Cider Braised Pork Chops help beat March weather

Here in Boston, the slow March transition from winter to spring brings a mix of weather. Snow storms can be followed by rainy warm days and everywhere the ground is covered in a slick of mud.

This early spring muck makes me want to settle at home with a warm hearty meal, which led me to whip up a roast pork dinner this past week. Braising thick cut chops in apple juice with Brussels sprouts, sweet and white potatoes gave this Sunday night meal the perfect combination of flavor – and helped me get through another few days of messy March weather.

I started with the recipe below from Food.com and added a pecan-apple-riesling glaze and paired with roasted root vegetables. Enjoy!

Cider Braised Pork Chops

From Food.com

Prep Time: 20 minutes – Total Time: 2 1/2 hrs

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 6 bone-in blade-cut pork chops, about 1 inch thick
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup apple butter
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat chops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown chops in two batches, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to plate.
3. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot and cook onion over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir garlic, four, and 2 tablespoons apple butter and cook until onions are coated and mixture is fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Stir in cider and thyme, scraping up any browned bits with wooden spoon, and bring to boil. Add browned chops and any accumulated juices to pot, cover, and transfer to oven.
5. Braise until chops are completely tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
6. Transfer chops to serving platter. Strain sauce, then use a shallow spoon to skim off fat. ( Note – a fat separator, if you own one, is a much better method to discard excess fat.).
7. Whisk in vinegar, parsley, and remaining apple butter. Season with salt and pepper. Serve, passing sauce at table.

Megan Maguire (@megan_maguire) is an Account Manager at Mom Central Consulting.

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