Guinness-flavored Onion Brown Gravy over Pork Chops that will make anyone fall in love with anything Guinness. Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!
Just like any other good food blogger, I’ve been trying out recipes for St. Patrick’s Day.
Because that’s what good food bloggers do. They try out recipes for you before a major event or holiday happens. Then they’ll present to you only the best and finest.
And if the recipes include Guinness as an ingredient, then they REALLY are a must-try for good food bloggers.
If you don’t try them, then I don’t know how you can call yourself a good food blogger.
Okay, relax, I’m just kidding.
You are obviously a very good food blogger if you have been trying out recipes with Baileys Irish Cream. ← Lame joke attempt
Anyway…
I was very much conflicted over the issue of Guinness. Guinness Draught was not my favorite liquid for cooking, I’m afraid.
I once tried a Guinness-something-something-stew. From something-something-dot-com. And you know what?! Not a fan, sorry to say! I couldn’t get over the bitterness. To each her own, I guess.
But just when I was about to write off all recipes involving Guinness, I came across the Blonde American Lager.
This beer actually came into the market last year, but since I’m not a big beer drinker, I was unaware. (By the way, this isn’t a post written on behalf of Guinness. Rather, it’s a post written for St. Patrick’s Day.)
And I know this particular Guinness is produced here in the good ol’ USA, and not Ireland, but hey, it’s the Guinness that I happen to like. Shocking, I know.
So, this Blonde Lager is not as strong-flavored as the dark, and best of all, not as bitter. I find it just right for Goldilocks, I mean for me.
And when you add it to your onion gravy, omgz, it’s just sooo… right!! I am now a Guinness convert!
- 4 pork chops
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped or thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- ¾ cup Blonde Lager (not counting the foam)
- 1 tablespoon butter (optional)
- Salt & pepper
- Season pork chops with salt & pepper and dredge in flour, coating both sides.
- In a large skillet, brown chops in 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Add 1 more tablespoon of oil into the same skillet, and sauté the onion until soft and golden brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for just another minute.
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour and stir to mix.
- Slowly add beef broth and whisk to blend. Add Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, and thyme. Stir briefly.
- Place pork chops back into the skillet. Add the lager.
- Turn up the heat so that sauce will come to a rolling boil, for 2 minutes.
- Reduce to simmer, and continue to cook for another 4-5 minutes, until the chops are completely cooked, flipping them over a couple of times to get them completely coated with the sauce.
- Add a tablespoon of butter to the sauce just before serving (optional).
- Serve over mashed potatoes or Colcannon.
P.S. I was told recently that we shouldn’t be saying St. Patty’s Day, which all my friends and I (guilty as charged) have been saying all these years to refer to St. Patrick’s Day. Patrick is a boy’s name and you wouldn’t be calling a boy Patty, unless his name is Patricia. In which case, his parents have played a joke on him by giving him a girl’s name.
It is perfectly okay, however, to say St. Paddy’s Day. The Irish version for Patrick is Pádraig, where the diminutive Paddy comes from.
The best thing to do, though, in my opinion, is to just call it by its full name, St. Patrick’s Day. It doesn’t even save you a syllable to shorten it to St. Paddy’s Day.
Oh, and one more thing, please don’t make “Irish Car Bomb” anything. If you think “St. Patty’s Day” get people upset, this one is downright offensive to all Irish.
So, that’s my Public Service Announcement of the day.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!
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These pork chops look incredible! I will be trying them. I had a bad experience with cooking with Guinness too. I made a chocolate mousse and it was bitter. I haven’t cooked with it since either. You could say St. Paddy’s. That would be masculine?
I guess we’re not dark beer kind of people, Julie 😀 You won’t taste the bitterness with this one, I promise. Especially if you also serve the beer before dinner. That trick actually worked!! And yes, I’m told St. Paddy’s is acceptable 🙂
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day Angie! I am loving your Irish posts and will make this for sure! I have cooked with Guinness before, and it adds so much depth and flavour! Yum!
PS: I must be a very bad food blogger! I haven’t been trying out any Irish recipes…just waiting for my blogging buddies to post them! 😉
Yes, you’ve been very bad! Lol, just kidding! I can never say that to my co-host. But yes, Guinness does add a lot of flavor. And in my case, the blonde lager is just perfect. But you can always use the dark stout if you like it. 🙂
They look absolutely succulent and delicious 🙂
Thanks, Trupti!
Looks amazing! I actually had a Guinness in Ireland before my celiac diagnosis, and it was better than the ones in the US (if you like a traditional dark Guinness). But, I’m guessing that wouldn’t be your thing. :p Love that you had this post up in time for St. Patrick’s Day too! 🙂
That seems to be the consensus, that Guinness tastes better in Ireland. I’m more of a wine or cocktail drinker to begin with. There are times I want beer but usually the light. I also love shandy! 🙂
I’m a bit late for St. Patrick’s day, but this recipe would be perfect here for any time of the year.
It is! In fact I think I’ll be making more this weekend since I still have the lager.
Mmm looks so rich and delicious! Can’t wait to try this. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much! Let me know what you think!
I did see this post in my reader feed (sans photo), and boy am I glad I took a closer look! Blonde Guinness sounds like something I would actually enjoy cooking with. I hate all things bitter, which rules out most beer recipes for me.
The same thing happened when I first moved to self-hosted, posts or photos not showing up. Go figure. You won’t taste the bitterness in this one, maybe just a tiny tiny little bit if you’re sensitive. The sugar and vinegar help a lot in masking the bitterness.
Oh my word! I need to cook some of these up ASAP! LOVE this recipe!
