One of the staple meals in my household, as a child, was pork and beans. My mother would fry the chops before she added a large can of Van Camp’s Pork and Beans. The meal was quick and cheap enough to feed six people. More often than not, however, the pork chops came out tough and dry.

Years later, I found a pork chop recipe that I enjoyed enough to adapt to my own tastes. The recipe below involves using a pan, but you can slow cook the ingredients on low for 7 to 9 hours. These chops are great with Augratin potatoes and coleslaw.

Ingredients

4 boneless pork chops
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/2 clove garlic
1 T. oil
2 1/2 cups catsup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 T. hickory-flavored liquid smoke
1 cup onions, chopped

Directions

1. Season chops with salt and pepper. Brown on both sides in oil. Drain. Return to pan.
2. While pork chops are cooking, combine catsup, brown sugar, garlic, onion and liquid smoke in a bowl.
3. Pour mixture over chops and heat until just boiling. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, or until pork chops are white in the center.

Ingredients

1/2 cup milk
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 lbs. ground beef
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 lb. mozzarella or provolone, cut into 1/2″ cubes
Olive oil for frying
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 lb spaghetti, cooked and drained

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine milk and bread crumbs.
2. Add meat, eggs, and garlic. Mix briefly with hands.
3. Form 2″ meatballs, sealing a cube of cheese in the center.
4. Heat 1/2″ of oil in a large frying pan or electric skillet until it almost starts smoking.
5. Brown meatballs one minute per side. Transfer to a tray, lined with paper towels, to drain.
6. Discard oil and replace with spaghetti sauce. Heat the sauce. Then add the meatballs.
7. Reduce heat and cook, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook for another ten minutes.

Ingredients

5 lb roast
2 tsp. crushed rosemary
1 tsp. pepper
6 cloves garlic, minced (divided)
1 6 oz. can Mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 cup orange marmalade
6 T. concentrated orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup catsup
2 T. honey
2 1/4 tsp. ground mustard
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Directions

1. Rub roast with rosemary, pepper, and 4 cloves of garlic
2. Bake at 350º for 1 1/2 hours.
3. Make the glaze, using the last 7 ingredients plus the remaining 2 cloves of garlic. Brush onto the roast.
4. Top with Mandarin oranges.
5. Baste roast before returning it to the oven. Bake for an additional 30 minutes, basting often.
6. Let sit for 10 minutes. Then slice and top with pan juices.