Pork Chops With Vinegar And Sweet Peppers (ATK)

• portions: 4

Ingrédients

1 cup sugar

Table salt

4 bone-in pork rib chops, each ¾ to 1 inch thick and 7 to 9 ounces (see note)

Ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped fine (about 1 1/4 cups)

1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips (about 1 ½ cups)

1 large yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips (about 1 ½ cups)

2 anchovy fillets, minced (about 2 teaspoons)

1 sprig fresh rosemary, about 5 inches long

2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup white wine vinegar, plus optional 2 tablespoons to finish sauce

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Instructions

1. Dissolve sugar and ½ cup table salt in 2 quarts water in large container; add pork chops and refrigerate 30 minutes. Remove chops from brine; thoroughly pat dry with paper towels, season with ¾ teaspoon pepper, and set aside.

2. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in heavy- bottomed ovensafe 12-inch nonreactive skillet over medium-high heat until oil begins to smoke; swirl skillet to coat with oil. Place chops in skillet; cook until well browned, 3 to 4 minutes, using spoon or spatula to press down on center of chops to aid in browning. Using tongs, flip chops and brown lightly on second side, about 1 minute. Transfer chops to large plate; set aside.

3. Set skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add peppers, anchovies, and rosemary; cook, stirring frequently, until peppers just begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add water and ½ cup vinegar and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits with wooden spoon. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until liquid is reduced to about ⅓ cup, 6 to 8 minutes. Off heat, discard rosemary.

4. Return pork chops, browned side up, to skillet; nestle chops in peppers, but do not cover chops with peppers. Add any accumulated juices to skillet; set skillet in oven and cook until center of chops registers 135 to 140 degrees on instant- read thermometer, 8 to 12 minutes (begin checking temperature after 6 minutes). Using potholders, carefully remove skillet from oven (handle will be very hot) and cover skillet with lid or foil; let stand until center of chops registers 145 to 150 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer chops to platter or individual plates. Swirl butter into sauce and peppers in skillet; stir in optional 2 tablespoons vinegar, if using, and parsley. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper, then pour or spoon sauce and peppers over chops. Serve immediately.

Notes

For this recipe, we prefer rib chops, but center-cut chops, which contain a portion of tenderloin, can be used instead. If you do not have time to brine the chops, "enhanced" pork (pork injected with a salt, water, and sodium phosphate solution, so stated on the package label) presents an acceptable solution; the enhanced meat will have more moisture than unbrined natural chops. To keep the chops from overcooking and becoming tough and dry, they are removed from the oven when they are just shy of fully cooked; as they sit in the hot skillet, they con- tinue to cook with residual heat. The vinegar stirred into the sauce at the end adds a bright, fresh flavor. We advise, however, that you taste the sauce before you add the vinegar—you may prefer to omit it.

PORK CHOPS WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR AND SWEET PEPPERS

Balsamic vinegar adds rich flavor and color.

Follow recipe for Pork Chops with Vinegar and Sweet Peppers, substituting balsamic vinegar for white wine vinegar and adding 1 tablespoon idle position; chopped fresh thyme along with parsley in step 4.

See picture: Do not rinse the chops after removing them from the brine; simply pat them dry with paper towels (left). Because the sugar in the brine has not been rinsed off the surface, the chops will brown better than if they had been rinsed. To ensure that the entire surface of the chop comes into contact with the hot pan, press the top of the chop with a spoon or spatula to push the meat into the pan.

Cook’s illustrated 2005