Chuletas Guisadas aka Stew Pork Chops are an undisputed favorite in my house! To start, anything guisado is bound to be delicious because the flavors have had a chance to soak and develop. Not to mention, the sauce from anything guiso makes eating rice and beans all the more delicious! Chuletas Guisadas are no different. In fact, they’re in a league of their own because who doesn’t love Pork Chops!
Pollo Guisado reminds me of home and Carne Guisada is my childhood on a dish. Chuletas Guisadas reminds me of special days when grandmother would switch it up. She never made this dish weekly like she did the other two, but she made it frequently enough to always have the family stop by for seconds and thirds. Funny enough, Chuletas Guisadas is also one of the most affordable dishes you can make for you and your family! I find myself always making this dish whenever the family pack of Pork Chops are on sale!
Now the beauty of this dish is that you can make it with whatever cut of Pork Chops you like whether it be Bone-In, Center Cut, Boneless or more. The trick (as it always it with all of my recipes) is to use fresh ingredients which means dicing up onions and peppers and squeezing fresh limes! Believe me when I say that it makes all of the different! Granted cooking with fresh ingredients can sometimes get expensive but your tastebuds will forever thank you. Don’t be shy to buy your onions, peppers, and garlic at wholesale big box stores like BJ’s and Costco. Feel free to frequent the farmers market during the Spring, Summer, and Fall for even better deals!
Hispanic Cooking is all about the integrity of the ingredients that you use, which is why I always encourage you to use the best possible ingredients that you can. Keep in mind, that making your own sofrito and freezing it prolongs the life of your fresh ingredients. It also ensures that your food always comes A1!
Whenever you’re making Chuletas Guisadas you want to be mind of a few things:
#1: Pork— especially boneless pork can be quite drying. So you want to be sure to use enough water whenever you’re stewing. The meat can also get tough once you brown it. Stew it for 30-40 minutes and you’ll end up with a fall-off-bone tender and juicy Chuleta
#2: Browning: Browning the Pork Chops is a super important step in this recipe. You want to make sure to get the oil SUPER SUPER hot before adding the Pork Chops. You also want to be careful not to burn yourself. When you add the Pork Chops to hot oil, you lock in flavor and you allow yourself to build a beautiful rich color to your stew
#3: Sugar: This is optional, but you can also add sugar to the oil to help the meat brown and develop color. The key to heat up the oil and then add the sugar. You want to caramelize the sugar first before adding the meat. The caramelization will give your dish a vibrant color and will also round out flavor. No worries– it will NOT make your Pork Chops sweet. In fact, the opposite will happen. The sugar will actually balance out flavors since the Pork Chops are marinated with fresh lime juice. If you do decide to use the sugar-browning method, BE CAREFUL! Caramelizing sugar can cause excruciating pain if you get it on your skin. Also, if you brown it for too long, the sugar will harden into a candy thus making it a nightmare to clean off of your pots and pans
#4: Onions & Peppers: No Guiso is complete without onions and peppers. It’s what rounds out the dish and gives it its charateric color and flavor. I like my onions and peppers on the crunchy side, so I add them at the end and let the steam do the work. If you like them softer, feel free to cook them a little longer. I also like to add a touch of red or white vinegar at the end. It pickles the onions ever so slightly and gives it that undeniable Dominican touch. Imagine the onions from a Mangu but toned down to about 10%.
If you’d like to see me whip up this classic Hispanic Caribbean Dish be sure to visit my YouTube Channel: Chef Zee Cooks!
Here are some other Tasty Recipes that you might Enjoy:
How to Make Pollo Guisado | Stew Chicken
Chuletas Fritas | Fried Pork Chops
Pernil Dominicano | Dominican Style Pernil
And now for the recipe….
Ingredients
- ½ White Onion Minced
- ½ Cubanelle or Green Bell Pepper Minced
- 5 Garlic Cloves Mashed
- 1 Lime
- 2 tsp Sopita or Adobo (*or to taste)
- 1 tsp DR Orégano
- ½ tbs Sazón
- ¼ tsp Salt
- Black Pepper to Taste
- Olive Oil
- 3-4 cups Water
- 1 Red or White Onion
- ¼ Green Pepper
- ¼ Red Pepper
- 1 tbs Olives
- 2 tsp White Vinegar
Instructions
- Finely dice ½ an onion and and ½ green or cubanelle pepper. Set Aside
- Mash garlic with salt in a pilon (mortar & pestle). Set Aside. *Note: if you don’t have a pilon, mincing onions will also do
- Finely slice red onions and red and green peppers. Set aside. *Note: This set of onions and peppers will be used at the end.
- Once you’ve diced all of your fresh veggies, season Pork Chops with diced onions, peppers, mashed garlic, sazón, adobo, Dominican Orégano (regular orégano is fine if that’s what you have), black pepper, fresh limes, and olive oil
- Mix everything until well combined. Marinate meat for an hour or overnight for best results
- In a deep sided skillet over medium-high heat, add oil. Make sure to heat oil until it gets SUPER hot
- Carefully add pork chops
- Brown pork chops for 5 minutes on each side
- Add water being sure to capture any leftover marinade that may have been left in mixing bowl
- Stew over medium flame for 30-40 minutes. Add water if stew dries up before pork chops are nice and tender
- Once the pork chops are tender, add onion, pepper, vinegar and olives. Cook for an additional 5 minutes of until onions and peppers reach desired softness