This is the perfect Fall dish. Packed with sweet, tangy, cinnamon punch. These Pork Chops sit in an Apple cider brine for 18-24hrs. Then cooked on a bed of cabbage and topped with apples. It’s still light, but comforting enough to make you feel like you had that cozy meal, that you crave this time of year.
The cabbage has a sauerkraut taste to it and the apples have that baked apple cozy warm comfort feeling, you get with an apple crisp. Pork, apples and cabbage are a classic pairing. And in my opinion, a Fall staple. So go ahead and make this for either a group of friends or a week night meal, that everyone will love.
Recipe
Serves 4
Prep time 1hr
Brine Time: 4-24hrs
Cook time 45mins
Brine Ingredients
• 4 thick bone in Pork Chops
• 2 large sprigs of Rosemary
• 6-8 sprigs of Thyme
• 1/4 cup Salt
• 3 cups Apple Cider
• 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 cup Bourbon (I used Makers Mark)
• 2 Cinnamon Sticks
• 2-3 smashed garlic cloves
• 1 tsp Pepper
Directions
1) In a zip lock bag or a large baking dish, place the pork chops, herbs and cinnamon sticks.
2) In a bowl combine the rest of the ingredients. Stir well and then pour over the pork chops. If in a baking dish, wrap with plastic wrap. Place the pork chops into the fridge and let marinate in the brine for 4hrs or over night until ready to cook.
Dish Ingredients
• 2 apples quarters and core removed (I used Granny Smith and Honeycrisp)
• 1/2 head of Cabbage cut into quarters and then thinly sliced strips
• 1/2 a Red onion sliced into strips
• 1/2 cup Apple Cider
• 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/4 cup Bourbon
• 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
• 1 sprig of Rosemary
• 4 sprigs of Thyme
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
Directions
1) Preheat oven to 400F. Pull Pork Chops out of the fridge and out of the brine. Pat dry with a paper towel.
2) In a large iron skillet or an oven proof pan, heat stove top on medium high heat. While skillet is getting hot, pat dry your pork chops with a paper towel. Add about 1Tbsp of olive to the skillet. Place your pork chops 2 at a time down in the skillet. You want to give them a good sear 2-3 mins a side. You don’t want to cook the pork chops all the way through. You just want a good carmalized crust. Once all pork chops are seared, move them to a plate for later.
3) quarter your apples with skin on, cores removed, and slice your cabbage and onions.
4) Take 1/2 a cup of your brown sugar and ground cinnamon and mix them together in a bowl. Take each chunk of apple, and roll it in the brown sugar and cinnamon. Just so they are lightly coated. Set aside until ready to use.
5) Reheat the same skillet the pork chops were seared in. Toss in your cabbage and onion, along with your rosemary, thyme and cinnamon stick. Cook for about 2-3 mins until it starts to get a little soft and cooked down. You don’t want to cook it down too much. You want to have a nice thick bed to lay your pork chops on.
6) Turn off heat on stove top. Now that cabbage is slightly cooked, place your pork chops on top of the bed of cabbage.
7) In a bowl combine the apple cider, apple cider vinegar, the last half of brown sugar, maple syrup and bourbon. Mix together and pour over the pork chops.
8) Take your butter and cut it into 4 pieces. Place a piece of butter on each pork chop. Take your chunks of apples and place one chunk on top of the butter on each chop. Then fit the rest of the apples where you can find a spot. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and some fresh ground black pepper on top of the dish. Now carefully place in the oven for 15mins. At the 15min mark your going to want to take a spoon and baste the chops and apples. Bake for another 5-10 mins. You want the temp to read 155F-160F. Pull the pork out and let rest, for 5-10 mins before serving. ENJOY!
