Honey Pork with Pineapple and Roasted Green Chilies

Looking for a quick, and delicious dinner to put on the table? Well look no further than this Honey Pork and Pineapple with Roasted Green Chilies...the perfect use for thrifty pork loin.

I love spring time for many reasons, and one of those is saving money! Spring (and fall) is usually when you can find large pork tenderloins on sale. I try to get at least one and sometimes two to prepare and stick away in our freezer. I cut boneless pork loin chops just the way we like them, about 3/4 inch thick. Usually placing two or three depending on the size into freezer bags, seal tightly and stock the freezer. From there I cube the tapered end pieces and bag it up for stew.

To be honest, stew always sounded like a good idea during the processing of the meat, but not when it came time to cook the meat. The reason? Today's pork is leaner than pork from even just twenty years ago, and much leaner than the pork served in my childhood home a million years ago! The loin of a modern day raised pig is quick to over cook, which means it will be dry. And no one wants to eat dried out pork. I know because I am in that group! And while the loin is quick to dry out from overcooking, it is also quick to get on the table when cooked gentle and for just the right amount of time.

Fortunately this year I remembered that a savory pork stew of the traditional long simmering kind was out of the question. So when I took the pork cubes from the freezer to thaw for dinner, I knew I needed to get creative. And I think I did a pretty good job! A few simple ingredients, a quick browning for a rich flavor, then an open skillet simmer and you get to enjoy a tender, moist entrée of Honey Pork with Pineapple and Roasted Green Chilies. Simply serve over brown rice, offering fresh cilantro and lime wedges on the side. Not too sweet, not too spicy. Just a delicious and easy to prepare dinner!

The open pan simmering technique does not overcook the meat, but what it does do is concentrate all the wonderful juices in the skillet into a rich sauce that you can spoon over your rice. We went casual and enjoyed our Honey Pork with Pineapple and Roasted Green Chilies as a meal in a bowl. The pan sauce cooks down to about half the volume started out with and is delicious to spoon over the rice. Serve with cilantro, for all the cilantro fans out there.

And should you not be a cilantro fan, I am pretty sure you will still enjoy this delicious pork bowl dinner! But I must give credit where credit is due. I am fortunate to have a daughter who is also a wonderful cook, she gave me the idea to combing pineapple and roasted green chilis from a dish she had made a few days ago. And she was right, they are a great flavor pair.

Some additional thoughts on this recipe:

Use the cut of pork you prefer. You may need to adjust the cooking time and or temperature.

You will get a beautiful brown crust on the pork when you use butter or bacon fat, if oil is preferred, do use a touch of butter or bacon fat for a richer brown crust. The rich flavor from browning the meat adds to the overall flavor of the dish.

The open pan simmer is perfect for the loin cubes called for in the recipe.

Yes, chicken thighs would be a great swap for the pork cubes.

Ingredients needed for this recipe:

pork
honey
roasted green chilis, do not drain
pineapple chunks in juice, do not drain
garlic salt
fresh ground pepper
whole wheat flour
bacon fat, butter or oil
cilantro
fresh lime

You will also need the following:

large skillet
measuring cups
measuring spoons
medium sized mixing bowl

Now we are ready to begin!

Honey Pork with Pineapple and Roasted Green Chilies

inspired by my daughter Jessica!

by the seat of my pants!

1-1 1/2 pounds of cubed pork loin

1 16-oz can of pineapple chunks in juice

1 7-oz can of Roasted Green Chilies, we used mild

2 T honey

1/4 c whole wheat flour

garlic salt

fresh ground pepper

2 - 3 T bacon fat, or butter, or oil, we used bacon fat

Add the pork cubes to the mixing bowl, top with the flour and toss or mix together until the pork is coated in flour.

Heat the bacon fat in the skillet over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add the coated pork cubes. Season well with the garlic salt and pepper.

Let brown until a rich brown crust if achieved, adjusting the heat if needed. Turn the cubes over and let the other side brown.

Top the browned pork with the honey. Top the honey with the chilies, and the pineapple.

Adjust the heat if needed, let mixture come to a boil, reduce to medium and let simmer 10 minutes.

Stir gently bringing the pork up to the surface, let simmer an additional 10 minutes.

Serve over brown rice with fresh cilantro and lime on the side.

Storage options for Honey Pork with Pineapple and Roasted Green Chilies. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days. I do not recommend freezing this dish.

UPDATE: For your convenience, a "copy and paste" version of Honey Pork with Pineapple and Roasted Green Chilies has been included below.

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