Spicy Pork Chops

Le Creuset Doufeu Pork Chops (Spicy)

AKA Everything but the Kitchen Sink (EBKS) Pork Chops in either a Dutch Oven or a Crock Pot

Every good recipe starts with a nice glass of wine, duh!  Since the weather has gotten a wee toasty, I have been woefully behind in the red wine drinking department.  Something about the mercury rising leads me to prefer beer and fruity drinks over a glass of red.  Nevertheless, I decided to reverse that trend this evening with a crisp Pinot Noir, Domaine de Valmoissine.  Good but not great and therefore PERFECT for the unpresumptious meal I am about to make. 

-The EBKS label for these chops is because you truly can dump just about whatever you want in a dutch oven and you won't go wrong as long as your flavor combinations aren't too whacktastic.

(Before you set out to make this dish, please take a look at the "Hindsight is 20/20" bullets following the recipe.  There are definitely some changes you could/should make for this to turn out just a little bit better.  My chops were a little dry but that's mostly because of impatience....)

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees
• Coat the small dutch oven (I used the 6 QT Le Creuset Doufeu) with 2 Tbsp olive oil 
• Add about half onion to the bottom of the dutch oven (you can dice the onion or chop the onion into rings)
• Add half of a jalapeno, sliced into rings
• Sprinkle onions and jalapenos with Lawry's seasoning salt, paprika, pepper, and cayenne pepper
• Add the fat-trimmed pork chops (I squished four in my little Le Creuset.  It doesn't really matter how many you use as long as the chops lay fairly flat)
• Sprinkle the pork chops with the same spice mix as above, adding about a tablespoon more olive oil. 
• Add the remainder of the onion, half of a bell pepper, and another jalapeno - all sliced in rings.
• Dice half of a small tomato
• Add tomato, 1/4 can of rotel, and 1/4 cup water to dutch oven
• Sprinkle the whole mess LIBERALLY with paprika
• Cover and bake for an hour and 25 minutes
• Remove pork chops and bring contents of dutch oven to slight boil - pour this "gravy" on the pork chops and serve. 

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20

•  Dredge dredge dredge these puppies!!!  Mine turned out dry both because I didn't dredge/braise the chops and because I upped the oven temp and lowered the cooking time (silly girl!)
• I would recommend dredging the chops slightly in flour (adding dashes of salt/pepper to each side) and cooking them on medium high heat until they're just brown on both sides.  This should lock in the flavor and moisture.

• If you don't like to actually EAT onions, dice  them so they're just for flavor. Otherwise, they're kinda hard to avoid.  
• If you can't take the heat, get out of the....just kidding!  Lighten up on the jalapenos.  Most folks won't want two whole fresh jalapenos with their dinner.  We just have no taste buds left!

I used Old Bay but you can use Lawry's or whatever you like

Rings aren't necessary if you'd prefer to dice the onion/BP

That's ice in the recessed lid to kick up the moisture in the meat.

TA DA!!!  Just kidding....that's Cassie's dinner. ;-)

My presentation isn't so great (I was ready to eat dangit!) but somewhere under there is a slightly over cooked pork chop...I swear! Normally, I would make corn bread or some other side but I'm flying solo this week and just wasn't that hungry.)