Pork Chops & Apple Chutney

Sweet, salty, and juicy. Hit that pork bliss point.

Start the chutney first. It needs time to simmer, caramelize, and smoosh. Don’t be afraid of the meat thermometer - it’s the key to perfect pork chops.

Prep:

• Pull the 1 - 1.5 inch thick pork chops out of the fridge to come to room temp. Salt and pepper heavily on both sides. Sprinkle with a light dusting of paprika, season salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground cardamom.

• Cut 2 granny smith apples into small, 1/4 inch chunks

• Finely dice 1 yellow onion

• Toss broccolini in olive oil with salt and pepper. Put on baking sheet lined with aluminum foil

• Pre-heat the oven to 375

Cook:

• Put a hunk (2 tbsp) of butter in a saucepan over medium heat and, once melted, add onions. Stir and cook for 3ish minutes while the onions start to sweat and carmelize

• Add in apple chunks, 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1 tbsp of dijon mustard. Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon. Sprinkle with cinnamon (2 tsp), and a dash of salt.

• Mix well and turn the heat to low. Simmer for 30+ minutes.

• Pre-heat a heavy bottom steel or cast iron pan over very high heat. Pick a pan that can transfer to the oven.

• Put a small amount of neutral oil in the pan, and let it heat until shimmering. Press the pork chops into the smoking hot pan. Don’t touch them for 4-5 minutes because we want to sear them and create crust.

• Once the pork chops easily lift off of the pan, check that there’s adequate browning and flip to sear the other side. Another ~3 minutes.

• Stick the pan in the oven to finish the cooking. It’s okay if the second side isn’t as brown as the first side, it will continue to brown on the pan while in the oven

• Put the broccolini in the oven at the same time

• After the chutney simmers for 20 minutes, taste and determine if you need to add more cinnamon or salt. If it’s drying out or burning to the pan, turn the heat down or add a bit of olive oil. Or do both! When it’s done, the apples should be mushy and the ingredients and flavors should be well-combined

• Don’t let the chops go more than 10 minutes at a time without temping them. The thickness of the meat can greatly change the cook time. Pull the pork chops out of the oven when they reach 140 degrees. Let them rest on a tented plate for 5+ minutes

• Pull the broccolini once fork tender and the florets show browning. The timing should be similar to when you pull the pork

• Serve the chutney on top of the pork. A small squeeze of fresh lemon juice can brighten it up. Crack some fresh pepper and sprinkle a bit of finishing salt if it’s not already salty enough!

  Optional:

• Serve with wild rice or herby cous cous

• Drizzle some brandy into the chutney while it simmers - and into your mouth