Black Garlic Ranch Pork Chops

This recipe is as easy as you want to make it.  There are (many) versions of it out there that are incredibly simple.  This one is a bit more complicated, though still easy.  As I go through the steps, I'll tell you which ones you can easily skip and which you can't.  The prep can take anywhere from about two minutes to 30-45 minutes (including all prep time for chopping vegetables, etc).  It all depends on how much time you want to spend and how you want it to taste.  The more time you invest, the better it will be.  However it will be good even with the minimal two minute prep time.

Let's start with the basics of this recipe.  Most versions I've seen of this on the web call for the pork chops, a can of cream of chicken soup and a package of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix.  That's it.  Put the pork chops in the crock pot, pour the can of soup on top then sprinkle on the dressing mix.  That's all there is to most of these recipes.

As much as I like simple, I also like great flavor.  I'm going to walk you through how to take this from a good flavor to a fantastic flavor.  Part of that involves swapping out the Hidden Valley Ranch for Grandpa's Best Black Garlic Ranch Seasoning and Rub.

It involves several more steps and a few more ingredients.  As I mentioned earlier, you can skip some of these steps and ingredients.  They really are optional.  Adding the extra steps may seem like it's a bit counterintuitive since one of the reasons for using a crockpot is simplicity; but I assure you the additional steps are worth the extra time they take.

Having said all that, here's the recipe and you can decide for yourself.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 pork chops
• 1 can cream of chicken soup (or cream of mushroom soup)
• 1 package Grandpa's Best Black Garlic Ranch Seasoning & Rub
• 1 cup flour*
• 5 oz sliced mushrooms (my preference is portobello but whatever you like will work)*
• 1 medium onion, diced*
• 1 cup white wine*
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)*
• salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste*

      *optional

Portobello mushrooms

I LOVE this tool.  It allows you to very quickly prep your garlic.  It's called a
"garlic rocker".  Since I use a lot of garlic when I cook, it saves me an
 enormous amount of time.  If you're interested, you can see it here.

Onions diced and garlic minced

Directions

1. Season pork chops with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste (I always brine my pork chops, typically overnight.  This isn't a necessary step although it definitely makes them much more tender and adds a great flavor.)
   
   

   

   Seasoned pork chops

2. Coat the pork chops with flour on both sides (optional step).
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Brown the pork chops in the olive oil (optional step).
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Put the pork chops in the crock pot (I use a liner; it makes clean up MUCH easier.  Liners available here).
   
   
   
5. Sauté the onions and mushrooms in the pan you used for the pork chops.  If there isn't enough oil, feel free to add more as needed.  You want to cook them until the onions are just getting soft and the mushrooms have started to create their own liquid.  This should take about 3-4 minutes (optional step).
   
   
   
6. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds (optional step).
   
   
   
7. Add the wine and turn up the heat.  You want to reduce the amount of liquid by about half (optional step).
   
   
   
8. When the liquid has been reduced, add the cream of chicken (or cream of mushroom).  Mix everything together.
   
   
   
9. Add the Grandpa's Best Black Garlic Seasoning and Rub mix and again stir everything together.
   
   

   

   
   

   

   After stirring in the Black Garlic Ranch mix

   
   
10. Pour the mixture over the pork chops.
    
    
    
11. Put the lid on the crock pot.
12. Cook for six hours on low or four hours on high.
    
    
    
    
    
13. When they are done, remove the pork chops and stir everything else together.
    
    
    
14. Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
    
    
    
15. Enjoy!

         

          Here you can see just how tender these are.  They are literally falling apart.

Easy Crockpot Ribs

Before I go any further, I need to clarify something.  I have a smoker - multiple smokers actually.  I also have multiple grills.

So, you may (rightfully) ask, why am I cooking ribs in a crockpot?

Excellent question.  There are multiple parts to the answer:

1. Weather.  Sometimes the weather just doesn't want to cooperate.  I'm not fond of cleaning off the snow to use my outside equipment.  Same holds true with rain.  I'll use the smoker/grill when it's lightly raining but not when it's pouring.
2. Convenience. There are times when it's just easy to pop the ribs in the crockpot and walk away for awhile. 
3. The number one reason? I have a cooking blog and I know not everyone is as lucky as me and has a smoker. 

Also, since I have a small BBQ sauce company on the side, I'm frequently asked by customers how they can make ribs to use our sauces and rubs WITHOUT a smoker.

This is one way to do it.  I know there are several recipes out there.  Some use root beer, some use Dr. Pepper, yet others use fruit jams.  This one uses apple juice.  Oh yeah, and BBQ sauce.

Of course, I'd love you to use my BBQ sauce, but the truth is that any sauce you like will work.  If you should want to try our sauce, you can find it here.

