Dutch Oven Sweet & Sour Pork

In an effort to slim down my families diet and to stretch out the grocery budget I’ve been buying meat in the large family packs and dividing them into smaller bags before I freeze them so I no longer cook 6 chicken breasts for the 6 of us. It’s pretty great when I can fix a meal using 2 chicken breasts and have leftovers for lunch the next day.

That being said I had 2 of the thick cut pork chops in the freezer and thought what can I make that will stretch them out – Becka found some frozen egg rolls that were made a while back and I thought why not Sweet and Sour Pork to go with them, and better yet I had all the ingredients….  Note to self – probably ought to look into menu planning this trying to figure out what to cook for dinner @ 5 PM on the way home from work is for the birds!!!!!

Dutch Oven

Sweet and Sour Pork

1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin, sliced 1/2-inch thick

1 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks in juice

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

1/2 cup thinly sliced onion

1 green pepper, cut in thin strips (variation - use 1/2 Red and 1/2 Green peppers)

2 cups hot cooked rice

Cut pork slices into strips about 3 inches long and 1/2 to 1 inch wide. Sauté pork strips in hot oil over medium heat until lightly browned in a 10” Dutch Oven; drain. Drain pineapple; reserve juice. Combine pineapple juice, 3/4 cup water, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and salt; pour over pork in skillet. Cover and simmer 1 hour, or until meat is tender. In a cup, combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water; stir until smooth. Add cornstarch to pork mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add pineapple chunks, onion and green pepper. Cover and simmer sweet and sour pork for 10 minutes longer, or until vegetables are tender. Serve sweet and sour pork over rice.
Sweet and sour pork recipe serves 4 to 6.

This recipe could be easily prepped at home for a nice dinner while you are out camping, cooked over a propane stove or using 10-12 briquettes under while Sautéing the pork and 8 under and 10 on top while simmering.

Adapted from http://southernfood.about.com/od/sweetandsourporkrecipes/r/bl30207m.htm

Hope you’ll give this recipe a try, and Have fun Cookin’

Cyndi