Sunnys Apple Butter Braised Pork Chops Recipes

PAN-SEARED PORK CHOPS WITH CARAMELIZED APPLES

Steps:

• Pat dry pork chops with paper towels.
• Brush pork chops with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and Italian seasoning.
• Allow the pork chops to rest while you prepare the apples as follows below. This brings pork chops closer to room temperature which will help them sear better.
• I used 2 apples (1 red Gala apple and 1 green Granny Smith apple, for presentation purposes). Core the apples and slice each one length-wise.
• Place sliced apples into a large bowl, add brown sugar, cinnamon, and mix. Let apples sit for about 10 minutes to release juices.
• In a large pan (I used a large stainless steel skillet), heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil on high heat. Add sliced apples (without juice at the bottom of the pan) and cook on high heat for about 3 minutes on one side, checking periodically. After 3 or 5 minutes, flip sliced apples to the other side, reduce heat to medium and cook the apples for another 3 or 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Cook the apples in a single layer, without overcrowding to get a slightly "roasted" appearance. That means you might have to cook apples in 2 batches. Use the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter for the second batch.
• Depending on how hot your stove gets, it might take you less or more time to cook apples, the key is to brown them or even get a slightly "burned" effect. But don't overdo it, remove the cooked apples from the skillet once the apples have this "roasted" appearance.
• Right after you remove the pan with roasted sliced apples from the heat, immediately add honey to the hot skillet - it will make apples sizzle and will caramelize them beautifully, off the heat.
• For best searing results, use a cast-iron skillet. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes to heat it through.
• Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil - the oil should shimmer. Add the pork chops, and cook them on one side for 5 minutes, without moving.
• Reduce the heat to medium, flip the pork chops over to the other side, and cook them on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Cook longer (depending on the thickness of your pork chops) until the pork chops are cooked through.
• Spoon the cooked apples, together with the sauce from cooking the apples, over the pork chops. Top with fresh thyme.

SUNNY'S COCONUT MILK BRAISED PORK LOIN

Steps:

• For the rub and pork: In a small bowl, mix the paprika, smoked salt, onion powder and a few grinds of pepper. Rub the pork on all sides with the blend. Let the pork rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
• In a large Dutch oven on high heat, add the butter and olive oil. Once it begins to swirl, add the pork and allow it to sit and sear to a deep golden brown, then rotate and repeat on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Don't forget the ends!
• For the pot: Add the apricots around the edges of the pork and cook while moving around for a minute. Add the thyme, garlic, rosemary and enough coconut milk to reach three-quarters of the way up the sides of the loin. Bring to a boil, then lower to a very low simmer and cover. Cook for 1 hour, then flip the loin and cook until tender, another hour.
• Remove the loin to a plate and cover with aluminum foil for 10 minutes before slicing into 1-inch-thick slices.
• For the gravy: Remove the herbs from the pot and raise the heat to reduce the coconut milk to a gravy consistency. Taste and season with salt if needed. Stir in the parsley and lime juice, and spoon over the pork slices.

BRAISED PORK CHOPS WITH SAGE

Steps:

• Combine the sugar and 1/4 cup salt in a shallow bowl; whisk in 3 cups water. Pierce the pork all over with a fork, then add to the bowl and soak 10 minutes. Remove and pat dry.
• Put the flour on a plate. Season the pork with pepper, then dredge in the flour. Heat the olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat; add the pork and cook, undisturbed, until golden on the bottom, 5 minutes. Add the sage to the skillet; flip the pork chops so they rest on top of the sage. Scatter the garlic, lemon slices and pepperoncini around the pork. Cook, undisturbed, until golden on the other side, about 5 more minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, chicken broth and 1/2 cup water to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer, flipping the pork halfway through, until the liquid is reduced by half and the meat is tender, about 15 minutes. Serve with the couscous; top with the parsley.

BEER-BRAISED PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until the fat renders and the bacon is crisp, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat into a small bowl and reserve. Add the onion and thyme sprigs to the skillet and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and 3/4 cup chicken broth and cook until the beans are tender and most of the broth evaporates, about 5 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook until wilted. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
• Rub the pork chops with salt, pepper and the chopped thyme, then coat with the flour. Heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon fat in a separate skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove to a plate. Add the beer and remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth to the skillet and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan; bring to a simmer. Return the pork to the skillet, reduce the heat to medium low and loosely cover. Cook until the pork is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the pork to a plate and let rest.
• Continue cooking the braising liquid until reduced and thickened, about 6 minutes; swirl in the butter. Divide the bean-cabbage mixture among plates. Slice the pork and add to the plates. Top with the pan sauce, bacon and another pinch of red pepper flakes.

SPICED BUTTER-BASTED PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Pat the pork dry and season all over with the sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. In a large (12-inch) cast-iron skillet, heat the oil over medium. Add the pork chops, cover with a lid or baking sheet, and cook until browned on the outside and the internal temperature is between 110 and 120 degrees, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Reduce the heat if burning or sizzling wildly.
• Using tongs, stack both chops on top of one another, then grab both chops together and hold upright to sear the fat caps until crisp, about 1 minute. Lay the chops back down in one layer and add the butter, paprika and fennel seeds. Season the butter with salt and pepper. Tilt the skillet and baste the pork by spooning the melting butter and drippings over the pork until the internal temperature registers 130 degrees, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
• Transfer the pork chops to a lipped plate and pour the butter over top. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving with a spoonful of the butter.

APPLE BRAISED PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• In a heavy skillet, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until just about ready to carmelize.
• Remove vegetables from skillet and set aside.
• Season chops with salt and pepper.
• Dredge with flour on both sides.
• Brown chops for about five minutes on each side.
• After browning both sides, pour apple juice over chops.
• Let the chops cook in the juice for another five minutes over med-low heat.
• Do not cover.
• Remove chops and add onion and garlic back into the pan.
• Reduce sauce slightly, adding dried cherries in last 2-3 minutes of cooking.
• To serve, plate chops with wild rice and spoon a bit of the sauce over each chop.
• Depending on thickness of the chops, you may need to adjust cooking time slightly.