Dinner for 6/9/2010

[Ken Baker]

Got the pressure cooker hissin' & spittin'...

Gonna be a kick-ass batch of pork loin chops. Japanese-style rice, real honest-to-God gravy, and steamed veggies.

Ken...

[glbass]

Yum! That sounds soooooo good. You do anything special to the loin chops?

[Ken Baker]

Oh! Now you want details!

Incredibly unscientific.

Four cans of chicken broth plus about a cup of water in an 8 qt. pressure cooker. Add a little bit of salt, some coarse ground black pepper, and garlic powder. Substitute as you see fit, remembering that this is the seasoning that really counts. I've used minced fresh garlic with good results, but the powder is easier. Besides, this ain't fancy - it's comfort food. Leave the pot open and get it heating up a boil, then back off to a very slow simmer.

Get four big ol' loin chops, about an inch and a half thick. Bone-in or boneless is up to you. Rinse in fresh water to get rid of the cooties then pat off the big pieces of moisture. Coat with unseasoned Bisquick.

Put a little light olive oil in a frying pan and get it hot enough to sear the meat. Once to temp, sear both sides of the chops. Takes 3 minutes or so per side. Once seared, transfer to the pressure cooker.

Clamp the lid on and crank up the heat. Once you get it hissin' and spittin' really good, back off the temp a bit to maintain the boil inside. Cook for 45 minutes.

At 45 minutes, turn off the heat and bleed off the pressure. Once the lid unlocks (read up on modern pressure cookers), remove it and transfer the chops to a plate or something and keep warm in the oven.

I use a grease separator measuring cup thingy to siphon off as much of the grease from the broth as possible. Everything else, especially all the solids, goes into a non-stick frying pan and is allowed to cool a bit.

Mix some flour, corn starch, and water in a container (I use a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup). Mix thoroughly so that you have no lumps.

Slowly add the flour and corn starch mixture to the broth, stirring constantly. If at this point the broth is too hot or boiling, you're gonna end up with drop noodles. That's why it has to be allowed to cool a bit. It's nothing terribly precise and you'll know when it's right. Anyway, keep stirring, bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes. It's really important to not short-cut this cook time or your gravy will be gritty. About 4 minutes in, toss in some mushrooms. They should be pre-cooked or they'll add a bunch of moisture to the gravy. Mal will chastise me for saying this, but canned 'shrooms work here.

If you don't want to deal with mixing flour and corn starch, you can substitute Wondra granulated flour. Shake in as much as you need to the partially cooled broth and cook as above.

That's it! Done! Chow down!

Try the exact same thing with a pork shoulder roast or boneless country-style pork "ribs". More tender, more juicy, and a lot tastier.

Ken...

[glbass]

Wow,the pressure cooker sounds like a great way of cooking them. Thanks for the details Ken.
(question), Oh yeah? How do you know it tastes good? (reply); I didn't get this heavy by just looking at food damn it!
Thanks again. Glenn (very little humor)

[Ken Baker]

Wow,the pressure cooker sounds like a great way of cooking them. Thanks for the details Ken.

They are pretty cool. The big claim to fame is the speed. I can take a tough ol' chunk of meat and make it forkable in just a few minutes. They're also great for veggies such as carrots or potatoes - something that traditionally takes a longer time to cook. Big white rose potatoes are perfect in about 15 minutes.

(question), Oh yeah? How do you know it tastes good? (reply); I didn't get this heavy by just looking at food damn it!
Thanks again. Glenn (very little humor)

Troublemaker!

Actually pork is okay in a low fat diet because the fat is in layers between the pig's muscles. Easy to separate out when eating. Bacon & sausage not so much, but regular cuts are fine. No beef because the fat is marbled in. I do have to be careful with the gravy, but that's why I get as much of the fat as possible out of the broth after cooking.

Fun stuff.

Ken...