When fully cooked through, remove from the heat, place on a plate and top with the caramelized onions and a sprinkling of parsley. Broil or grill for approximately five minutes a side on high heat (more for thick chops, less for thin). Coat with a little vegetable oil and place on the grill or under the broiler. Season with salt and pepper.įor the pork chops, preheat a grill or broiler. When they are just about done, add the balsamic vinegar and smoked maple syrup to taste. They will have reduced in size considerably. To properly brown onions can take up to half an hour so be patient and wait until they have developed that deep brown color. Keep an eye on moisture and if the pan looks too dry, add extra oil. Let the onions brown without disturbing them, only giving them a stir to prevent burning every ten minutes or so. Sauté for a few minutes and then reduce the heat to low. Add the sliced onions and stir to coat them in the oil. In a large pan, heat several tablespoons of oil on medium-high heat. 2 large onions, any color, peeled and sliced.Pork Chops with Caramelized Onions & Smoked Maple The vinegar and syrup are merely there to enhance the sweetness and tang of the onions – supporting players to the star onion. The smokiness of the syrup plays beautifully with the grilled pork chop. When they are getting close to being done, I add a dash of balsamic vinegar and some Pecan Wood Smoked Maple Syrup. Slice them up and let them brown in the pan on low heat for at least half an hour. The trick to getting that perfect caramelization is ‘slow and low’. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook until desired doneness, about for 4 to 6 minutes. Add the pork chops and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. When I’m at a loss for ideas to top a chop for dinner, sautéed onions are simple and so, so good. In a small bowl, combine the chili powder and salt and sprinkle evenly over both sides of the pork chops. When you give them everything they need, they reward you with a sizable flavor bomb that you can store all winter. They are actually quite finicky, demanding top-quality soil and nutrients in a weed-free environment. I, for one, have great respect for the onion, having grown them on my farm for decades. Put simply, good cuisine is entirely dependent upon them. They give sweetness, zing and body to salsas and relishes. They are the backbone of every sauce, soup or stew. (Actually they do in Vidalia and Walla Walla growing regions but that is another story.) The lowly onion is generally just considered a supporting player.īefore you dismiss them to plebe status, keep in mind that when you enter a house and smell good things cooking, it is probably the aroma of sautéing onions. Chefs do not have seasonal onion-centered menus. Seed catalogs do not write poetic descriptions of their attributes. Occasionally the onion gets center stage when it is sliced, battered and deep fried but mostly the poor allium is taken for granted. Every good recipe starts with reaching for an onion but for some reason they never get much respect.

Maple broiled pork chops