taste

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves: 8

Cooking procedure:

Mix the herbs with the oil, the salt and the pepper in a bowl. If you decided to use fresh rosemary and thyme, you could use a food processor for a better blending. Put the herbs blend on a plate, then coat the chops carefully, one by one, on both sides, making sure to cover them as evenly as possible. Leave the pork chops aside, so they get more flavor from the herbs and meanwhile start preparing the grill. If you use a charcoal grill, light the fire, then wait for the charcoal to burn until it becomes medium hot. Flames should not exceed the grate height. If you use a gas grill, set it on medium temperature. Set the chops on the grill and let them cook for about two minutes. Make sure you watch them closely, and if you notice flare-ups, move the respective chops to colder areas of the grill. After that, you can cover the grill and cook the chops for maximum 4-5 minutes on each side.

Serve the pork chops hot, on a platter, with vegetables or mashed potatoes. Pork chops are best when they aren’t overcooked, so don’t leave them too much on the grill, even if you have to check them often.

Mixing tastes like sweet and sour or salty and sour in the same dish can be interesting. This is one of those not very common but exceptionally tasty pork chop recipes people like to order when dining out. Now you can cook such delicious meals at home, too.

Ingredients:

4 pork chop cuts, boneless, about 1/2 inch thick (free range pork is the best, if you can find it)

2 apples, cored and sliced in quarters (peeled or not, according to your preference; if you get red apples, the peel adds a very nice color to the food so it’s better to leave it in)

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground

1/4 cup apple juice

1/4 cup lemon juice

Salt and pepper

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 50 minutes

Serves 4

Method:

Preheat the oven at 350 F. Meanwhile, take a frying pan, oil it and brown the pork chops on both sides for several minutes. Put the apples, the apple juice, the lemon juice, the cinnamon and the rosemary in a baking dish, add the pork chops on top, sprinkle everything with olive oil, then bake the dish for about 45 minutes. If you want, you can skip the chops browning, but you need to be aware that in this case your chops won’t have that appealing, golden look that makes one’s mouth water.

This roasted pork chop recipe is best served with steamed vegetables and with a glass of dry white wine.