Now, let me tell ya, if you’re lookin’ for a good, hearty meal that’s got a little sweet and a little savory mixed in, you gotta try this pork chop recipe with applejack. I tell ya, it’s like fall in a dish! The apples and the pork come together so nice, you’ll be lickin’ your fingers when you’re done.
First thing’s first, you gotta get all your ingredients ready. You ain’t gonna want to be runnin’ around the kitchen lookin’ for stuff when it’s time to cook. Here’s what you’ll need:
- 3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Six 1-inch thick pork loin chops (about 2 pounds total)
- 3 Granny Smith apples or Golden Delicious apples, whichever you like best
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed real tight
- 2 tablespoons of Calvados (that’s some fancy apple brandy, but if ya can’t find it, you can use applejack)
- 1/4 cup of dry white wine or chicken broth, either works just fine
Now that you got everything, let’s get to cookin’. Start by heatin’ up your oven to 400°F. You don’t want no cold oven for this, it’s gotta be nice and hot. While that’s heatin’ up, grab ya a big ol’ skillet. Put it on the stove over medium-high heat and melt that butter in there. Don’t let it burn though, just let it melt nice and easy.
Once that butter’s melted, take your pork chops and season ‘em up real good. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on both sides. Now, you wanna sear them chops in the pan. Put ‘em in there and let ‘em cook for about 4 minutes on each side, till they got a nice golden brown color. You ain’t lookin’ to cook ‘em all the way through, just get that nice crispy crust on the outside.
Once you’ve seared the chops, take ‘em out and set ‘em aside. Now, grab them apples. Peel ‘em and slice ‘em up into thin slices, get rid of the cores. After that, throw the apples into the same pan you cooked the pork in, still over medium-high heat. Stir ‘em around and let ‘em cook for about 5 minutes till they start to get a little soft.
Now comes the fun part. Sprinkle that brown sugar over the apples, and then pour in your Calvados (or applejack if that’s what you’ve got). Let it cook for a minute or two so the apples can soak up all that sweetness and booze. Then pour in the wine or chicken broth and let it cook down just a little bit, till you’ve got a nice sauce goin’.
Once that’s all good and ready, put your pork chops back in the pan, nestlin’ ‘em right into the apples and sauce. Take that whole skillet and pop it in the oven. Let it bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. You want the pork chops to be cooked through, but not dried out. You’re lookin’ for the pork to just be barely pink at the bone, tender and juicy, but not raw.
After that, take the pan out of the oven. Be careful now, it’s hot! Let the chops rest for a few minutes before servin’, so all them juices can settle. Spoon those apples and the sauce right over the pork chops. Trust me, that sweet apple and the richness of the pork with that little kick from the applejack is somethin’ else.
This here pork chop recipe with applejack is the perfect thing for a cozy family dinner, or when you got folks comin’ over. It’s easy, but it sure does taste like you put in a whole lotta work. So go on, try it out, and I bet you’ll be makin’ it again and again!
Tags：[pork chop, applejack, pork chop recipe, apple recipe, fall recipes, easy dinner, family dinner, savory, sweet, fall flavors, comfort food, homemade cooking]
