Pork Chops with Asian Ale-8-One Sauce

This recipe was the overall grand prize winner of a competition among Sullivan University’s culinary students in 2006.

Pork Chops:

• 8 thick sliced center cut pork chops
• 1 ½ C all-purpose flour
• 3 C panko bread crumbs
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• One bunch green onions, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

• 3 12 oz. bottles or cans Ale-8-One
• 1 large red onion, sliced thin
• 2 ½ Tbsp finely minced garlic
• 3 Tbsp finely minced ginger
• 2 mangoes, fine julienne
• 2 apples (preferably Fiji), fine julienne and tossed in 2 TBL lemon juice. Reserve ½ of one apple for garnish.
• 3 Tbsp canola oil

Combine in bowl:

• 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
• 4 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 3 tsp fish sauce

For the pork chops: Preheat oven to 300 degrees and lightly grease a sheet pan. Dredge pork chops in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs. Heat oil in sauté pan over medium high heat. Quickly brown both sides of pork chops, then remove to baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in oven for 20-25 minutes.

For the sauce: Sweat the onions, garlic and ginger in canola oil over medium heat. Add mangoes and apples, continue to cook over low to medium heat until fruit begins to soften. Add 1 can of Ale-8-One and half of the sauce mixture. Reduce by one third, then add second Ale-8-One. When it is reduced again by one third, add final Ale-8-One and rest of the sauce mixture. Reduce until thick enough to stand on plate. Add salt and pepper to taste if needed.

To serve: Serve 2 pork chops per person, bones criss-crossed. Spoon sauce over chops and around plate. Garnish with reserved apples and chopped green onions.

Recipe by Bret Jackson