Pork Chops: Almost excellent. Tips?

[Dubious Drewski]

I just took some boneless porkchops, seasoned them with garlic salt and dumped a mix of mushroom soup, brown sugar and ketchup (pre mixed) on top - so that the meat was completely covered in the mix. I then sprinkled diced green onions and red peppers for presentation, and a bit of flavour.

I baked this for 70 minutes at 350. I am eating it now. The taste is quite good, but the taste (and aroma) is a bit ... weak. This sauce is fantastic, but it's not strong enough., it seems

What could I have done to give it some punch?

 

[Wyogal]

yellow onion, diced, browned (or use onion/mushroom soup mix instead of mushroom only)

 

[Dubious Drewski]

The green onions don't cut it, you think?

 

[Wyogal]

It has a different flavor. The browned onions have a deeper, almost sweet flavor. Did you brown the meat at all? That helps, too.

 

[Dubious Drewski]

Brown the meat? Do you mean cook it before I cook it? I'm sorry, I'm really new at this. Maybe I'll start buying regular onions instead of green ones. Maybe they're not quite enough punch.

 

[Wyogal]

yes, you season the meat, brown it, then carry on... it adds lots of flavor and good color.

 

[Dubious Drewski]

What I don't understand is why I would brown the meat(cook it) and then add the flavouring and cook it again. Why not just soak it in flavour the whole time?

 

[Andy M.]

What I don't understand is why I would brown the meat(cook it) and then add the flavouring and cook it again. Why not just soak it in flavour the whole time?

You're hung up on cooking it twice. Think of it as a cooking process with two parts.

Remember - brown food tastes better. If you brown the meat before you add the sauce then cook it in the oven, it will taste better than if you skip the browning step. Same thing goes for onions.

If you brown the chops in a hot skillet on the stove top, then add the sauce and pop it all in the oven, it will be ready to serve in about 30 minutes because the sauce has to be heated through before the chops can finish cooking. If you heat the sauce before adding it to the chops, it will be ready faster.

 

[Wyogal]

Pick one:
browning meat purpose - Google Search

 

[DMerry]

When I brown meat in a skillet, I use a higher heat and the meat browns quickly without actually cooking it. After I add a sauce, I turn the heat down so the meat will finish cooking more slowly which often makes the meat more tender.

 

[Wyogal]

exactly, DMerry.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I concur with the others. Browning the meat is essential for your dish. But just brown it, not cook it through. Pork is a fairly lean meat and will overcook easily, making it tough and dry.

In addition to browning the meat, you might try some seasonings, such as rubbed sage, or thyme leaves. Savory, or Marjoram would work as sell. Or, if you wanted, you could add a dash of nutmeg. Black pepper would also help boost the flavor profile. Just don't add them all. Each would play well with the flavors you already have, but might not play nice with each other.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North