Weeknight · Autumn
Cast-Iron Pork Chops
Thick bone-in chops, seared in butter, finished to 145°F and rested. Apples go in the same pan.
30 minutes · Serves 4 · 4 chops
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in pork chops, about 1 inch thick
- 1 tsp fine salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 apple, sliced
- ½ onion, sliced
- ¼ cup water or broth
Method
- 1
Pat the chops dry. Salt and pepper them. Let them sit 10 minutes while the skillet heats.
- 2
Melt the butter in a cast-iron skillet over medium. Sear the chops without moving them for 4 minutes, until the first side is brown. Flip. Cook until the center of the meat, not touching the bone, reads 145°F, usually another 3 to 5 minutes.
- 3
Move the chops to a plate and rest them 3 minutes. The rest is part of the cooking. Cutting early spills the juice.
- 4
In the same skillet, cook the apple and onion 4 minutes, until the apple is tender and the onion is soft. Add the water and scrape up the browned bits. Spoon that over the rested chops.
From the kitchen
- A thin chop is done almost as soon as it browns, and it dries out if you treat it like a thick one. This recipe is for an inch of meat.
- 145°F and a 3-minute rest is the safe point for whole-muscle pork. It may still look faintly pink. That is not undercooked.
My note
Kept on this device, beside the recipe, for the next time you cook it.
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