#AppleWeek: Molasses-Mustard Glazed Pork Chops with Apple Butter

September 28, 2017September 28, 2017 ~ lk529 ~ 8 Comments

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I really wasn’t sure if I would be able to support #AppleWeek and I decided at close to the last minute that, I could make it happen! And while I unfortunately missed my opportunity to sign up for some (not all!) great sponsor items, that didn’t mean I couldn’t share some fabulous apple recipes with 2 dozen of my blogging friends. A huge thank you goes out to Carlee of Cooking with Carlee for organizing this great week.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

I had just purchased a curriculum for homeschooling my preschooler which opened up a lot of time I didn’t think I was going to have and the first unit is apples! While I’m actually saving that unit to coincide with some family apple picking, it had me thinking! And I’d just made this savory pork dinner from Bobby Flay’s Grill It.

Clearly the blogging gods pulling me to partake in #AppleWeek!

Pork chops and apple sauce is a classic combination and has often been elevated and modernized. In fact, one of my favorite dinners is Pork Chops with Spiced Apples from Tyler Florence’s Real Kitchen.

It would seem natural that apple butter could pair nicely with pork chops, too. And, I’m sure it does! But the apple butter you’re thinking of (and that I thought originally when reading the recipe title) is not the apple butter served over these chops. Instead of a “butter” made from apples, it’s real butter infused with apples, onions, and spices. Delicious!

Molasses-Mustard Glazed Pork Chops with Apple Butter for #AppleWeek from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Molasses-Mustard Glazed Pork Chops with Apple Butter

Ingredients for pork:

1/4 C molasses
1/4 C Dijon mustard
2 tbsp whole-grain mustard
4 1″ thick bone-in pork chops
2 tbsp canola oil

Ingredients for butter:

2 tbsp canola oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened

Steps:

Make butter: In a large non-stick skillet heat the oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onions until tender. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the apples and browns sugar. Cook until apples are soft yet not falling apart. Stir in the cinnamon and salt, cook another minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Place in a food processor with the butter until smooth. Cover and refrigerate a least an hour. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Make the glaze: Whisk together the molasses and mustards. Season to taste with S+P.
Grill the pork chops: Brush the pork with the canola oil, season with S+P, and grill 3-4 minutes. Brush with the glaze and flip the pork. Grill another 4 – 5 minutes. Brush with more glaze and cook another minute. Remove from heat and allow pork to rest under foil for 5 minutes.
Serve with a dollop of the apple butter.

*This recipe is adapted from Bobby Flay’s Grill It *

Molasses-Mustard Glazed Pork Chops with Apple Butter for #AppleWeek from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Be sure to enter the giveaway and check out these great apple recipes:

Appelflappen from Palatable Pastime
Apple Butter Cream Cheese Spread from Tip Garden
Apple Cinnamon Roll Pie from Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids
Apple Cranberry Galettes with Caramel Drizzle from Family Around the Table
Apple Maple Jam from Feeding Big
Apple Oat Quick Bread with Caramel Sauce from The Chef Next Door
Apple Yeast Coffee Cake from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
Easiest Ever Applesauce from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Grilled Apple Butter Pork Tenderloin from Books n’ Cooks
Grilled Veggie Tacos with Apple Pico de Gallo from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Honeycrisp and Gouda Grilled Cheese from The Redhead Baker
Italian Apple and Fig Polenta Torta from All That’s Jas
Molasses-Mustard Glazed Pork Chops with Apple Butter from Sew You Think You Can Cook
Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Apples from House of Nash Eats
Roasted Pork with Apple Puree from Simple and Savory
Savory Apple Bacon Pizza from Cooking With Carlee
Slow Cooker Honey Apple Pork Roast From Amy’s Cooking Adventures

#SundaySupper: Easy Pork Chop Recipes

February 19, 2017February 20, 2017 ~ lk529 ~ 16 Comments

MasterChef Junior has started up again and I’m super excited. These 9-13 year olds put me, and probably everyone I know, to shame in the kitchen! I don’t watch the adult version of the show, but have been sucked into the miniature talent. This season I was actually on top of it enough to know it was happening before it started and set the DVR accordingly. It’s been two weeks and I’m already behind. Figures.

But! I did catch the first episode and 4 of the contestants had to cook a dish using “the most cooked protein.” Flip to commercial break. I spent the time it took to fast forward commercials trying to guess what would be under the cloche. The answer? Pork chops. I was wrong.

We do cook pork chops fairly often. Once upon a time it was the only protein my Firecracker would eat. Now that his all time favorite is Chick-fil-A (or any fried) chicken, it’s been harder to get him to voluntarily eat pork. After getting him to try a bite, however, he’ll finish his portion. Insert frustrated-relieved sigh here.

Shelby from Grumpy’s Honeybunch is hosting this week’s Sunday Supper event all about easy pork chop recipes. Be sure to scroll past my recipe to see a fantastic collection of recipes for your next weeknight pork dinner.

