Scott and I like to celebrate the weekend with friends and try new recipes with a big hearty Sunday Supper. It’s a fun chance to catch up, gather around our giant table, and enjoy some good food together.
And since I was just in Kentucky earlier this month, with Bourbon and oak and hickory smoke and sweet honey flavors still tantalizing my senses, I decided to make a Kentucky-inspired feast!
Since I spent a bit of time in Kentucky learning about Bourbon and its ties to the state, I knew Bourbon was going to have to play a part in this meal. I pulled out my very favorite recipe for Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce from Liv Life and decided that I’d use it as a glaze for the pork chops I had in the fridge, and make this the base for my Kentucky inspired feast. Just yum.
I’ve made a couple tweaks, but the lovely BBQ sauce recipe is basically the same as Kim posted, so if you like it, go over to Liv Life and show her some love!
Okay. Let’s get started. First up is the Peach Bourbon Barbecue Sauce!
Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce
What You’ll Need:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/3 cup Bourbon
- 1 can peaches, drained and strained {or one cup fresh if you can get it!}
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp cider vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Hot sauce {I like Korean gochujang sauce for this}
How to Make It:
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Toss in the onion and sauté for about ten minutes, or until the onion gets nice and soft. Add the garlic and let it soften as well, about five more minutes. Mix in the chili powder.
2. Strain the peaches, then toss them in with the Bourbon, the brown sugar, ketchup, and cider vinegar. Mix gently with a spoon until everything is combined, then partially cover and simmer for 30 minutes, until the peaches get very soft. Then stir in the hot sauce – the heat really plays nicely with the sweetness of the peaches!
3. Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool enough to blend. Then, using either an immersion blender or by putting the ingredients in your blender, pulse it until it’s pureed and smooth.
To make the glaze I use for my pork chops from this BBQ sauce, I thin it out with 1/3 cup water and 1/3 cup Bourbon. And it doesn’t hurt to add that extra little bit of Bourbon taste.
Now let’s make the pork chops. These babies bring a whole lot of awesome to your Sunday supper, so don’t be afraid to let them stand on their own with some greens. But I have a whole host of sides that we’ll talk about in days to come that serve as a great accompaniment!
Bourbon Baked Pork Chops
Serves 4.
What You’ll Need:
- 1 cup Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup Bourbon
- 4 pork chops, 1 inch thick, preferably no bone
How to Make Them:
1. Mix the BBQ sauce, water, and Bourbon in a small bowl.
2. Place the pork chops in a large Ziplock bag and pour in the glaze. Seal it up and let it sit in the refrigerator for about half an hour.
3. Preheat your oven to 350F. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Take the pork chops out of the bag – but save the glaze – and brown them on both sides for about 10 minutes total, tops.
4. Pour sauce over the chops and let them finish in the oven for about 30 minutes. For safety, make sure the internal temperature of the chops has reached at least 160F. Pull them out and serve with a little extra sauce drizzled on them for good measure.
I also like to garnish mine with a little bit of thyme.
And there you go – the main staple for a Kentucky-inspired Sunday supper. I absolutely love how the sweetness of the Bourbon comes out in this along with the sweetness of the peaches, and then you get that nice unexpected zing of hot sauce in there to wake up your senses.
Who would have thought that Georgia peaches, Kentucky Bourbon, and Korean hot sauce would mix so well?
