Pork Chops with Fresh Blueberry Wine Sauce
When using blueberries and a dark fruit bomb red wine as the primary components in any recipe “stainage” is inevitable. However, when you’ve commit to a gluttonous lifestyle you have to accept the fact that stainage happens and when it does it probably means that you’re enjoying something that tastes pretty damn good. So get the toothpaste and baking soda ready because your going to enjoy the fact that this recipe turns your mouth blue.
Now the important component of this blueberry sauce is the use of Petite Sirah or Syrah wine (preferably from a New World winery…ie anything not produced in Europe). The rationale behind using either of these varietals is that they generally offer the best character profile to blend with blueberries. Additionally, using a wine from a New World winery should provide you with a wine that has a bolder depth of ripe fruit characteristics that will work better in the sauce.
So whether it be a cheap or God awful expensive bottle of Petite Sirah or Syrah, pour it into this recipe, embrace the color blue, and enjoy!
The Necessities:
- 2 cups of fresh blueberries (if need be, blackberries could be used as a substitute)
- 1/3 cup of Petite Sirah or Syrah
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp red jalapeno pepper* (finely diced)
- 1 tbsp butter
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- 3 pork chops
*Using a red jalapeno imparts the heat for this sauce without the flavor characteristics of a green jalapeno.
Directions:
- Toss the blueberries into a large frying pan over medium low heat.
- Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the blueberries, and lightly season with salt and pepper.
- Once the blueberries start expelling their juices, pour in the Petite Sirah or Syrah wine, stir, and cook for around 5 minutes.
- Add the diced hot peppers and brown sugar to the mix. Stirring occasionally, continue to cook the sauce for 15-20 minutes allowing the flavors to meld and thicken.
- Taste and adjust the sauce’s spice or sweetness to your preferred level by adding additional hot peppers or brown sugar (Note: there will be butter added to the final product).
- Remove from heat and set aside.
- Season each side of your chops with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pre-heat a griddle or frying pan over high heat and if necessary spray with a non-stick spray.
- Plop your chops in the griddle to sear/cook, giving each chop a 1/4 turn after 1-2 minutes in an attempt to create those infamous crossmarks.
- Flip them chops over and repeat your crossmarks maneuver. Cook until the meat’s juices start to ebb up on the top of the chops and an internal temperature of 145-160 degrees (depending on the level of doneness you desire).
- Remove from heat and plate to allow the meat to relax.
- While the meat relaxes, add the butter to your blueberry wine sauce and stir in over low heat.
- Dump the sauce “elegantly” over each chop and serve with a side of choice…in this case a carrot based coleslaw, and enjoy.
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Genius, Jed. I’ll be heading up to Maine during blueberry season and will razzle-dazzle the house guests with this one. And yes, I’ll even break the meat prohibition for it.
That’s what I like to hear!
Looks Marvelous!
This may be one of the most delicious sauces I’ve seen you do. You know I have a weakness for red wine.
Just so you know, the “plant-based” lifestyle is subject to stainage as well. I have ruined many a white shirt with spinach-laced smoothies. Oops.
Thanks my friend, but spinach-laced smoothies???
The sauce and the chops look incredible, Jed. Stainage would be well worth it, if you ask me. What I want to know is why do I end up wearing white when we have particularly staining foods? I virtually never wear white any other time.
The same thing often happens to me Eva…and I always think that I’m smart enough to remember not to. I guess that is why I’m always wearing an apron.
I love the colour of this sauce and a red wine sauce with a little butter stirred through it is always most welcome. I love how you write up your recipes! xx
Butter always makes it mo better.
Oh man, Jed! This is just too good for words! Will you look at that opening picture! I’m going to file this away in my newly discovered short-term memory booster, Pinterest. This is one recipe I will not lose.
As for the staining, this is why I wear black when I make grape jam.
Thanks my friend. You know the funny thing about that image is that it was the first one I took out of about 15. For some reason it always happens that the first is the best, but I like playing the insurance card.
How fantastic, this is a brilliant sauce jed! My pork shops are not far away either!! Only a truly gluttonous person would understand the humour in that comment!! c
haha I do. wanna trade some sauce for chops?
Another taste explosion recipe.
Mandy
Jed, these look incredible! WOW…I have never had a blueberry sauce with my pork but certainly it sounds amazing. I would just accept the stainage. No problem.
I’d never gone that right either Geni, but it works…definitely works.
gorgeous colors! some of the tastiest food + drink involves some form of stainage, so that doesn’t bother me. you should’ve seen my fingers + cutting board after enjoy a boatload of cherries yesterday! =)
As I said…stainage is a good thing.
Thanks Amy!
Oh, wow, Jed – this looks absolutely mouth-watering (which might help with the blue ‘stainage.’
You’ve outdone yourself with this one.
Thanks Courtney! I do what I can.
I love blueberry and blackberry sauces with pork and chicken, and I particularly love that this one has that pop of a jalapeno in it, for balance and some heat with the sweet. Now, where’s my bib?
Heat and sweet is always a winner in my book. Bib? How about an extra gluttonous apron?
Looks awesome. I’ve been keeping up with your food posts, but been awful about commenting. Need to make the scallop roll for sure. I love berries with pork and the red wine, can’t go wrong.
Good to hear from you Greg and I do hope you try that scallop roll…or at least your own version. Cheers!
This is why I sometimes leave an apron on after cooking though the eating process! I seem to have trouble with beets
Your blueberry wine sauce sounds fantastic…and thanks for the wine recommendation~
I hear ya on the beets Liz!
Officially drooling…this looks AMAZING
Hmpf, that comment was posted prematurely. Anyways, I was just going to say I’m a huge fan of that blueberry sauce. yum!
Thanks Caroline. Hope you’re doing well!
love the blueberry sauce on the chops. What a perfect combination of sweet and salty! They look amazing
Thanks Jessica and it was very very tasty.
That looks so beautiful! Pork works so well with fruit and this is a great one
Wow this is what I call sweet and savoury goodness
Oh my. Stainage be damned.
Indeed!
Wow what a wonderful color sauce. I like the sweet/savory thing you have going. Isn’t fruit great with pork? Glazed and roasted, nothing better.