San Francisco Pork Chops
San Francisco Pork Chops is a bit of a misnomer. I’m not sure this recipe has anything to do with San Francisco or the Bay Area in general. I’m guessing the soy-based sauce gives us a “San Francisco” flavor, insert an entertaining story about railroad, mining, and inexpensive pork here. But it’s a family favorite that’s super easy to throw together on a weeknight. My mother-in-law included this recipe in Mike’s “bachelor” cookbook of family recipes that got his cooking skills started.
This is a great alternative to the perennial favorite mushroom smothered pork chops that I could eat every week. But I try to stay out of that dreaded dinner rut that seems to happen to everyone. So, this is a good option for mixing up the sauce and flavor profiles. San Francisco Pork Chops are simmered in a sweet, slightly spicy, soy and garlic sauce that can be easily adjusted to match anyone’s taste. In our house, we prefer pork shoulder steaks or blade steaks that have a bit more fat but are so much more tender than loin chops. I like some plain rice with this recipe along with roasted broccoli or asparagus, but it works well with most any side. I like quite a bit of sauce for the rice, so I normally double the sauce ingredients. Do what works for your family!
San Francisco Pork Chops
Equipment
- 1 Heavy bottomed skillet with a lid
Ingredients
- 4 med Pork Chops approx. 1 – 1.25 lb. total
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Pepper
- ½ tsp Granulated garlic or your favorite seasoning blend
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 2-3 cloves Garlic, minced or grated
Sauce
- 2 tsp Olive oil
- 4 tbsp Soy sauce, low sodium if available
- 2 tbsp Brown sugar
- ¼ tsp Red pepper flake optional, or add more if you like it spicy
Thickening slurry
- 2 tbsp Water
- 2 tsp Cornstarch
Instructions
- Trim any excessive fat from chops. Pat dry and season chops with salt, pepper, granulated garlic or your favorite seasoning blend.
- Heat oil in a heavy bottom skillet. Add pork chops and brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove chops from pan, set aside on a plate.
- Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
- Add oil to pan if needed, sauté garlic for 20-30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add sauce to the pan with garlic, stir to combine and place chops and any juices from the plate back into the pan. Cover the pan tightly and simmer over low heat for 30-35 minutes.
- Remove Pork Chops from the pan to a platter, lightly cover while sauce is being finished.
- If the sauce is thin, mix the slurry ingredients together and add to the pan, bring to a boil while stirring. If it gets too thick, add a little water.
- Pour sauce over the pork chops, serve with rice and veggies.