It’s really good! I put my name on it! Make sure you use a fully packed tablespoon of brown sugar. It needs it to balance out the bitterness of the lager.
I posted a recipe for lamb stew and used extra stout; also posted one for beef stew using draught. Neither of them tasted bitter – I think it’s the other ingredients that balances out the Guinness no matter what you use 🙂
Maybe if you introduce it early in the cooking process, there’s less bitterness in the end? But I think some people are just more sensitive to the bitter taste in food. I’m probably one of those people! I’m slowly getting used to it, though. I used to think Brussels sprouts and eggplants were bitter! But now I can tolerate them, and sometimes even enjoy them.
Wow Angie this look amazing! My mouth is watering…
I’ll be making more this weekend. It’s so good my son requested it again! 🙂
I think I’m in love with your pork chops! I love that it had a repeat request, I’m just wondering if I need to go buy more Guinness, now, the lager!
I hope it wasn’t the Guinness Stew I posted last St. Paddy’s that you didn’t like…I’d be mortified! I often use a little jam (yep, jam) to round out the bitterness.
No, of course it wasn’t yours! It was Food Network! Now I love most of Bobby Flay’s and Ina Garten’s recipes but there are a few recipes there I’m not crazy about. But I think my problem is that I’m not a fan of dark beers, period. I love that jam tip!!!
Thanks – see, I’m the opposite. Love dark beers; they seem somehow to be less “sharp” I guess. Although I’ve recently been introduced to Blue Moon by my sis, and what I call Bicycle Beer (fat tire) by my Dad, lol! I obviously have not been drinking enough and keeping up with beer. Wow, there’s a lot, lol!
I’m just not a big beer drinker, I guess, which sometimes create a problem when I get together with my friends. Most of them love beers! They drink it like water! I’ve heard of Blue Moon, from Hawaii, right? Is it good?
Ok, I just googled it. It’s not Hawaii, but Belgium. I must have confused it with something else. Which happens a lot with me, lol!
Surprisingly quaffable. I don’t drink much at all, to tell the truth…but I’d rather have wine! 🙂
Yum! I am not at all a Guinness drinker and have never heard of the Blonde before but will keep an eye out. These chops look very good indeed! And I have to admit I celebrated St Patricks day with en English beer rather than Irish, don’t tell anyone! 🙂
If there’s none of that Guinness bitterness, I’m all in! Your chops look spectacular, Ange!
You shouldn’t be able to taste any bitterness with this one, maybe just a tiny tiny bit if you’re sensitive, which will go away if you cook the sauce a little longer, adding more liquid/broth as necessary. Give it a try and let me know what you think! ?
Yes please! That looks so good. I just know my husband will love it too. Thanks for sharing at Throwback Thursday!
Thanks so much! Let me know what you think if you do try it ?
This looks so so great!! I’ve never been a pork chop person but this might have me rethinking my choices! Thank you for sharing with us at Throwback Thursday, this will be featured at tomorrows party! Hope to see you there!
Thanks so much!! I’m excited!! I’m on vacation right now but will join TT as soon as I get back! ?
Oh wow! This looks so good. What a great way to get the flavor without the (for me, kind of not that great) bitter flavor!
Thanks, Petra! That means a lot coming from a real chef ? ?
I just revisited this post – I saw them on the sidebar! I can’t believe it’s been a year and I still haven’t made them!
I also noticed your comment on the car bomb – I wasn’t aware there was a drink but have seen plenty of cupcake recipes – I was SOOO shocked at the name. It IS offensive. How does Boston Bomb Brown Bread sound? I have a hard time with anything with the name “Crack” too. If you make Crack chicken it’s cute? But what if you called it Crack Cocaine chicken…not so cute, huh?
Thnks for speaking out, tho! Sorry if I ranted!
You have to make this, and then come back and tell me how you’ve improved it!
And about those cutesy names – I’m all for them as long as they don’t offend. If one person tells me it offends her/him, I’ll stop. It’s just not worth hurting others just to be cute or clever, you know what I mean? And you didn’t rant, you’re just voicing your opinion ?
hi Angie
Happy St Patrick’s Day! I love the look of these pork chops! Delicious.
I have tried to like Guinness so many times and I once even went to the birth place of Guinness in Dublin and tried a pint there but it isn’t quite for me. I have never tried the Blonde but will keep an eye out for it! 🙂 x
I guess Guinness is not for everyone. In a recipe like this, though, it’s quite good. Gives it a little bit of bite or sharpness that works well with the fatty chops. Yeah, do look for the Blonde. It’s about the only Guinness I can tolerate ?
This looks really good, pork chops nestled in with the potatoes, onions and a bit of greens. I will try this the next time I find some pork chops in my fridge. As for Guinness, overall I’m not a fan of beer, but I do like it on the hottest days of the year. I did try Irish Guinness when I was in Scotland some years back – I can drink it, but a full pint would be too much. Never heard of this lighter version until now. Anyhow, your flavor profile sounds “on point”.
Yes, this was very good! And I could hardly taste the bitterness. Recently I made Stuffed Meatballs in Guinness Gravy that’s equally good. The Blonde Guinness is now called Baltimore Blonde. Tastes about the same. I’m going to try using the rest of my six-pack in a beer batter or beer bread. Will report!
YUMMY recipe. WHEW glad to know I’m not the only one! 😀 I’m not a fan of Guinness either and have always changed out to something we like.
Thanks, Tamy! I feel the same way. I was almost afraid to say I wasn’t a fan, but we’ve got to be truthful about our recipes. We’re not saying it’s not good, just not for our taste. The Blonde is ok, though. In sauces and gravy, it’s outstanding!