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These pork chops are covered in some serious apple love. Kissed with saltiness from the brine and sweetness from the apples, these chops will make your happy shine from the inside out. You might just end up shouting, "Now that's yumtastic!"
This is an alternative version of the Cherry Balsamic Pork Chops that is 21-Day Sugar Detox compliant. Make sure that you split the apples between the two servings so you only get one serving per day if you are doing the detox. You could even make a couple of extra pork chops and stretch the sauce to cover all of them. I liked my pork chop covered with a lot of apple love so I kept it one apple per pork chop.
Apple Loved Pork Chops
Serves two
Ingredients
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 boneless pork chops
1 teaspoon gluten-free Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 slices bacon, cut into lardons or sliced into chunks
Cooking fat, as needed
Greens for plating, like arugula or spinach
For the brine:
4 cups water
4 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon dried sage
Basic brine tips:
Use one tablespoon of salt per cup of water. If you choose to add a little sugar, add about 2 teaspoons per cup of water. Do not leave your meat in the brine too long or it will taste salty. Make sure your meat is submerged in the brine. You can brine your meat ahead and wrap it in plastic in the fridge until you are ready to cook it.
Bring the 4 cups of water, 4 tablespoons of salt, black peppercorns, and sage to a boil in a saucepan. Simmer until the salt is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Alternatively, use 3 cups of water in the pot and add 2 cups of ice to the brine after it simmers to facilitate cooling to room temperature.
Place the pork chops in the cooled brine and allow them to marinate for 30 minutes up to 2 hours. The pork chops I used were about an inch thick and took about 1 cup of brine each to cover the chops completely. I left them in the brine for about 1 to 2 hours.
When done brining, remove the pork chops to a paper towel lined plate and pat them dry. Set them aside until ready to cook.
Directions
Begin by rendering the fat from the bacon over low heat. This will likely take some time. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Use half of the fat left in the pan for the apples. Reserve half of the bacon fat for the pork chops. Add additional fat to the pan as needed during the cooking process.
For the sauce:
Cook the onions in some of the bacon fat, about two tablespoons. When they begin to brown, add the apples, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until they begin to soften. Add the sage and the thyme a cook for just a few minutes more.
For the pork chops:
Smear the mustard on both sides of the pork chops and season with salt and pepper. Go easy on the salt as the pork chops were sitting in a very salty solution for a couple of hours. You don’t want to overdo the salt.
Pan sear the pork chops in some of the bacon fat, or about 2 tablespoons of fat. You want just enough to coat the bottom of your pan. Cook for several minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer registers 145 degrees. Remove the chops to a plate to rest. The meat will continue to cook for a few minutes as it rests and the juices will return to the meat.
To plate:
Add some greens to the plate, like arugula or spinach. Place the cooked pork chop on the greens. Spoon some of the apple and onion love over the pork chop and top with the bacon pieces.
Note:
If using dried herbs, do not use the entire amount shown above. Use about ¼ to ½ of what is called for when using fresh herbs. Err on the side of less, taste and adjust seasonings to your taste.
One more note:
I made this a one pot/pan meal by using my cast iron skillet for everything. I drained off half of the bacon fat into a container before I cooked the onions and apples. I wiped the skillet clean with a paper towel after removing the cooked apples and onions. Then I added more bacon fat and continued cooking my pork chops.
