Creole Pork Chops

  I rarely fix pork chops. We like pork steak and pork roasts, but I have been not happy with the new leaner pork chops. I find they are tougher than the older, fatter chops were. That said, I decided to try a recipe from the Farm Journal Country Cookbook using 4 Iowa chops. It is a type of BBQ sauce, but not sweet, more like what I think of as a Carolina type BBQ. (hope that is correct), anyway they looked like they would not be sweet and sticky. 

  They were to bake in a slow oven for 1½ hours so fixed baked potatoes to serve with them. I really hate to waste oven heat. Frozen corn to round out the meal and this was an easy supper without many dishes to wash. 

  We were all pleased with the way they turned out. They were not sweet or the least bit sticky, but fairly tender and had a nice tang to them. I will make these again when we are in the mood for pork chops. I did use chili sauce instead of catsup because I didn’t have any catsup on hand. 

Creole Pork Chops

You can brown the chops ahead and chill them for use later

Salt

Pepper

1 Tablespoon fat or salad oil

⅓ cup ketchup (or chili sauce)

½ cup water

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon celery seeds

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon flour (I used ½ teaspoon cornstarch)

  Sprinkle chops lightly with salt and pepper. Brown on both sides in fat in a heavy skillet. Remove chops to casserole or baking dish.

  Combine remaining ingredients; pour over chops. 

Bake uncovered in slow oven (325°) for 1 1/2 hours. Turn chops after first hour of baking. Makes 4 servings.