Roman style broiled pork chops

On Saturday, I made the mistake of going to the grocery store while I was hungry. I bought steaks, chops, roasts, pasta, and even some Italian pesto sauce. I should know by now, to eat before going. 

On Saturday night, I decided to do a version of Roman style pork chops, that I first saw in a recipe from in Saveur Magazine back about five years ago. I didn’t have all of the ingredients, and didn’t want to light the grill for just two chops, so I kind of changed it. If you want to try the original, you can find it here. Otherwise, here’s my version.

1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. soy sauce

2 tbs. butter

4 sprigs of fresh rosemary

2 bone in pork chops, at least an inch thick

Olive oil

Sea salt 

Fresh ground black pepper

Preparation

Add the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce to a small sauce pan. Bring that to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer to reduce it by half. Stir in the butter and the rosemary sprigs. Turn off the heat, and set it aside.

Place the chops on a cast iron pan on the counter. Drizzle lots of your best olive oil over the tops of the chops, and then season them heavily with the sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. Let them rest for about an hour.

Heat the broiler. Set the rack, so the chops are not right up next to the flame. You want it down a notch or two, so it takes a little longer, and the center of the chops will cook without burning the outside. Set the chops under the broiler. The exact time will depend on the distance of the flame, and the heat the broiler puts out. 

I suggest turning the chops over after five minutes. Give this side enough time to char nicely. Remove the pan to the stove. Turn the chops over and pour the reduced vinegar mixture over both chops. Return the pan to the broiler, and broil until this side is nicely charred as well, and you are ready to serve.

Serving

I served these chops, with plenty of the sauce in the pan, next to a thick slice of sausage bread. We also had a big bowl of my version of a tortellini soup, with lots of Italian Parmesan grated into it. Pick out a nice Italian red, and ring the dinner bell.