Pork Chops with Thyme Pan Sauce

By jeknudson

Deglazing: The process of using a liquid to lift the browned bits left after cooking meat or vegetables in a pan to incorporate their flavorful essence back into the dish.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut pork chops
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1/3 cup minced shallots
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 cup unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
• 1 fresh thyme sprig
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter

Details

Adapted from myrecipes.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Heat a large stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Sprinkle pork with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add pork to pan. Cook 4 minutes; turn and cook an additional 3 minutes or until done. Remove from pan.

Why? The proteins and sugars that meat releases as it sears stick to the stainless steel pan (unlike nonstick). The protein bits are called fond.

2. Add shallots to pan; sauté 90 seconds. Add wine; cook 2 minutes or until reduced by half, scraping pan with a flat wooden spoon to loosen browned bits.

Why? Adding liquid to the pan and heating it makes it possible to scrape up the fond. The browned bits dissolve and add deep, meaty flavor to the deglazing liquid.

3. Add stock. Bring to a boil; cook 4 minutes or until reduced to 1/3 cup. Add thyme sprig. Remove from heat. Whisk in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and butter. Spoon sauce over chops.

Why? The resulting deglazed mixture is now a flavorful base for a sauce that's enriched at the end with butter. The salt's flavor concentrates as the sauce cooks, so season at the end.