Making the most of 'the other white meat'

The recent invasion of my freezer by a quantity of pork has caused me to consider creative uses for “the other white meat.”

As a kid, we had pork chops regularly, usually lightly seasoned and then overcooked. After a particular cooking sauce came on the market, we usually had our chops cooked in the stuff, rendering the final product as a candied meat. Good? Maybe. Sweet? Oh yes. Overcooked? For sure.

I've taken to allowing my chops to have a dry rub placed on them during an overnight stay in the fridge. Even something as simple as a seasoned salt rub is better than just seasoning before cooking.

To panfry them, get your pan hot over medium-high heat and then place the chop in the pan. Let it sizzle and brown on one side before flipping it over. I'll then turn down the heat to low and loosely cover the pan, so as to allow any moisture to escape, but to help keep the meat from overcooking. This is needed more if your chop is thick. Thinner ones may just need to be cooked to brown on both sides before being done.

We are still in asparagus season, and so I would suggest your favorite way of preparing the spring green for a side dish. Another good side is applesauce. The applesauce in the picture is actually a jar of a pear-applesauce we made a while back. I'll speak about that in the future.

PORK ROAST

• 4 pounds pork roast, trimmed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon rosemary

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a baking pan, place roast fat side up. Mix garlic with vinegar then spread over roast. Season with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Bake for 3 hours, or until an internal temperature of 155 degrees is reached. Let the roast rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

ROAST PORK LOIN

• 4 pounds pork loin, bone in
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon sage
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 can chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons flour
• Salt and pepper to taste

Rub the pork with salt, pepper and sage. Place fat side up in a roasting pan and place in a 325 degree oven for 1 hour. Place vegetables in bottom of pan and continue to roast until an instant read thermometer stuck in the thickest part reads 160 degrees. Remove roast from pan and hold in a warm place. Set pan over moderate heat and cook until moisture has evaporated and vegetables are well browned. Drain off and reserve fat. Add broth to pan and stir over heat until the drippings dissolve. Mix together flour and an equal amount of fat in another pan and stir over moderate heat until lightly browned. Add this to the pan with the broth and stir in over moderate heat and simmer until thickened and slightly reduced. Strain gravy and season with salt and pepper. Cut the roast into chops between the rib bones and serve each portion with a ladle of gravy.

PORK SPARERIBS

• 4 pounds pork spareribs
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon Tabasco
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large pot, place enough water over spareribs to cover. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 1 hour or until ribs are fork-tender. Drain. In a saucepan, heat honey, ketchup, vinegar, orange juice, garlic, Tabasco, and salt to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Preheat grill for medium heat and place on ribs. Brush with honey mixture. Cook 20 minutes or until heated through, brushing occasionally with honey mixture and turning once.