By Sam Sifton
- Total Time
- 1 hour, plus 48 hours' refrigeration
- Rating
- 4(131)
- Notes
- Read community notes
The recipe takes a little planning. You want to brine the pork chops for a day or two before you set out to cook. This gives them a juiciness and depth of flavor you are otherwise unlikely to get from a commercially raised hog. (If you have access to a pig raised on acorns and herbs, feel free to cut corners.) Chef Josh Cohen toasts the spices he uses in his brining liquid before incorporating them. This is very much to the good of the chops and is worth the few extra moments it requires.
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Ingredients
Yield:Serves 4
- 1cup apple cider
- 6tablespoons sugar
- 4tablespoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- 3bay leaves
- 2dried chiles de árbol
- 5juniper berries
- 1teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1teaspoon coriander seeds
- 4pork chops on the bone, approximately 1 ½ inches thick
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2tablespoons neutral oil, like canola
- 1tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2shallots peeled and finely diced
- 1teaspoon thyme leaves, chopped
- 2tablespoons brandy
- 1cup heavy cream
- ½ cup pork or chicken stock
- 2teaspoons whole grain mustard
- 1teaspoon horseradish, ideally freshly grated
- 2cups apple cider
- 1cinnamon stick
- 4Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into ½-inch rounds
- 1whole egg
- ½ cup very cold seltzer water
- ½ cup rice flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1cup neutral oil, like canola
For the Pork Chops and Brine
For the Sauce
For the Apple Fritters
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Preparation
Step
1
In a large bowl, mix the apple cider with 4 cups of water, the sugar and the salt. Toast the bay leaves, chilies, juniper berries, caraway seeds, mustard seeds and coriander seeds in a small pan set over medium heat until you can smell them, then add to the brine, and stir to combine. Add the pork chops, cover and place in the refrigerator to brine overnight or for up to 48 hours.
Step
2
To pan-roast the pork chops, preheat oven to 375. Remove chops from brine, and pat dry with paper towel. Season the meat aggressively with freshly ground black pepper and a little salt. Set a large sauté pan that will fit in the oven over medium-high heat. Add the oil, and when it is shimmering, place the chops in the pan. Cook until well seared on one side, approximately 4 minutes, then turn the chops over, and place pan in the oven to finish, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. (The internal temperature of the pork, measured at the center of the chop, should be between 140 and 145 for medium rare.) Remove the meat from the pan, and allow to rest for 5 minutes or so while you make the sauce.
Step
3
Return the pan to the stovetop, over medium heat, and add the butter, stirring and scraping to incorporate meat drippings, then add the shallots and the thyme. Cook for approximately 3 minutes, then add the brandy. Allow the mixture to reduce by half, then add the cream and the stock and reduce again, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Remove the sauce from the heat, and whisk in the mustard and the horseradish.
Step
4
For the apple fritters, heat the apple cider and the cinnamon stick with a couple of inches of water in a large pot set over high heat. Add the apple rounds, and blanch for 1 minute, then remove to a towel to dry. Whisk together the egg and the seltzer until frothy, then gently mix in the flours. Put the oil in a large pan set over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, dip the apple rings into the batter, and fry in the oil until golden brown.
Step
5
Serve the pork chops with a few apple fritters and a heavy drizzle of sauce across the top. The usual accompaniment is potato-and-horseradish pierogies sautéed in brown butter, though roasted new potatoes with a topping of butter and freshly grated horseradish will answer almost as well.
Ratings
4
out of 5
131
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Cooking Notes
Lennie
Pork Chops are great, but if you want them juicy, forget oven, just pan sear each side 3 minutes. I did 4 min on stove and 6 in oven and they were overcooked for my liking. Apple fritters need sugar in batter and maybe vanilla or bourbon. Some kind of kick. Even some cinnamon in the batter. They could use a bourbon maple glaze. I made spaetzle to go with it and steamed spinach. The brine and the sauce were both great.
Wendy
A few years ago I moved to a small town and now order spices at good prices from Penzeys.com. Surprisingly, the small gourmet food shelves of places such as Marshall's, TJ Maxx and HomeGoods sometime offer spices such as sumac and Herbes de Provence. When I'm in a rush and don't have an ingredient in a recipe, a quick Google - e.g. "substitute for za'atar" - usually turns up a reasonable option.
Kim Huffman
Do not skip the brine! Today's pork products need it for juiciness, and that extra bit of flavor the brine imparts. I use rosemary and a touch of sage in my pork brines.
Nice Sub for a Sunday Roast
The chops brown nicely without overcooking, probably because of the sugar and because of their thickness. No sides needed, but I sometimes serve coleslaw or fried cabbage with this.
Rosieruns
I made the chops and sauce - really good. The chiles de arbol can be found in most supermarkets in the produce or "international" section.
Karin Byars
Since this comment section turned in to a commercial for Penzey's let me add my voice. I started ordering from them 20 years ago but we got lucky in Georgia , they opened a shop in Atlanta.
