They don’t make pork like they used to. Modern pork is raised lean for health reasons but in the process a lot of flavor got lost. But there are ways to make up for the lack of intrinsic flavor, like this simple Tuscan method for making pork chops called maiale ubriaco, or Drunken Pork. (NB: It could also be translated as ‘drunken pig’, since Italian does not have separate words for ‘pig’ and ‘pork’.)
Ingredients
For 4-6 people
- 4-6 bone-in pork chops
- 1-2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- A few sprigs of fresh parsley, finely minced
- A pinch of fennel seeds
- A glass of red wine
- Salt and pepper
Directions
Make a trito by finely mincing a garlic clove or two and a handful of parsley. Add it to a skillet large enough to hold all your pork chops in a single layer, together with salt, pepper and a sprinkling of fennel seeds. Sauté over moderate heat until you begin to smell the garlic and fennel.
Add your pork chops (well dried with a paper towel to aid browning) and brown just lightly on each side, for about 3 or 4 minutes per side, taking care to regulate the heat so that the garlic does not burn. Pour over some red wine, just a glassful or so, lower the heat a bit so the wine simmers gently. Continue simmering, turning the chops from time to time to ensure even cooking and coating with the red wine. They should turn a nice burgundy color as they absorb the wine.
When the red wine has almost completely evaporated, transfer the chops to a serving dish. Raise the heat to high and add a bit more red wine to deglaze the pan, reducing the wine to a syrupy consistency. Pour over the pork chops and serve immediately.
Notes
This version of Drunken Pork is suitable for lean pork chops like loin and center cut chops, as it cooks fairly quickly, no more than 20-30 minutes total. This relatively short cooking time should ensure that the chops do not dry out too much, but do look for chops with a bit of fat on them.
Another version calls for adding much more red wine—enough the barely cover the chops—and a much longer cooking time (45-60 minutes) covered. Of course, this gives the pork a much more intensely ‘winey’ flavor and produces a wonderfully thick sauce. A nice dish for cooler weather. For this ‘winter’ version of the dish, you need a cut of pork that will stand up to long, slow, moist cooking, like a pork shoulder chop.
Some recipes for Drunken Pork do not call for the fennel seeds, but they are typical of this dish and lend a nice, somewhat unusual flavor. In some versions, you reduce the wine until it has entirely evaporated and serve the chops without a sauce. Conversely, some other versions will have you cook the chops completely without wine, remove them, and then add the trito, sauté briefly, then deglaze the skillet with red wine. You then pour the resulting sauce over the chops.
For the wine to accompany your Drunken Pork, a Tuscan red would naturally be ideal. You could simply use a bit of whatever wine you plan to drink with your meal. Nothing too fancy, mind you, a young Chianti or a simple sangiovese would do nicely. For the winter version, you may want a wine with more body.
Maiale Ubriaco (“Drunken” Pork)
Ingredients
- 4-6 bone-in pork chops
- 1-2 garlic cloves finely minced
- A few sprigs of fresh parsley finely minced
- A pinch of fennel seeds
- A glass of red wine
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Make a trito by finely mincing a garlic clove or two and a handful of parsley. Add it to a skillet large enough to hold all your pork chops in a single layer, together with salt, pepper and a sprinkling of fennel seeds. Sauté over moderate heat until you begin to smell the garlic and fennel.
- Add your pork chops (well dried with a paper towel to aid browning) and brown just lightly on each side, for about 3 or 4 minutes per side, taking care to regulate the heat so that the garlic does not burn. Pour over some red wine, just a glassful or so, lower the heat a bit so the wine simmers gently. Continue simmering, turning the chops from time to time to ensure even cooking and coating with the red wine. They should turn a nice burgundy color as they absorb the wine.
- When the red wine has almost completely evaporated, transfer the chops to a serving dish. Raise the heat to high and add a bit more red wine to deglaze the pan, reducing the wine to a syrupy consistency. Pour over the pork chops and serve immediately.
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18 Comments on “Maiale Ubriaco (Drunken Pork)”
Thanks for this recipe Frank. I was looking for a good recipe for cooking pork chops on the stove and made this one and this is it! Thanks.
You’re welcome Denio! Glad to hear you liked it!
Thank you Frank, for a delicious pork chop recipe. What could be better than pork, with garlic, fennel and red wine? Alas, we were relegated to using supermarket chops. We started with a film of olive oil and finished the sauce with the addition of a “knob” of butter. Next time we will make the effort to seek out Berkshire or Mangalitsa chops. Thank you again, Frank!
So glad you liked it, Bill! Even with supermarket pork chops. Now imagine how tasty they’d be with heritage pork… !
We do love our pork. I’ve already put this on our list to make. I love sharing with my readers what I learn. May I try out this recipe on them — linking back to you as the inspiration? I l do love your recipes.
With pleasure. 🙂 Thanks so much for the kind words!
I love pork chops and these look divine! I will have to give it a try. 🙂
Thanks, folks! Oink… hic… oink…
This sounds like heaven. Excellent recipe for turning boring pork chops into an exciting meal full of flavor!
Now that is a way to cook pork chops! They sound so very flavorful!
LL
looks so tender and flavorful!!
Drunken pork is like a blast from yesteryear. I'll drink alongside the pig. Skip the grocer and find an organic meat vendor you love. The pork may nt be quite as flavorful as in days gone by, but it is a huge improvement.
I agree Frank… pork, beef for that matter, just doesn't taste like it used to and I find myself having to add more flavor when I didn't a long time ago … I thought my taste buds were just burnt out – this is a great recipe, like the pig all liquored up….
Wooooow! Probably one of the best pork recipes I've seen!
Drunken + pig = NOM in my book. We made a drunken steak in my family's restaurant that was similar…but with Harvey's Bristol Cream rather than red wine.
Wow, I love this ubriaco thing…
Buono Buono Buon, Pork meat is sooo my favorite. I like it “al latte” too. Good recipe !
I bet the garlic just infuses with flavor. This looks tender to the bone.