BV/BS Pork Chops

I have a mild obsession with balsamic vinegar. It's one of those things that I have to have in my kitchen and I use it as often as I can.

You may just associate balsamic vinegar with salads or salad viniagrettes, but it has many other delicious uses. 

• I love it drizzled over eggplant parmesan!
• You can add a few tablespoons to just about any dark soup, stew or red sauce to give it a unique zing.
• It's great on fresh and grilled vegetables.
• It's an amazing marinade for meats.
• And, believe it or not, fresh strawberries take on a whole new flavor when they're drizzles with a little balsamic vinegar and sugar. Trust me, just try it.

I've done a recipe for grilled flank steak (otherwise known as London Broil) for a while now, where I season the meat with a little salt and pepper, throw it in a Ziploc bag with balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and rosemary, let it marinate in the fridge for a little while and then slap it on the grill. Delicious!  


I adapted that recipe and made Balsamic Vinegar/Brown Sugar Pork Chops for dinner last night and they were so tasty I had to share it. It may just be my new favorite way to make pork chops.


Here's what I did:

I used boneless, thin cut pork chops. Gave them a rinse, patted them dry with paper towels, trimmed the little bits of excess fat off, seasoned them with a little salt and pepper on both sides and placed them in a 13"x9" glass baking dish.

Then I poured balsamic vinegar over the pork chops. I was pretty generous with it, but I think a few tablespoons over each pork chop would be fine. Next I sprinkled brown sugar and rosemary over each pork chops. Maybe a teaspoon or two of brown sugar on each pork chop? And maybe a teaspoon or two total of rosemary divided over all the pork chops (I made 8)? I'm an eyeballer. I don't do a whole lot of measuring. 


When I was done, it looked like this:

I popped the whole dish in the fridge for about 20 minutes, then flipped the pork chops over and put it back in the fridge for another 20 minutes. Before I put it in the oven, I flipped them back over again. You could probably skip all of that, but I never seem to be able to leave well enough alone. It's a recurring theme in my life.

I baked the pork chops for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Your cook time will depend on the thickness of the pork chops, the thicker the longer. 

They came out absolutely delicious, the perfect combination of tangy and sweet. I served them with scalloped potatoes and broccoli. 

Let me know if you try it. :)