Pork - Chops [Sk] 'Apple Glazed

By Kwasome

The Problem: Thin boneless pork chops, easily overcooked, usually end up dry and bland.

The Goal: Our goal was to find a way to produce both a pronounced sear and a moist, juicy interior on
convenient thin, boneless chops. And we wanted to get them on the table in about 30 minutes.

The Solution: Because of our time limit, we eliminated any thought of brining, grilling, or pan-roasting and
turned to the technique of pan-searing. To add flavor, we chose a glaze. The challenge now was to marry
the pan-seared chops with the sticky glaze without drying out the chops. The solution was to sear the
chops on just one side until well browned, add the glaze mixture, then gently "poach" the chops in the
glaze. This approach helped the chops retain moisture and reduced the glaze to the right consistency.

**If your chops are on the thinner side, check their internal temperature after the initial sear. If they are
already at the 140-degree mark, remove them from the skillet and allow them to rest, tented with foil, for 5 minutes, then add the platter juices and glaze ingredients to the skillet and proceed with step 3. If your chops are closer to 1 inch thick, you may need to increase the simmering time in step 2.

Ingredients

• Glaze
• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar or cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup apple cider or apple juice
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Chops
• 4 boneless, center-cut pork loin chops , 5 to 7 ounces each, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick
• Table salt and ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from cooksillustrated.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Combine all glaze ingredients in medium bowl; mix thoroughly and set aside. Following illustrations below, trim chops and slash through fat and silver skin with sharp knife, making 2 cuts about 2 inches apart in each chop (do not cut into meat of chops). Pat chops dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat oil in heavy-bottomed 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Add pork to skillet and
cook until well browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn chops and cook 1 minute longer; transfer chops to plate and pour off any oil in skillet. (Check internal temperature of thinner chops; see note above.) Return chops to skillet, browned side up, and add glaze mixture; cook over medium heat until center of chops registers 140 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; transfer chops to clean platter, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes.

3. When chops have rested, add any accumulated juices to skillet and set over medium heat. Simmer, whisking constantly, until glaze is thick and color of dark caramel (heatproof spatula should leave wide trail when dragged through glaze), 2 to 6 minutes. Return chops to skillet; turn to coat both sides with glaze. Transfer chops back to platter, browned side up, and spread remaining glaze over chops. Serve immediately.