Cider Brined Pork Chops With Sauteed Apples Recipe 475

CIDER-BRINED PORK CHOPS WITH PERFECT PAN SAUCE

Steps:

• For the brine: combine the salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, coriander, mustard seeds, allspice berries, bay leaves, thyme and 1 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and stir to dissolve the sugar and salt, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and pour in the cold cider. Let the brine cool to room temperature.
• Put the pork chops in a large resealable plastic bag and pour in the brine. Press out excess air and seal tightly. Put the bag in a shallow container so it can lay flat and refrigerate for 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
• Drain the chops, rinse and pat dry. Discard the brine.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chops (work in batches if necessary; do not crowd the pan) and cook, turning occasionally, until they are golden brown and cooked through, 13 to 14 minutes. (If the chops are browning too quickly or the pan drippings start to burn, lower the heat.) Remove to a plate.
• For the sauce: Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from the pan. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and place over medium heat. Add the garlic, rosemary and thyme and cook until sizzling, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to make a paste. Whisk in the cider and bring to a simmer.
• Simmer until very thick, about 1 minute. Add the stock, bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in the cream and simmer to bring the sauce together, about 1 minute. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, vinegar and parsley. Season to taste with salt. Add the chops to the pan and simmer, turning occasionally, until just heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve garnished with fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs.

PORK CHOP WITH CIDER GRAVY, SAUTEED APPLES, AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Season the chop with salt and pepper. Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the EVOO in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chop until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side, tenting loosely with foil once you turn the chop. Remove the cooked chop to a plate and cover to keep warm. Add the remaining EVOO and the onions and apples. Season with salt, pepper, and the thyme and cook until just tender, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Douse with juice of the 1/2 lemon and remove to the plate with the chop.
• Add 1 tablespoon of the butter to the skillet and when it melts, whisk in the flour. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, then whisk in the cider and stock. Season the gravy with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes to thicken.
• Serve the chop covered with apples and onions, the gravy poured down over the top, and the muffin alongside.

CIDER-BRINED PORK CHOPS WITH CREAMED LEEKS AND APPLES

Steps:

• Bring 4 cups cider, salt, allspice, and bay leaf to boil in large saucepan, stirring to dissolve salt. Cool completely. Place pork in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour brine over. Cover; refrigerate overnight.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add leeks; sauté until tender, about 7 minutes. Add cream and simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Creamed leeks can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add apples and sauté 10 minutes. Add sugar and sauté until apples are golden, about 6 minutes longer. Add stock, then Calvados and remaining 1/4 cup cider. Simmer until liquid thickens slightly and apples are tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Set aside. Prepare barbecue (medium heat) or preheat broiler. Drain pork. Rinse under cold water; pat dry. Brush pork with oil. Grill or broil to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium.
• Meanwhile, rewarm leeks, thinning with 1 to 3 tablespoons water if necessary. Bring apples to simmer. Spoon leeks onto plates. Top with pork, then apples.

BRINED PORK CHOPS WITH APPLES

Steps:

• For brine:
• Combine first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Stir until sugar and salt dissolve. Add pork chops to brine. Top with plate to submerge pork. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.
• For pork:
• Drain brine from pork chops. Pat pork dry. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add pork and cook until brown but not cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer pork to plate.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add pork onion to same skillet. Cover and cook until onion is soft, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add apples and sauté until pale golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in broth and cider, then Calvados, raisins and ginger, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet. Add cream and mustard. Bring sauce to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add pork. Cover; cook 3 minutes. Turn pork over and cook until thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 150°F, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer pork to plates.
• Simmer sauce until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes longer. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over pork and serve.

HARD APPLE CIDER MARINATED PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Combine 1/2 bottle of the hard cider, salt, and Siracha sauce in a gallon sized sealable bag or marinating container. Mix well, and add pork chops.
• Marinate pork chops in cider mixture for one hour, turning halfway through (for extra flavor, prick holes in the pork chops with a fork). Marinate the pork chops in the refrigerator to ensure freshness.
• While the pork chops are marinating, slice the onion. Onion slices should be no thicker than 1/8 inch. Separate the onion slices so all layers are loose.
• Once pork chops are finished marinating, combine the remainder of the cider, Old Bay, olive oil, Italian seasoning, and black pepper in a large nonstick saucepan, and heat over medium heat until the mixture starts to boil/sizzle.
• Add garlic and onions, and saute until the onions start to soften.
• Add the pork chops, and saute until the chops are cooked through (about 10 minutes), turning once. After you turn the pork chops, sprinkle with the paprika to give the chops some color. Note: while sauteing the pork chops, make sure that you don't have any of the onions under them. Allowing the pork chops to rest on the bottom of the pan and cook in the cider mixture allows them to cook faster and to soak up more of the flavors of the saute.
• Once pork chops are completely cooked, remove from pan and place on dinner plates, sprinkling them with a pinch of salt (to taste). Garnish with the sauteed onions on top of the pork chops and serve.

APPLE CIDER-BAKED PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• In a large ziplock bag mix all the ingredients together, besides the chops. Mis well.
• Add the pork chops and make sure the bag is sealed.
• Refrigerate the chops overnight, turning the bag over a few times.
• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Drain off all but 1/4 cup of the marinade. Bake the chops, uncovered for about 25 minutes.
• Turn the chops once during cooking and baste with remaining marinade often.