Many people think that carbonate is some kind of chemical compound. In fact, this is a delicious pork delicacy. This meat has a delicate and pleasant taste, suitable for preparing many meat dishes. Particularly juicy and tasty is carbonade baked in foil.
What is pork chop?
It is believed that pork meat is very fatty, but the exception is pork chop, in which there are practically no fatty layers. Pork chop is a tenderloin from the lumbar spine. In the course of their vital activity, the dorsal muscles are poorly developed in animals. Accordingly, the fibers of the muscle tissue near the spine remain soft. Thanks to this, the carbonade differs from other parts of pork with a soft and tender consistency.
The word carbonad comes from the French carbon, which means coal. The meat got this name because of the way it was cooked. Previously, it was cooked by roasting over smoldering coals.
What dishes can be made from pork carbonade
Today, on an industrial scale, carbonade is raw smoked, dry-cured and baked. Dry-cured carbonade is prepared by drying, without smoking on charcoal. And uncooked smoked, it is additionally processed with smoke, and then dried. The carbonade is baked, pre-pickling it in spices. These methods of preparing deli meats have a fairly long shelf life.
If you cook a carbonade at home, then delicious chops, kebabs are obtained from it, and it can also be smoked in a whole piece. But the best way to cook it is to bake it in the oven. This dish turns out to be very aromatic, juicy and has a wonderful rich taste.
How to choose and store pork chop correctly?
Before you cook a delicious dish from pork carbonade, you need to choose it correctly. Since the carbonade is a whole piece of meat, first of all, you should pay attention to its cut. In a quality product, the cut is evenly colored pink, not windy and without spots. The strip of fat around the carbonade should be white and no more than five millimeters. The yellow color of the bacon means that the meat is stale. The carbonate should be rectangular and resilient when pressed. If the pork is too dark in color, then this indicates that in front of you is the meat of an old animal. For home cooking, purchase only young pork, then the finished dish will be tender and juicy.
The carbonade should be stored only in the refrigerator, for a period of no more than five days. In the freezer, meat is stored for three months in a plastic bag.
Recipe for pork carbonade baked in foil
All dishes baked in foil retain more nutrients than dishes fried in a pan or cooked in a pan. In addition, such dishes are considered dietary, they can be given to children, since the cooking process takes place without the addition of oil and fat. The pork chop prepared according to this recipe turns out to be very juicy and soft. This dish will decorate any festive table, but it is better to cook it in advance so that it is better saturated with marinade and spices.
Ingredients:
- pork chop - 2 kg.;
- tomato paste - 200 gr.;
- tomatoes - 4 pcs.;
- garlic - 6-8 cloves;
- dried herbs - 30 gr.;
- olive oil 1 tbsp the spoon;
- a mixture of spices "Provencal herbs" to taste;
- salt, black pepper to taste.
Step by step cooking:
1. Rinse the pork well under running water and pat dry with napkins. Do not chop the meat, it will be baked in one piece.
2. Peel the garlic, chop finely and place in a deep bowl. Pour olive oil over the garlic, stir and leave for 20-30 minutes.
3. Put the tomato, all herbs and spices in the garlic oil. Stir the sauce until smooth.
four. Grate the prepared chop well with the sauce on all sides.
Advice! To better nourish the meat with spices and sauce, make small cuts in its surface.
5. Cut the tomatoes into rings and place on top of the meat. Sprinkle with dried herbs on top.
6. Wrap the carbonate in foil and put in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours, so that the meat is soaked in the sauce and spices.
7. Preheat the oven to a temperature of 170-180 degrees.
8. Place the pork in foil on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Roast the meat for one hour. Roasting time will depend on the thickness of the meat piece.
This dish is served cold, so after baking, do not remove the foil, but let the meat cool down to room temperature. Then put it in the refrigerator and soak it for two hours. When serving, the pork chop is cut into thin slices. The dish goes well with vegetables and herbs, pickled mushrooms or other cold cuts.
Apple carbonade baked in foil
Carbonate baked with apples has an amazing taste and aroma. Apples for this dish are better to choose sour varieties. It is easy and simple to prepare, perfect for a festive table.
Ingredients:
- carbonade - 1 kg.;
- apples - 2-3 pcs.;
- granular mustard - 2 tbsp. spoons;
- dried herbs to taste;
- mixture of spices "Provencal herbs" - 30 gr.;
- black pepper;
- spices for pork;
- salt to taste.
Step by step cooking:
1. Wash the apples, cut the cores and cut into slices.
2. Rinse the carbonate well and pat dry with paper towels.
3. In a deep bowl, combine salt, herbs, Provencal herbs, pork spices and black pepper.
4. Rub this mixture over the carbonate.
5. Place the meat in the center of the foil sheet.
6. Coat it with mustard.
7. Place the apple slices on top and on the sides of the carbonade.
8. Wrap the meat in foil so that there are no gaps.
9. Put it on a baking sheet and bake for an hour and a half at a temperature of 170-180 degrees.
Pork chop marinated with honey and red wine
In this recipe, pork is marinated in a hot marinade. Thanks to honey and wine, the meat turns out to be very tender, just melting in the mouth.
Ingredients:
- pork chop - 1 kg.;
- honey - 3 tbsp. spoons;
- dry red wine - 100 ml;
- olive oil - 170 ml;
- onions - 3 pcs.;
- garlic - 6-8 cloves;
- vinegar 9% - 2 tbsp. spoons;
- red, black pepper - 1 tsp;
- a mixture of spices "Provencal herbs" - 50 gr.;
- salt to taste.
Step by step cooking:
1. Rinse the carbonate well and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Peel and cut onions into strips. Squeeze the cloves of garlic through a press.
3.: Pour olive oil into a saucepan, add prepared onions and garlic, put on low heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour in red wine, vinegar, honey, Provencal herbs spice mixture, red and black pepper, salt, boil the mixture for another 3-5 minutes.
4. Make small cuts on the pork and place in the hot marinade. Cover and marinate for four hours.
5. Place the chop on a sheet of foil, wrap it so that there are no holes, transfer to a baking sheet.
6. Heat the oven to a temperature of 170-180 degrees.
7. Bake the meat in the oven for 90 minutes.
It is better to serve this dish hot, cut into pieces, with stewed vegetables or boiled potatoes.
Useful tips and tricks
- In recipes for the preparation of carbonate, “Provencal herbs” are usually used as spices. If they are not at hand, then you can replace them with paprika, cumin, oregano, saffron, curry.
- It is advisable to put the meat in a preheated oven, otherwise a lot of liquid will come out of it at the beginning of the heat treatment.
- To make the dish on top have an appetizing golden brown crust, gently open the foil 5-10 minutes before cooking and bake without it.
- It is important not to overexpose the carbonate in the oven, as it can become dry and tough.
- If you don't have time to make a sauce or marinade for baking the carb, you can marinate it in soy sauce. Only then should you add less salt.
