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Savory-Spicy Mexican Pork Chops




Source of Recipe


Milk Street


Recipe Introduction


Pan-fried pork chops get a savory-spicy partner in a chipotle-tomato sauce drawn from a Mexican culinary tradition. Four chipotle chilies go into the sauce for substantial, but not incendiary, heat. If you like, add more adobo sauce after simmering to increase the spiciness. To keep things tender and succulent, we browned only one side of ½-inch-thick bone-in pork chops. Simmering the chops in the sauce finished them without overcooking the meat.


List of Ingredients




1 pound plum tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks
1 medium white onion, cut into chunks
4 medium garlic cloves, peeled
4 chipotle chilies in adobo and the sauce clinging to them, plus adobo as needed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
4 center-cut bone-in pork chops, about 8 ounces each and about ½-inch thick, patted dry
1 tablespoon grapeseed or other neutral oil
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 ounces cotija cheese, crumbled
Fresh cilantro leaves, roughly torn, to serve

Recipe



01
In a blender, puree the tomatoes, onion, garlic, chilies, cumin and 1 teaspoon salt until smooth, about 1 minute. Using a paring knife, make a couple of vertical cuts in the silver skin that encircles each chop; evenly space the cuts and try to cut through the silver skin without cutting into the meat. Season the chops on both sides with salt and pepper.
02
In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat the oil until beginning to smoke. Add 2 of the chops in a single layer and cook until well browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large plate, turning the chops browned side up. Repeat with the remaining 2 chops. Let the empty skillet cool for 2 to 3 minutes.
03
Add the tomato puree and oregano to the skillet. Cook over medium, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, until slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes; adjust the heat as needed to maintain a simmer. Return the chops, browned side up, and any accumulated juices to the pan, nestling the chops into the sauce. Spoon sauce over the chops to submerge. Cook, uncovered, until the meat near the bone reaches 160°F or is just barely pink when cut, 4 to 5 minutes.
04
Transfer the chops to a platter. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper; for added spiciness, stir in additional adobo to taste. Spoon the sauce over and around the chops, then sprinkle with the cotija and cilantro.