Using thick-cut chops is not something I typically do. I always prefer the thin cut because they’re quick. These thick pork chops might change the way I buy pork from now on! They’re brined for 1-3 hours (I think I landed somewhere around 2:30) yielding plump and juicy pork. A sear in cast iron helps keep that moisture in, and then into the oven underneath a blanket of brown sugar.

Quick-Brine Pork Chops with Brown Sugar Glaze (1) for #SundaySupper from Sew You Think You Can Cook

I served these pork chops with grilled cabbage (stay tuned) and mashed sweet potatoes.

This recipe serves 2-3.

Quick Brine Pork Chops with Brown Sugar Glaze

Ingredients:

2-3 C water
2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
2 tbsp kosher salt
ice, if needed
vegetable oil
2 1 1/2-2″ thick bone-in pork chops
2-3 tbsp brown sugar

Steps:

Bring 1 C water to a gentle boil. Stir in the sage and salt. Allow to cool slightly. Add 1 C cold water. Allow brine to get to room temperature. Add ice if needed.
Place pork chops in a bowl, cover with the cooled brine. Add more water if needed to cover the pork. Cover and refrigerate 1-3 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Remove pork chops from the brine and pat dry.
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Brush pork with vegetable oil and season with S+P. Sear both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.
Spread brown sugar over the pork chops in a thin, even layer and place the skillet in the oven. Cook 5-10 minutes to desired doneness, registering at least 145 degrees F in the middle. Remove pork from the pan and let rest 5 minutes before serving.

*This recipe is adapted from Emma at http://www.thekitchn.com/dinner-for-two-recipe-sage-brined-pork-chops-with-brown-sugar-glaze-recipes-from-the-kitchn-180424#*

Quick-Brine Pork Chops with Brown Sugar Glaze (2) for #SundaySupper from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement

Almond-Crusted Pork Chops

March 4, 2016February 28, 2016 ~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

The first #SundaySupper of the year was all about kicking off #SundaySupper month. There wasn’t really a theme to the day other than any recipe that helps get the family around the table together. I found some great meal ideas among the impressive list from my fellow Sunday Supper Movement members, but there was one recipe in particular that I had to make right away! (Don’t ask why it took me 3 months to finally share it.)

Almond Breaded Pork Chops by Nichole.

almond pork chops I was planning on pork that Monday and simply changed my plan slightly, it was easy to do as I had all the ingredients in my kitchen already! Though I didn’t have enough almond meal so I simply added some panko. And I decided to shallow fry the pork instead of bake it. (Don’t worry, I “cut” calories by using egg whites instead of whole eggs – but only because I had some in the fridge already.) Such a delicious idea.

I served the pork with a side of green beans and mashed potatoes. A perfect weeknight meal!

This recipe even earned a “high-five” from Firecracker!

Almond-Crusted Pork Chops

Ingredients:

4 thin boneless pork chops
3/4 C almond meal
1/4 C panko bread crumbs
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
2 eggs, beaten
oil, for frying

Steps:

In a shallow bowl combine the almond meal, panko, garlic powder, onion powder, S+P.
Put eggs in another shallow bowl.
Dredge pork chops in the eggs and then the almond mixture.
Heat about 1/4″ of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. The oil is hot enough when bubbles form around the handle of a wooden spoon.
Fry in batches about 4 minutes on each side, until fully cooked.

Almond-Crusted Pork Chops Sew You Think You Can Cook

Pork Chops with Onion Gravy

April 24, 2014April 23, 2014 ~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

I have one more tried and true recipe from April’s edition of Food Network Magazine for this month.

It comes from their “Weeknight Meals” section.

In fact, it looked so good and so easy that I actually made it the same week I received my magazine in the mail!

They suggested serving it with grits, but I went with the more classic mashed potatoes. So I know that my nutrition facts are different from theirs, which indicated this meal is only 483 calories with 45 grams of protein and 18 grams of fat. (To achieve their numbers serve the pork chops and onion gravy with 3/4 C quick-cooking grits and 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese.)

I am not a huge fan of gravy, and only ever “indulge” in it on Thanksgiving, but I have to admit this onion gravy was spot on. I do love onions so I’m sure that had something to do with the happy dance my taste buds were doing.

Pork Chops with Onion Gravy

Ingredients:

4 3/4″ thick pork chops
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 red onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp flour
1 C chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
fresh parsley, for garnish

Steps:

Season pork chops with S+P. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown both sides of pork chops in vegetable oil, 3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add onions to the skillet and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the flour, cook another 2 minutes. Add the broth and bay leaf until thickened. Add the vinegar.
Return pork chops to the pan and cook until the pork is cooked through.
Serve pork smothered in the onion gravy and garnished with fresh parsley.

Pork Chops

Pork Chops

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