Courtesy of Erick Williams
Ingredients
Salt: 4 tbsp (for the brine, optional)
Boiling water: 2 cups (for the brine, optional)
Cold water: 2 cups (for the brine, optional)
Bone-in, center cut pork loin rib chops: 4 x 3/4-1 in. thick, about 1/2–3/4 lb. each
Olive oil: 8 tsp
Salt: 2 tsp
Coarse black pepper: 1 tsp
Canola oil: for cooking
White wine: 1 cup
Butter: 1 tbsp
Honey crisp apples: 5, medium
Sweet potato: 1, cut into ¼ inch pieces
Butter: 1 tbsp, melted
Ground cinnamon: ½ tsp
Sage leaves: 5
Salt: ¼ tsp
An easy yet delicious recipe for pork chops with roasted apples to elevate your Sunday lunch into something exceptional, by chef Erick Williams of Chicago’s Virtue.
How to make pork chops with roasted apples
01.
For the pork chops
- Brine the pork chops: Measure 4 tbsp of table salt into a shallow dish big enough to fit the chops in a single layer. Add boiling water. Stir to dissolve salt. Add cold water. Stir. Add pork chops. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.
- Take the pork chops out of the liquid and rinse them off. Discard the liquid. Pat the chops dry using a paper towel.
- Let chops rest at room temperature for 20 minutes before preheating your oven to 400°F.
- While the oven preheats, rub the chops with vegetable oil on both sides. Season both sides with salt and black pepper.
- Over high heat, warm a cast iron skillet for 1.5 minutes. Add canola oil and lower the heat to medium.
- Place the 4 chops in the pan without crowding them (this can be done in two batches).
- Sear on each side roughly 3 minutes until brown, only turning once with sturdy tongs or a meat fork. Transfer the skillet (uncovered) to the preheated oven.
- Bake 6-8 minutes (depending on the thickness of your chops) until each chop reaches an internal temperature of 140°F. You can use an instant read meat thermometer inserted through the side edge into the middle to find out the temp. Transfer the chops to a plate and let them rest for 3 minutes. Pour off the remaining oil into a heat-safe container.
- Return the pan to the stove; over a low flame, add one cup of white wine to the pan and scrape any remaining pieces loose from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon; add a hefty tablespoon of butter, whisk until the wine and butter have married.
- Pour immediately over the pork chops, place the warm roasted apples on the plate and serve.
02.
For the roasted apples
- Scoop out the interior pulp of the apples with a thin tablespoon to form a 2-in. cavity; discard seeds.
- Combine the sweet potatoes, butter, cinnamon, salt and chopped sage. Spoon into apples.
- Place in an ungreased 11x7-in. baking dish; bake, uncovered, at 350°F for 30-35 minutes or until apples are tender. Set aside at room temp until you are ready to serve.
