Pork Chops with Apples and Caramelized Onions
Acid is a necessary addition to any well-rounded dish, but it's especially powerful when used to balance out a recipe that might otherwise taste overly rich - like in this recipe that calls for pork chops with a fat cap. Bone-in or boneless matters less here - simply adjust your cooking times accordingly. But using a chop with an intact fat cap - that layer of rich white fat surrounding one edge of the chop - and balancing that richness with the acid of apple cider vinegar results in a restaurant-quality dish.
When searing any cut of meat with an intact fat cap, trim the cap down to about 1/4" thick. Then, score the fat every inch or so from top to bottom, cutting all the way to the meat. This will help prevent your chops from curling and becoming unevenly browned.
Last tip: We sometimes prefer stainless steel skillets when employing acid in our recipes, but in this recipe, you can also use a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Any imperfections in your seasoning may result in metal leaching from the pan into the sauce, and while the trace amounts are not harmful, they can impart a rather undesirable flavor. The longer the acidic ingredients sit in the pan, the more likely you are to see this effect. We think it's generally OK to cook this recipe in a cast iron skillet, because the sauce itself only simmers for a few minutes before being poured over the plated pork chops. So, if you have a really well-seasoned cast iron skillet, we say go for it!
Pork Chops with Apples and Caramelized Onions
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Dinner
Servings
2
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Ingredients
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3 tablespoons Little Apple Treats apple cider vinegar
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3 tablespoons water
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2 tablespoons white or light sweet miso
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2 (1-to-1 ½-inch-thick) pork chops, patted dry
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Kosher salt
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1 tablespoon neutral oil
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1 large Granny Smith apple, sliced ¼” thick
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1 cup caramelized onions, *see note
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1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
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1 spring fresh rosemary
Directions
In a small bowl, combine the apple cider vinegar, water, and miso. Stir with a small whisk or fork to combine.
If your chops have a fat cap, cut all the way through the fat cap from top to bottom every inch or so. Season the pork chops all over with salt.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, then the pork chops. Cook, flipping every 2-3 minutes, until browned on the outside and the internal temperature reads around 135º (10-15 minutes). Transfer to a plate and rest while you finish the sauce.
To the same pad, add the apple slices in a single layer. Cook until nicely browned on one side, then add the apple cider vinegar mixture, caramelized onions, and rosemary. Scrape up any browned bits and stir continuously until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 1-3 minutes.
Turn off the heat, add the pork chops and their juices back to the pan and turn to coat in the sauce. Serve the pork chops with a spoonful of the sauce and plenty of apples and onions.
Recipe Note
Every fall, I like to buy a 5 pound bag of Walla Walla Sweet Onions and caramelize them all in one batch in the oven. It takes most of the day, but it's a largely hands-off project that you'll only need to check on once every other hour. I then freeze the caramelized onions into one cup batches using Souper Cubes Freezing Trays. There are several recipes out there on the internet for "quick caramelized onions," and if you're in a pinch feel free to use one of those. But if you want a big batch of caramelized onions to enjoy on demand, here's how to do it:
Preheat your oven to 375º. After peeling your onions, remove the root ends and slice in them in half. Slice each half, from pole to pole, into 1/4" slices. A mandolin can speed up this process. Toss the onions with a tablespoon of grapeseed or other high-heat neutral oil (don't use olive oil - your oven temperature is past its smoke point) and a teaspoon of kosher salt. I use my largest dutch oven, an Emile Henry 7.5qt Sublime Stew Pot. Place in the oven with the lid on and bake, checking every or hour so. Each time you check, give the onions a stir. If the pot is starting to look dry, add a few tablespoons of water at a time. Depending on the amount of onions you started with, this process will take anywhere from an hour to several hours. The onions should be a very dark brown when they're finished.