Creamy Apple & Cider Pork Chops
- Total Time: 25 minutes + brine
- Yield: 4 to 5 servings 1x
- Category: Pork Main Meal
- Cuisine: German
Ingredients
For the Brine:
- 2 cups cold water (or 1/2 water and 1/2 apple juice or cider)
- 3 tablespoons kosher or 2 tablespoons of table salt
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 6 black peppercorns
- 4 allspice berries
- 2 cloves
For the Pork Chops & Apples:
- 4 bone-in pork chops, about 1/2” thick
- 2 large tart, cooking apples, Granny Smiths preferred
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided, possibly a little more
- 1/2 cup flour, for dusting
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- pinch of ground allspice
- salt and pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon each)
- ½ cup hard cider (substitute apple cider or juice plus 1 teaspoon vinegar)
- 1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar (if not using hard cider)
- 1 and 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water
- 3 tablespoons sour cream, cream or creme fraiche
- 1 tablespoon finely cut chives
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Instructions
For the Brine:
In a nonaluminum mixing bowl, combine brine ingredients and stir until salt and sugar is dissolved. Kosher salt is best, but table salt will work if brining for only up to four hours. Avoid tables salt with iodine if brining longer. Add pork chops to a Ziploc bag, fill with the brine and seal. Place in bowl in the refrigerator. Brine from 30 minutes to overnight.
For the Pork Chops & Apples:
Peel, quarter and core apples, then cut each apple into 12 wedges. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a wide skillet and raise heat to medium-high. Add apple wedges in one layer and brown gently on one side, about 2 minutes. Brown on the other side and cook for 2 minutes more, or until apples are cooked through but still firm. Remove apples from pan and keep warm.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to pan and swirl to melt. On a shallow plate, mix the flour with allspice, clove, salt, and pepper. Dredge the pork chops with flour, shaking off excess and place in pan. Cook gently for about 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning once Add a little more butter if needed when pork chops are turned. Adjust heat if necessary to keep pork from cooking too quickly. Remove chops and keep warm on a platter or in a low oven. Discard any excess butter in the skillet.
Add ½ cup hard cider to pan, raise heat to high and cook down to a syrup. Add mustard and chicken broth, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Add the cornstarch & water mixture and stir with a wire whisk as the sauce thickens. Turn off heat and stir in sour cream, cream or crème fraîche. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Spoon sauce over the chops, then spoon the apples around the platter. Sprinkle with chives and parsley.
Keywords: Alcohol, apple cider, apple juice, Bargain Meal of the Week, Chicken Stock, Cream, creme fraiche, German, hard cider, Pork, pork chops, Sour cream