Porky the Chops

So pork chops were on sale and we figured we would take advantage of that. We put together this nice meal, opened a bottle of wine, and had ourselves a good dinner.

The Recipes

Pork Chops:
Center Cut Chops, Bone-In

Vegetable Oil

Kosher Salt

Freshly Ground Pepper

Place a pan over medium-high heat on the stove and let it get nice and hot. Dry the pork chops off with a paper towel then drizzle a little oil on one side of each. Rub the oil on the meat so it coats it evenly, then flip the chops over and repeat. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Place the pork chops in the pan and allow to sit so a nice sear can form. Flip over after about 3 minutes, depending on the thickness of the cut. Allow to cook to an internal temperature of about 145 before pulling from the pan. Cover lightly with foil and allow to rest for five minutes.

Cinnamon Apples:

4 Apples (use some apples that are good for baking)

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

2 Tablespoons Butter

2 Tablespoons Water

Peel and slice apples, then combine apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix until the apples are well coated. Heat the butter and water in a saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts. Add the apple mixture and cook until tender, about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Mixing in a bag is a good way to get even coverage and makes cleanup easy

Picture taken just after flipping them. Love those grill marks!

End Results

Everything came out very nicely. I've made pork chops before, but never cinnamon apples. The combination was great and Leslie liked it as much as I did. She also made asparagus and red potatoes to go with the pork and apples, but, as Alton Brown would say, that's another show.

We ended up with plenty of apples and, even after having them with the leftover chops the next couple of days, had enough to make another meal - brinner! I made pancakes and these worked very nicely as a topping on those.

Final Thoughts

This was all really good. The cinnamon apples were great with the pork and I think we'll be making these again (maybe even if some of you come visit!). I liked cooking the pork on the stove because it felt like I had a little more control instead of if I had just put it in the oven. Plus the nice sear on the outside is hard to beat. As for the apples, I don't think I'll be adjusting the recipe much. More sugar could probably be added if you wanted a little thicker syrup, but I thought it was about right. Overall, this menu is definitely a keeper.