Oven-Braised Pork Chops with Red Onions and Pears

Name: Oven-Braised Pork Chops with Red Onions and Pears
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 cups balsamic vinegar; 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 6 cloves garlic, peeled; 4 center-cut pork rib chops, each about 12 ounces and 1 1/4 inches thick; 1 large red onion (about 12 ounces), cut through the core into 8 wedges; Salt; Freshly ground black pepper; 2 ripe but firm Bosc pears, peeled, cored, and each cut into 8 wedges; 1/4 cup red-wine vinegar; 2 tablespoons honey

December 9, 2011

The sugar in the honey helps to caramelize the pork, onion, and pears as they oven-braise. It is a technique that works well with other roasted meats and birds as well. Just mix a little honey with the pan juices and baste or brush the roast with that during the last 10 minutes or so of roasting. For some dishes, you want the onions cut fine, so they almost disappear. Here, I cut the onions large—and the pears, too—so they keep their shape and don’t fall apart. Even when ripe, Bosc pears stay firmer than most, making them just right for this dish.

Recipe notes

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