Tag: iron skillet

Meats

Oven-Baked Pork Chops

cathysmahaLeave a comment

Oven-baked pork chops are so quick and easy…why haven’t I tried this before? I love the thick cut (or Iowa chops) at Costco and frequently cook them in the crock pot. On this particular day, I thawed the pork chops and forgot to put them in the crockpot in the morning. What to do…well, this recipe was perfect. The pork chops came out so juicy and tender. I served the chop with yummy roasted vegetables for the win!

Oven-Baked Pork Chops

INGREDIENTS:
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Use paper towels to pat the pork chops dry.
  2. Prepare the pork chop marinade here. Marinate the pork chops for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours (but not longer). Alternatively, you can season with pork chop seasoning (link in ingredient section above), or simply season generously with salt and pepper and skip the marinade, but the marinade makes them so juicy! (Fork-Lore Note: I seasoned the pork chops and immediately cooked them and they were juicy and delicious).
  3. Remove the chops from the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking.
  4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C). At the same time, preheat a cast iron skillet (or a cast iron grill pan) on the stovetop over medium-high heat, about 2-3 minutes.
  5. Once the oven is just a few minutes away from being preheated, add the butter and heat until melted, tilting the pan to coat. Add the pork chops in a single layer. Sear for 2-3 minutes, without moving, until browned on the bottom. Flip and sear for 1-2 minutes on the other side.
  6. Transfer the pan to the preheated oven. Bake pork chops until their internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F (63 degrees C), or 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) for juicier pork chops. (The internal temperature will rise another 5 degrees while resting later.) Use a probe thermometer for best results, but here is a guideline for pork chop baking times:* 1″ thick boneless pork chops: 6-8 minutes* 1/2″ thick boneless pork chops: 3-4 minutes* 1″ thick bone-in pork chops: 8-10 minutes* 1/2″ thick bone-in pork chops: 5-6 minutes
  7. Remove the pork chops from the oven and transfer to a plate. (Do not leave them in the pan or they will be overcooked.) Tent the top with foil and let the chops rest for 3-5 minutes.

Recipe adapted from WholesomeYum

Family Favorites · New Traditions

Cornbread the old fashioned way

cathysmaha2 Comments

My husband, Karl, was the official cornbread maker in our house.  His cornbread is not sweet and is typically served with a pot of pinto beans with ham, cooked greens, fresh tomatoes and onions.  I also like to serve cornbread with my 5-hour Beef Stew (to be posted another day) or chili.  I always save a piece to drown in honey from my neighbor, Gary’s, beehives.

CORNBREAD the old fashioned way

1 tablespoon bacon grease (or canola oil)
1 cup white corn meal
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 egg
1/3 cup corn oil
1 cup milk

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put one tablespoon bacon grease (heaping) in an iron skillet and let skillet get up to temperature of the oven. Take paper towel and spread grease throughout skillet. Pour off excess grease. You can be doing this while you are mixing the ingredients.
  • Mix dry ingredients. Beat egg and add wet ingredients. Mix. Blend dry and wet ingredients and stir well. You might need to add milk for the mixture needs to be runny.

  • When skillet is hot pour ingredients into it. Do not burn your hands. It’s easy to reach out and grab the skillet handle without using a pad or glove. Bake for 27 minutes.
  • Let cornbread cool for a few minutes, then invert onto plate.  Serve warm with butter and honey or with the traditional pot of pinto beans, stew or chili.

Cornbread hot from the oven