Pork Chop Barbecue

This one is for Crystal (well, really it's for Nick).

Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
3 Tbsp. vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (I leave this out)
1 slice lemon (I use lemon juice)
1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 tsp. liquid smoke
6 pork chops, cut 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick
1 to 2 Tbsp. cooking oil

Directions:
For sauce, in a small saucepan, combine water, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Add lemon slice and onion wedges. Bring mixture to boil, reduce heat, and simmer (uncovered) for 20 minutes. Stir in ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and liquid smoke. Return to boil, remove from heat, and discard lemon slice.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet brown pork chops, half at a time, in hot oil over medium-high heat. Place pork chops in a 3-quart rectangular baking dish, & pour sauce over chops. Bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes or until meat juices run clear (160 degrees), turning chops once. Transfer to a serving dish. Pour sauce over all, & serve!

Caramel Apple Pork Chops

This is my absolute favorite way to have pork chops, & so it is what I'm making tonight. I love the sauce so much that I double or triple it (the sauce, not the apples) & serve it with rice. Yum!

Ingredients:
4 pork chops (3/4 in. thick)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter
2 apples - peeled, cored and sliced
3 tablespoons pecans (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place chops in skillet & cook (turning occasionally) until done.

2. While chops are cooking, melt butter in another skillet or saucepan. Add the brown sugar, salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, & apples. Cover and cook until apples are just tender.

3. Uncover sauce & continue to cook until slightly thickened. Pour over pork chops, sprinkle with pecans, & serve.

I season the pork chops in the skillet, and I like to cook the sauce in the pan with the pork chops--even easier as a one pan dish & the chops get a really good flavor. I also and extra brown sugar to the sauce & sprinkle in extra cinnamon & nutmeg. I sometimes skip the apples, and I never use pecans because David hates nuts in his food. This works well in the crock pot, but I add extra water to it because the sauce cooks down quite a bit. And I promise that this doesn't taste like you've covered your meal in actual caramel. :)

**Just a note: If you cook the sauce without apples, add a little bit of water. If you only use butter & brown sugar, the sauce doesn't mix well, and you end up with oil on top of it.