DJ
Caution! Some pork comes pre-salted (brined), and brining them will make it overly salted, and unpalatable. Check to see if the pork chops you use are this type, salt will be listed on the label.
frazeej
Agree, wholeheartedly!
JimF from Sewell
Irene B
Made the pork chops tonight. As noted by others, they were very juicy and flavorful (started them in the brine two nights ago). The sauce was very good but very rich, and I found it made too much for four chops. Next time I'll cut the recipe in half. Served the chops with roasted sweet potato wedges and steamed Brussels sprouts. Definitely a keeper recipe!
TC outwest
I would just drink it as mulled cider - simmer it down a bit if the water makes it too thin. Or boil it down, add some butter, use it as a glaze for something.
Liz Fritz
So good!! I subbed red pepper flakes for the chilies de arbol and it tasted fine. A note about cooking process/time - I made the batter while the pork chops were cooking and then asked my SO to fry them while I made the sauce. The fritters are best served hot, so don't make more than you need, and make them the last part of the meal to be ready. Paired with mashed sweet potatoes seasoned with cinnamon and a green salad to mix up the color. Thank you!
Chloe
This was a huge hit. I found I had to fiddle with the oven timing until they just felt done enough rather than abide by the 6-8 minute timing. The only thing I would suggest adding, as I chose to, where some sautéed mushrooms to the cream sauce. I did this right before adding the brandy (and I didn't happen have any so cognac works in a pinch too). Would definitely say this one was a big winner. Served with wild rice and braised red cabbage.
Amy Salvia
As Lennie stated, just pan sear the chops. I kept them warm in a 250 over while I made the sauce. The sauce is delicious! I skipped the fritter and pan fried sliced apples with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon etc. made for a nice side. Mashed potatoes and salad finished the meal for four. Tasty!
Cat
The pork chops and sauce were absolutely delicious. This is a keeper. Made exactly as described save for replacing the juniper berries (not on hand) with peppercorns. Otherwise, for less hassle, made cooked apples instead of fritters and rounded out the meal with roasted brussel sprouts. An easy and special dinner.
JM
I would change the first step by starting with toasting the spices, then adding 1 cup of water and the salt and sugar to the pan while still on the heat, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove from the heat and then add 3 cups of cold water and the apple cider and let it cool to room temp before adding the pork.
Trudy Self
I always soak pork in milk or buttermilk, not salt, often do the same with chicken. Greatly improves both without adding ALL THAT SALT that soaks in.
RPR
Didn’t do the fritters, brined in just salt water, made half the sauce with half and half not cream. Cooked pork chops to 145 F.
May
Vanilla bean and booze in poaching liquid, cinnamon and nutmeg in coating. Alter brining spices to match cumin for cooking seasoning - juniper berries, coriander seeds, bay leaves.Sprinkle the pork chops on both sides with salt, then brush each side with mustard. Rub the cumin and pepper into the mustard.In hot skillet brown for 2 minutes on each side. Put the skillet in the oven and bake until the chops are just cooked through, about 12 minutes (estimate is for 4 chops)
Jenn
Nice combination of classic (pork) and unexpected (apples). If your apples are slightly over the hill, skip the blanching step altogether or they'll fall apart. The end of a jigger serves as a good tool to remove the core, much better than trying to cut it out. For the fritters, a few substitutions out of necessity (graham flour instead of rice, and porter instead of soda water) turned out just fine.
Carol Watts
I’m sorry, it seems this recipe just likes Enhancements too much. There really isn’t any need to put pan in oven, the stovetop does fine. Many of the ingredients in the marinade seem extraneous. I’ve never blanched my apples before frying and if you fry them correctly, why should you?I would suggest we minimize the ingredients, the cooking prep and the dirty pots. Can this recipe be reworked?
naomi dagen bloom
Delicious even for those of us not using chilles or horseradish. Plain Greek yogurt subbed well for heavy cream. Batter ingredients for apple useful discovery for future.
Liz Fritz
So good!! I subbed red pepper flakes for the chilies de arbol and it tasted fine. A note about cooking process/time - I made the batter while the pork chops were cooking and then asked my SO to fry them while I made the sauce. The fritters are best served hot, so don't make more than you need, and make them the last part of the meal to be ready. Paired with mashed sweet potatoes seasoned with cinnamon and a green salad to mix up the color. Thank you!
Anne
Added Calvados instead of brandy to sauce
Anne
One could drink this sauce. I used Maille (French) whole grain dijon mustard, which is the best, and fresh horseradish. Next time I will double these two, I prefer a little more zing.
Gary
Made this last night for dinner, and it was utterly delicious. But I changed things a bit because I was too lazy to make the apple fritters. I followed the recipe exactly up until the step removing the pork chops from the oven. I took the chops out and kept them warm in a low oven. In the pan I first sauteed slices of a very large honey crisp apple for a few minutes until lightly browned, removed them and the proceeded with the recipe, adding cider instead of broth. Then added apples at end.
Neal
Cooking directions were spot on. It turned out great! I didn't have several of the ingredients for the brine but I added whatever I could find from my spice shelf. The sauce was particularly good.
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