Here’s a grown up twist on plain old pork chops! Red wine and garlic jazzes up this quick dinner recipe. The garlic was sweet, and cooking it removed any kind of strong garlic “bite”. The sauce is so flavorful, with that very subtle tang of balsamic. Loved this dish. Love, love. This recipe is going into my regular rotation for those nights when I’m hungry, but tired. Super easy to make, and good enough to serve company for dinner.
On most week nights, I still come home wanting to eat home-cooked food– as opposed to bringing home take-out. I’m pretty much the Chief Cook in the house, and I need meals that come together quickly. I often resort to pan-searing meat and making a pan sauce. I love pan sauces. They transform boring old chicken, pork or beef into something that resembles restaurant quality food. It couldn’t be simpler.
I stopped by my meat market, and picked up two luscious pork loins. I already had the rest of the ingredients on hand– red wine, garlic cloves, beef broth and balsamic vinegar. So, here we go– the pork is seasoned with coarse salt & black pepper. Then it’s seared in a screaming hot skillet with a little oil and unsalted butter.
I prefer to sear my meats on one side until golden brown, and then put them into a 425F oven to roast them. (I already had baked potatoes going, so it was convenient to do this.) This method pretty much assures me that the meat will be moist. I roasted these for about 4 minutes, then removed them and lightly covered them in foil. (Otherwise, just flip them more a few more minutes, because you’ll finish cooking the pork in the sauce.) To the skillet, I added about 8 peeled cloves of garlic, and tossed the about on medium heat until golden brown. Look at all the brown deliciousness on the bottom of the pan…flavor, just waiting to happen!
I added some red wine, a bay leaf and let that bubble and reduce for a few minutes. Last, I add some beef broth and the chops and let them simmer for a few minutes more.
Pork Chops with Wine and Garlic
Ingredients
- 6 whole pork chops medium to thin
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon butter divided
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cup red wine
- 1/2 cups beef broth or more to taste
- 1 whole bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 18 whole garlic cloves peeled
Instructions
- Heat oil and butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Salt and pepper both sides of the pork chops and sear them on both sides until they’re nice and golden, about 2 minutes per side. (No need to completely cook the chops at this point.) Remove the chops from the skillet and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium-high, then throw in the whole garlic cloves. Stir them around and cook them for several minutes, or until they get nice and golden brown.
- Pour in the red wine, then add the bay leaf. Stir around and let it reduce, raising the heat if necessary. Cook the sauce for several minutes, or until it’s nice and reduced and thick.
- Stir in the beef broth (you can add more if it needs the liquid) and add the chops back into the cooking liquid, arranging them so that they’re swimming in the sauce. Allow the chops to cook in the liquid for a few minutes, then pour in the balsamic. Shake the pan to get it to distribute, then cook for a couple more minutes, or until the pork chops are done.
- Remove the chops from the pan once more, then let the sauce reduce a little more if needed until it’s very thick and rich and the garlic is soft. Swirl in 1 tablespoon of butter and sprinkle in a little salt and pepper.
- Arrange pork chops on a platter, then pour the whole skillet of sauce (including garlic) over the top.
Notes
Oh these pork chops look heavenly… and so moist. My mother raising me was always scared to cook pork chops because we would always need a gallon of applesauce because they were so dry. This recipe looks fantastic and absolutely aromatic. Beautiful.
Mmmmm…what could be better than a garlic and wine sauce? Sounds delicious.
Debby – Pan roasting meat is one of my favorite cooking methods. Like you, this kind of meal is a real go-to for me. Pinning this!
I try to get take-out as infrequently as possible (but sushi DOES occasionally happen) and as a result, dinners need to be either ready or quick around here also! Pan searing with a pan sauce is a great idea.
PW does have some good recipes, doesn't she? Love this one too,Deb.
Love the wine in this dish. It's adds so much flavor. We tend to forget about pork chops. Shame on us. I think it's time for a change from chicken. Thanks for the reminder.
Sam
I was thinking I should make pork chops this week, but was kind of going back and forth on the recipe. This sounds like a really good one!
I always love to cook on weeknights. That's how I unwind after work. Besides, if I always ordered takeout, I'd have a hard time sticking to the kind of diet plan I need to stick to!
Aw Debby—love the simple elegant and yummy dish this is!
I just love pork and this looks incredible! Sounds like a fabulous sauce that I would want to be licking the plate to get up every last drop!
Made this for dinner tonight. It had very good flavor. I think I didn't reduce the sauce enough, but still tasty. And pretty quick. The best thing, I have another night's dinner.
This looks divine! I love that deep red color of the wine and I bet that garlic was so sweet and delicious! I'm sure that sauce kept the meat really nice and moist, beautiful meal 🙂 Hope you have a lovely day!
This looks so quick and easy! Best of all, no apples or applesauce in sight! My mom always thought the two went together.
This sauce looks like a perfect match for the pork, especially with such a nice amount of garlic added!
awesome! it looks so classy. i already ate my dinner but when i saw this post im hungry again, its all your fault haha.
oh well great post and thank you for sharing
PS: ♥ the sauce ..
I made this too as soon as I saw the recipe and I agree it is a keeper. Your sauce got thicker than mine. Thanks for the tip of oven roasting – might try that next time!
I just bought pork chops today. I think this will be dinner tomorrow! Thanks for another great recipe.
Awesome Pork! it really suit with A Feast for the Eyes. looks so yummy.
Looking forward for another great post of yours. Good Luck Dear.
That beautiful sauce looks so delicious on those chops.I shy away from pork tenderloin because it can be so dry, but I think you have overcome that problem, Debby.Your style of cooking is exactly what I like and your wonderful photos don't hurt any either. Could you send a plate my way?
Debby just wanted to let you know I made these tonight and they were delicious!
goodness gracious that sauce! We do pork chops often but I'll have to try it this way.
I am always looking for wonderful ways to prepare pork tenderloins. We bring pounds of them home from Iowa every summer and we usually grill or bake them with minimal spices so that their wonderful flavor isn't overpowered. But the way you describe this recipe, and how much you loved it, I will make this immediately!