A Bite of the Bluegrass - Kentuckyaki Pork Chops with Dried Cherry Orange Sauce

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Here in the Bluegrass State (aka Kentucky) we have a great agriculture heritage and produce some great food products. "Kentucky Fried Chicken!" is the first thing people say when they hear you are from Kentucky, and while I love KFC as much as the next person, our culinary offerings are not limited to the Colonel's secret recipe. I committed earlier this year to using more local foods and have wanted to feature some of my favorites here for a while now. So, drumroll please, I am introducing a new feature here at Candy Girl - A Bite of the Bluegrass. I'll introduce a Kentucky made product and feature a recipe using that same ingredient. I'll also try and provide links on where the product can be found online.

First up is Bourbon Barrel Foods Kentuckyaki sauce. Most of the world's bourbon is produced in Kentucky and food makers are including it in wide variety of products these days. This teriyaki sauce could be called Southern Japanese fusion as distinctly southern ingredients such as sorghum and bourbon are used to create this traditional Asian sauce. The Kentuckyaki sauce has the perfect balance between sweet and slightly tangy and is the perfect marinade for any meat.

I marinated thick cut pork chops in the Kentuckyaki sauce for several hours before cooking them and then topping them with a Dried Cherry Orange Sauce. The chops were fantastic just with the sauce and I can't wait to try it on chicken and burgers. The sweetness from the Kentuckyaki provided a great counterbalance to the tartness of the cherries in the sauce.

Kentuckyaki sauce can be found online at Bourbon Barrel Foods. Their Bourbon Barrel Worcestershire sauce is great too!

Kentuckyaki Pork Chops with Dried Cherry Orange Sauce

3/4 cup Kentuckyaki sauce
4 1-inch thick pork chops
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 ounces dried tart cherries
salt and pepper

Place chops in a shallow dish and pour Kentuckyaki sauce over. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to cook, remove the pork chops from marinade and blot excess marinade.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle both sides of chops with salt and pepper. Heat cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Sear chops on both sides and then place skillet in oven. Finish cooking pork until done. Tent with foil and keep warm.

Meanwhile, place chicken stock and orange juice in small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10-15 minutes. Sauce will reduce slightly.

Melt butter and olive oil in small skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and cook until translucent. Add garlic and ginger and cook for another minute or so. Add the shallot, garlic, and ginger mixture to pan with stock and juice. Add brown sugar and orange zest. Continue boiling until sauce reduces in half and starts to get syrupy. Add cherries and cook for a couple of minutes to allow cherries to reconstitute.

Serve chops with a generous helping of Dried Cherry Orange Sauce and enjoy!