This pork chop recipe combines seasonal autumn flavors. Crisp apples, apple juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cloves result in a slightly sweet, slightly tangy fall-friendly dish.
Double Cut Pork Chops with Spiced Apples
Serves 4
For the pork chops:
7 cups warm water
½ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup kosher salt
1 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
2 fresh thyme sprigs
4 double-cut boneless pork chops (about 2 inches thick)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
For the spiced apples and raisins:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced in ½-inch-thick wedges
Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs
¼ cup raisins
3/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch dry mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of ½ lemon
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl combine the water, brown sugar, salt, apple juice concentrate, peppercorns, and thyme. Give it a good stir to dissolve the sugar and salt. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature and submerge the pork chops in the brine and refrigerate for 2 hours to tenderize and flavor the meat. Do not brine longer than that or the meat will break down too much and get mushy.
Preheat a grill pan or outdoor grill to high. Remove the pork chops from the brine and pat them dry with paper towels. Season both sides of the meat with salt and pepper and lay the pork chops on the grill for about 4 minutes per side. Give the chops a quarter turn about half way through cooking to get criss-cross grill marks. Remove the pork chops to a large baking pan and roast the for 30 minutes in the oven. The pork is done when the center is still rosy and the internal temperature reads 140 to 145 degrees F when tested with an instant-read thermometer.
While the chops cook, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the apples and thyme and coat in the butter; cook and stir for 8 minutes to give them some color. Toss in the raisins and add the apple juice, stirring to scrape up the brown bits. Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and dry mustard; season with salt and pepper. Squeeze in some fresh lemon juice to wake up the flavor and simmer for 10 minutes or until the apples break down and soften. Spoon the spiced apples over the pork chops to serve.
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