And for the inevitable question, do they taste as good as using a smoker?  In my opinion, no.  BUT (and it's a huge but) you can make them without having to invest in an expensive piece of equipment you may have no interest in or no place to put.  They also have the advantage of being very good, simply without the added smoke flavor.

Now, on to the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 rack pork ribs (2-3 pounds)
• 2-3 tbsp rub* (I use my Pork and Poultry Rub, but any rub you like will work.)
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1 1/2 cup BBQ sauce (For this, I used our Sweet and Mild sauce.  We have 11 sauces available ranging from mild to very hot.  You can use any sauce you like and it will work fine.)

*If you prefer, you can use salt and pepper instead of a rub.  Simply sprinkle however much you'd like on both sides of the ribs in place of the rub.

Directions

1. Turn the broiler on in your oven to preheat.  
2. Ribs frequently have a membrane on one side.  You can choose to leave this on if you'd like, but I always remove it.  It helps the rub to penetrate the meat and gives a better flavor.  To remove it, the best way is to grab one edge of it and simply pull it off.  It can be difficult to grab but it's much easier if you use a paper towel.  If you make a lot of ribs, you can actually purchase a tool that will make the job of removing the membrane much easier.
   
   

   

   Membrane on the ribs

   

   Tool for removing membrane.  Grabbing with a paper towel works just fine.

3. After you remove the membrane you can trim the ribs if you choose.  There will be no difference in taste either way.
   
   

   

   Ribs trimmed and ready to be rubbed.  Trimming is NOT necessary
   The meat that was trimmed off is above and to the right and will also be cooked

4. After you trim the ribs (optional), you are ready to use your rub.  Simply sprinkle a fairly heavy coating on both sides of the ribs and rub it into the meat.  If you prefer to use salt and pepper instead, do the same thing with it.
   
   

   

   
   

5. Put the ribs on a lipped pan.  You can use a sheet of parchment paper or foil to line it to facilitate cleanup if you'd like.
6. Put the pan in the preheated oven for five minutes.
7. Flip the ribs over for an additional five minutes.
   
   

   

   
   

8. If you use a crockpot liner, this is the time to put it in.  If you'd like to try one, you can find them here. 
9. Pour the apple juice in the crockpot (with or without the liner).
10. Remove the ribs from the oven.
11. Put the ribs in the crockpot with the apple juice. You may have to cut the ribs for them to fit, depending upon the size of your crockpot.
12. Pour one cup of BBQ sauce over the ribs.
    
    

    

    
    

13. Cover the ribs and cook on HIGH setting for four hours.  You can cook them for 6-8 hours on low if you prefer.  If you do, the texture of the meat will become somewhat "mushy" though the taste will be the same.
    
    

    

    
    

    

    Ready to come out of crockpot

14. After the four hours is up, carefully remove the ribs and place on a lipped pan.
15. Turn the oven to 350.
16. Using the 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce you have left, spread it over both sides of the ribs.
    
    
    
    
17. Put the ribs in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.  This will "tighten" up the sauce and give them a wonderful flavor and a better appearance.
    
    
    
    
18. Remove the ribs from the oven and serve.
    
    
    

Bacon Wrapped, Maple Glazed Pork Roast

I love a good roast. It can be pork, beef or just a good roasted chicken.

My wife isn't fond of beef, so a beef roast is something we have infrequently.  She DOES love pork though, so I don't have to do much convincing before I make this for a Sunday dinner.

I brine nearly all of my pork and poultry before I use it.  I simply feel that brining makes it taste better and helps the meat retain its moisture.  It's so easy to overcook and dry out a good pork loin that I believe brining is a necessary step and have been doing it for years.

I'm not going to give a brine or stuffing recipe in this post.  There are MANY variations available on the web and I have a brine recipe here or here (and a completely different one here).  For the most part, any brine will work on either pork or poultry.  You simply have to find one that you like.  The same is true with stuffing.  Whether you want the convenience of a box of Stove Top stuffing or you make it from scratch, it will work.  You just want some form of bread based stuffing though I'm certain other types would work as well.

For the roast in this post, I used a brine with apple cider in it and put apples in my stuffing.  I tend to like apple and pork together, and this gives a subtle boost to the flavor.

The technique I used to cut the roast is called a roll cut.  You basically just "roll" the roast out as you're cutting it.  If you have problems with this (or simply with understanding my instructions) there are many good videos on YouTube of how to do it.  That's how I learned.  This is only my second time trying this type of cut and it turned out fine (both times).

This technique and recipe should work for any size pork roast.  You will simply have to adjust the amount of brine (optional) and stuffing you use based on the size of the roast.  The roast in this post was about 3 1/2 pounds.  The last one I did was nine pounds and it worked equally well on both.

