(hey, I’m not complaining!) and I remembered apple butter pork loin. And I remembered my feelings of longing and wistfully not fitting in because I’m not 100% crazy about it. So I decided to do something about it and dress up that apple butter pork loin recipe, making it something company-worthy and keeping a lot of the sweetness, but also adding a lot of my favorite savory flavors. You’ll need a really high-quality apple cider–something where you can’t see all the way through it, like this Musselman’s cider or Simply Apple. Also, some apple butter. This is super easy to find–it’s usually near the jams, jellies, and peanut butter. In a small bowl, whisk together the apple cider, apple butter, some Creole or coarsely ground mustard, and a whole bunch of fresh garlic. Whisk it all together and set it aside. Next, whisk together some all-purpose flour, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and garlic powder and set it aside. To get your pork chops, you can either buy pre-cut boneless pork chops, or you can partially freeze a pork sirloin roast (which is very lean and inexpensive) and then cut 4 3/4-inch slices out of the thickest part of the roast, then just save the ends for a lean alternative to pork shoulder in BBQ Pork Sandwiches. Preheat your oven to 375. Prepare half of a recipe of caramelized onions (so you’re just using 1 large onion here) in a large, oven-safe skillet. When you’re done caramelizing your onions, remove them from the pan and set them aside. Return the skillet to the stovetop and heat 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. While the oil is heating, dredge your pork chops in the flour/garlic powder mixture. When the oil is very hot (like sizzling if you flick some water into it), place the pork chops in the hot skillet and cook them for 2-3 minutes per side or until they are brown and crispy. Whisk the apple cider mixture again and then pour it over the pork chops. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken. Divide the caramelized onions evenly among the pork chops, cover the pan with a lid, and place the pan in the oven for 30 minutes. If you don’t have a large, oven-safe skillet with a lid, just place them in a 9×13″ baking dish and cover with foil, it’ll just be another dish to wash. Remove the pan from the oven and place each pork chop on a plate with a few spoonfuls of sauce. Serve with your favorite veggies or a tossed green salad. Ingredients 4 boneless pork chops (about 1 lb. I just got a sirloin roast, partially froze it, and cut 4 chops about ½”-3/4” thick) ¼ c. all-purpose flour ½ tsp. kosher salt ½ tsp. black pepper ½ tsp. garlic powder 1 c. high-quality apple cider ¼ c. apple butter 1 tablespoon water 1 ½ tablespoons Creole or coarsely ground mustard 1 tsp. pressed garlic 1/2 recipe of Caramelized Onions Directions Preheat oven to 375.Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder together in a small bowl. In a large, oven-safe skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Dredge the pork chops in the flour mixture and then brown the pork chops for 2-3 minutes on each side or until they’re brown and crispy. While the pork chops are browning, combine the apple cider, apple butter, water, garlic, and mustard. When the pork chops are done browning, add the cider mixture to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce begins to evaporate and thicken. Remove from heat and evenly distribute the caramelized onions over the pork chops. Cover the pan with a lid and place in oven for 30 minutes. Serve with rice and veggies or salad.
Ingredients 4 boneless pork chops (about 1 lb. I just got a sirloin roast, partially froze it, and cut 4 chops about ½”-3/4” thick) ¼ c. all-purpose flour ½ tsp. kosher salt ½ tsp. black pepper ½ tsp. garlic powder 1 c. high-quality apple cider ¼ c. apple butter 1 tablespoon water 1 ½ tablespoons Creole or coarsely ground mustard 1 tsp. pressed garlic 1/2 recipe of Caramelized Onions Directions Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder together in a small bowl. In a large, oven-safe skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Dredge the pork chops in the flour mixture and then brown the pork chops for 2-3 minutes on each side or until they’re brown and crispy. While the pork chops are browning, combine the apple cider, apple butter, water, garlic, and mustard. Add the cider mixture to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce begins to evaporate and thicken. Transfer the pork chops and sauce to a 9×13″ disposable aluminum pan. Evenly distribute the caramelized onions over the pork chops. Cover the pan tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil and freeze. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350. Bake, covered, for 1 hour or until the pork chops are tender. Serve with rice and a green salad or veggies. Supply List: 9×13″ disposable pan Heavy-duty aluminum foil Rice Vegetables Ingredients for green salad Salad dressing
