Mushroom Pork Sake starts with trimmed Pork Chops, using the removed fat to render and sear the meat. Cream of Mushroom Soup blends with Water, Sake (an Asian cooking wine), Montreal Steak Spice, and Pork Bouillon to form the sauce, though Mushroom or Chicken Bouillon work just as well. After searing, slow cook the Pork Chops in the oven, then remove them and reduce the Mushroom Sake Sauce if needed. Serve the rich, savory sauce over the tender Pork Chops for an exceptional meal, that doesn’t even need a knife.
Mushroom Pork Sake Ingredients
Pork Chops, Cream of Mushrooms Soup, Water, Pork Bouillon Cube, Sake or Rice Cooking Wine, Montreal Steak Spice.
Pork Chops
Preferably Bone-in and a fatty cut such as Shoulder or Blade Chops, Rib Chops, Center Loin, Sirloin Chops or other fatty or good marbling of fat Cuts. Trim away the excess fat and render out to use as a searing fat for the Pork Chops. Once the Crackling is crispy brown, discard or set aside and season with Salt & Pepper to snack on.
Keep the rendered fat in the pan and start searing the Pork Chops over medium high heat for 3 minutes per side. It doesn’t matter the thickness, as we are only focusing on searing. It will finish cooking in the sauce. Anywhere from 1/2 inch to 1 inch Pork Chops. Although generally about 1/2 inch is ideal.
Pork Sake Sauce
The Pork Sake Sauce combines just five simple ingredients: a can of Cream of Mushroom Soup, Water, a Bouillon Cube, Montreal Steak Spice, and Sake. After searing the Pork Chops and setting them aside, add the sauce to the pan to lift the fond and build rich flavor.
Mushroom Pork Sake Seasoning
While Montreal Steak Spice is what I usually add. This can be omitted and a blend of Herbs & Spices added instead. I sometimes add in a pinch of Anise, Clove, and Bay Leaf. But you could just add Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onions Powder, Mustard seeds, Rosemary and/or Thyme. Even Poultry Seasoning would work here.
The key here is not too much salt at all. The Bouillon Cube, Cream of Mushroom soup and the Sake is sufficient for salt content. There isn’t even a need to salt the Pork before searing, as the salt content in the sauce will get absorbed by the Pork Chops.
Searing Pork Chops
By far the best searing fat, is with the fat that is trimmed away from the Pork and rendered out in the pan over medium heat until crispy brown. This step can be skipped with the use of Lard or Neutral Oil instead. But the rendered pork fat just adds incredible flavor, and it’s free, it comes with the pork.
After rendering out the fat or adding fat to the pan to heat up, sear the Pork Chops 3 minutes per side over medium high heat. After searing the Pork Chops, place them into a casserole to await the Mushroom Pork Sake Sauce.
Pork Sake Pan Sauce
After searing the Pork Chops and setting them aside to rest, heat the sauce and scrape the bottom of the pan to incorporate the fond. When the sauce begins to boil, ensure the Bouillon cube is completely dissolved. Then pour the mixture over the Pork Chops in the pan.
Oven Pork Sake
With the Pork Chops covered in Mushroom Pork Sake sauce. Lift the Pork Chops up, so a bit of the sauce can get underneath. Cover and slow cook in the oven at 300F for 1 hour. A little more depending on the thickness. Check to see if the Pork Chops are tender.
Reducing the Sauce
Not always needed, but if the sauce is too thin, Plate the Pork Chops to rest and empty the sauce back into the pan you seared the Pork Chops in. Set over medium high heat and reduce until thickened. Ladle the desired amount over the Pork Chops.
Opposite of this, where the sauce it too thick, just add water to thin it out and mix well. It should be a nice pan sauce consistency.
Pork Sake Sides
I absolutely love staying with the Mushroom theme and serving this with some Mushroom Rice. The pairing is just incredible. Other sides may include; French Fries, Hashbrowns, Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Vegetables or Potatoes, Mashed Sweet Potatoes. Another complimentary Rice dish is the Savory Rice.
Equipment
- 1 Large Skillet
- 1 Casserole or deep pan with Lid or use tinfoil to cover
- 1 Whisk & Tongs
Ingredients
- 4 Pork Chops - 1/2 inch thick, Bone-in, fatty cut
- 1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 1 Can Water - using the empty can from the Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 1 Cube Pork Bouillon
- 1/4 C Sake - or Rice Cooking Wine
- 1 Tbl Montreal Steak Spice
Instructions
- Pork Sake Sauce: Mix together in a bowl. Cream of Mushroom Soup, same can filled with Water, Sake, Pork Bouillon & Montreal Steak Seasoning. Set aside.Preheat the oven to 300F with the rack in middle position.
- Rendered Fat: Trim away the excess fat from the pork and chop into small pieces. Heat in a large pan or skillet over medium heat until browned and crispy. Discard the crackling and add more lard or other source of fat if necessary to coat the pan. This step can be skipped by just adding in lard or neutral oil to coat the bottom of the pan and heat over medium high until ready to sear. But rendered Pork fat will elevate the flavors.
- Sear: Sear Pork Chops over medium high heat for 3 minutes per side, no matter the thickness. They will finish cooking, when they are slow cooked. Place them into the casserole to await the sauce.
- Pork Sake Sauce: Empty the sauce into the pan you just finished searing the pork chops in, and scrape the bottom with the whisk to lift the fond and incorporate into the sauce. Ensure the Bouillon cubes are completely dissolved and mixed in. Empty over the Pork Chops in the Pan. Lift the Pork Chops up, so the sauce can get underneath as well.
- Oven Pork Chops: Cover and place into the oven to cook for 1 hour, or until tender. Plate the Pork Chops and ladle the desired amount of sauce over the pork chops.
- Adjusting Pork Sake Sauce: If the sauce is too thin, you can reduce the sauce until thickened. If it’s too thick, thin with water and mix well. Plate the Pork Chops and empty the remaining sauce into the same pan you seared the pork chops in. Bring to a boil and reduce to medium high and simmer until the sauce can coat a spoon and leave a streak.
- Serving: Ladle the Pork Sake Sauce over the rested Pork Chops and optionally garnish with Green Onions, Parsley, Chili Flakes. Some seared Mushrooms can also be used to garnish.