Lastly, if you have any questions/comments on the technique (or anything else) feel free to send me an email or leave a comment.  You can also find me on Facebook and leave me a message or question there.

Ingredients*

• Pork roast/loin (Any size will work.  The one in this post is about 3 1/2 lbs, the last one I did was 9 lbs.)
• Prepared stuffing (Any stuffing that you would use in a turkey would work well here.)
• Bacon (The amount will depend on the size of the roast.  You need enough to be able to cover the roast.)
• Maple syrup or honey (again, depends on size of roast, but typically 1/4 cup is enough)
• Salt and pepper to taste

* You will also need butcher's twine to tie the roast up before putting in the oven.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place roast (brined or not) on cutting board
   
   
   
   
   
3. Starting on the left side of the roast,  (if positioned as in the picture above) using a very sharp knife , make an approximately one to two inch cut just above the line of fat, going into the meat.  It's important to keep your knife parallel to the cutting board when doing this.  
   
   
   
   
   
4. Push the meat back and again, make a cut in the meat, "rolling" it back towards the opposite end of the cutting board.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Continue doing this until the roast is basically flattened out.  It isn't going to look nice and even.  (Well, if you're anything like me it won't.)  How the meat looks won't make any difference in the final product and no one will notice.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. The end result will be a fairly flat piece of meat that you will be putting your stuffing on in order to roll back up.
7. Salt and pepper both sides of the roast generously.  I also like using a rub on the meat.  In my case, I used Mac Brothers Pork Rub, but salt and pepper alone will work fine.
   
   
   
   
   
8. Next, spread the prepared stuffing on the exposed side of the meat.  You want the fat side of the meat DOWN at this point so it will be on the outside of the roast.
   
   
   
   
   
9. Leave a border of about an inch along the sides of the meat.  Leave about two inches from the end where you stopped your cut.
10. Starting at the far end, you want to start rolling up the roast gently.  Looking at the picture below, this is on the right side which is the side of the meat where you ended your cut.  You want to keep rolling fairly tight but not tight enough that you push the stuffing out of the ends.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
11. Continue carefully rolling the meat up until it again is the size and shape of a typical roast.
    
    
    
    
    
12. Now, the roast needs to be tied together so it won't fall apart as it cooks.  You will need some butcher's twine.  There is no need to tie fancy knots like you sometimes see on these (unless of course you know how to do that and feel like it!).  I tie it in multiple places along the top with a simple knot (There were four ties for this roast.  I think I used seven on the nine pound roast I made.).
    
    
    
    
    
13. The next step is to cover the outside with bacon.  There are multiple ways to do this.  The easiest is to simply take strips of bacon and wrap them around the outside.  I decided to make a bacon "weave" and wrap that around the roast.  This will only work if your roast is fairly small (probably four pounds or less), otherwise it won't fit unless you do more than one weave.  A "hack" that simplifies working with the weave is to put it in the freezer for a few minutes after it's been woven together.  If you do this, it will be much easier to work with and wrap around the roast.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
14. Brush the bacon with the maple syrup (or honey if you prefer).
    
    
    
    
    
15. Place roast on a roasting rack in a pan.  You are now ready to put your roast in the oven. Your oven should be at 425 degrees at this point.  You only want to cook at this high temperature for 15 minutes to give a good sear.
16. Turn oven down to 325 degrees after the initial 15 minutes and continue roasting.  You should baste the bacon at least one more time with the maple syrup or honey while it's roasting. When you turn the oven down to 325 is a good time to do this. You can do this multiple times if you want a heavier maple/honey flavor, but one additional time is sufficient.  
17. How long your roast takes to cook is going to be determined by how large your roast is.  A good rule of thumb is 25 minutes per pound but it's important to go by INTERNAL TEMPERATURE, not time. The USDA recommends between 145-165 for pork.  I much prefer the lower end of that time so it's not dried out.  I typically keep it in until it hits about 140, then take it out and loosely cover with foil for about 15 minutes.  The internal temperature will rise that extra five degrees after it's taken out of the oven and before it starts to cool.
18. Remove from oven when temp hits between 140-160 (depending upon preference) and tent loosely with foil for fifteen minutes.
    
    
    
    
    
19. Cut into slices and serve

When I make this, I typically put vegetables in the bottom of the pan.  This time I used parsnips and carrots.  Any kind of root vegetables work well for this.  I also put a small amount of chicken stock in the bottom of the pan (only about 1/4 inch).  The juices from the roast and bacon will drip into this and become a great way to make gravy if you wish.  It also helps keep the roast from drying out.  If you choose to do this you should check every 20 minutes or so and add more stock as needed as the juices burn off.