Another winter day, another dark beer sauce. You know, I don’t really repeat recipes that often– and this is an example of why; I’ll get started, and get a random idea. This time, I was going to remake the coriander pork but didn’t have the right ingredients to make the sauce– then I found a small packet of black garlic that I bought back in February, and made a hard right turn toward a new approach.

Black garlic is a pretty alien ingredient– like black lemons/limes it tastes almost nothing like the fresh version. Here,  the whole head ferments,  and dries out naturally (I bought it that way). You get these really silky black cloves that taste more like figs or dates–it’s an awesome sweet/smokey flavor. You’ll still need regular garlic, though.

Add these to a butter sauce with sage, and cider vinegar, and it’s the perfect match for the coriander and marjoram on the pork. You get fruit-like flavors similar to the fig-glazed pork loin I made last year, but from a really weird source. It’s fun, right?

 

 

For bonus points,  you can even baste the meat with the butter sauce after it sears for a more restaurant-style finish.

Let’s cook.

You’ll need:

3-4 Pork Loin Chops

2-3 Tbs Butter

2 Sprigs of Sage,

2 Tbs Parsley, chopped

2 Cloves of Garlic, minced

2 Cloves of Black Garlic, smashed

2 Cups of Dark Beer (Try Browns, Reds, of Hefeweizen)

2 Tbs Flour

2 Tbs Cider Vinegar

1 Tbs Coriander

1 Tbs Garlic Powder

1 Tsp Marjoram

1 Tsp Onion Powder

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Dry the pork with paper towels, the. Season generously with salt, pepper, marjoram, onion powder, and coriander. Let the meat rest for at least thirty minutes, then sear on med-high on both sides. Lower the heat to medium.

2. Add butter to the pan, and wait for it to turn light brown, then add sage, and regular garlic. Once the meat is nearly fully cooked, add an extra teaspoon of butter, flour, and whole black garlic cloves. Stir until the black garlic dissolves, then add a splash of cider vinegar, beer, and parsley.

3. Serve warm with pan sauce, and your preferred sides.

Done.