It’s winter time on the North Fork of Long Island. There is snow on the vines, the bay is frozen and snow drifts abound. If you live anywhere in the Northeast, you are probably yearning for a taste of summer and some warmth. A bit of barbeque and the warmth of your oven may be as close as most of us will get be I’ll take it! Try our recipe for oven barbecued pork chops and serve with some homemade coleslaw and serve some hot apple toddys or Orchard Toddys as we call them.
Oven-Barbecued Pork Chops
Ingredients
1 1/2-1 3/4 pounds bone-in, 3/4-inch-thick pork rib chops, trimmed of fat
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 teaspoons canola oil, divided
2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup orange juice
1/2 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
a few drops of your favorite hot sauce like Frank’s or my personal favorite, Siracha
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add the pork chops and cook until beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the pan. Add shallots and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook, stirring, until transluscent. Add orange juice and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in barbecue sauce and add a few drops of Siracha (to taste). Return the pork chops to the pan, turning several times to coat with the sauce. Reserve part of the sauce to garnish your platter or plates at serving time.
Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the pork chops are barely pink in the middle and an instant-read thermometer registers 145°F, 6 to 10 minutes. Plate and add remainder of sauce.
Perfect with your favorite corn bread recipe and some cole slaw or potato salad.
