Pork chops were not something I got excited about for most of my life. We’ve all eaten a dry, flavorless pork chop at some point. Pan seared pork chops with mustard cider sauce is not that dried up puck of tasteless pork. These chops are brined in a sugar/salt solution to help keep them moist and flavorful, and I cook them sous vide and then seared but you can also just pan fry them as well.
The pan drippings are used to make a mustard cider sauce rounded out with shallot, butter, chicken stock, and sage, which gives these chops a ton of flavor. I serve these over mashed potatoes but you could also serve them with pasta, bread, or veggies on the side. This sauce is delicious on vegetables as well.
I have talked before about my conversion to sous vide as a cooking method. Sous vide is a method of cooking items vacuumed sealed under controlled temperatures and it allows a ton of flavor to permeate whatever you are cooking, plus it guarantees cooking of meat to the correct temperature. Here is a link to the Anova Sous Vide machine. This is the first one I had and I loved it. We now have a Joule and love that too. Both are great, just depends on how much you are willing to spend. Pork chops are probably the best use of the sous vide machine because they are so hard to cook well otherwise.
Hope you enjoy this recipe. 🙂
Pan Seared Pork Chops with Mustard Cider Sauce
Ingredients
For the pork chops:
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- 4 boneless pork chops
- black pepper
Mustard cider sauce:
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 shallot minced
- 1 tsp flour
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup apple cider
- 1/2 tsp fresh sage minced
- 2 tsp whole grain mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 cups of water. If pork chops are very thick, cut horizontally into 2 cutlets. Pound chops with a tenderizer until about 1/4 inch thick. Place into brine and allow to rest 30 min or longer in the fridge.
- If you are going to sous vide these, after they brine, put them in the sous vide bags and vacuum seal. You can add some garlic or shallot in too if you want extra flavor. Sous vide at 150 degrees for 2-4 hours.
- Remove the pork from the brine, or from the sous vide bags and dry. Heat a skillet to smoking hot. Add a tbsp of oil and the pork chops. If they are already sous vide, cook for 1 minute on eat side over high to get a golden crust on them. If they are still raw, cook for 2 minutes on one side, flip and cook 2 minutes. Check with an instant read thermometer to make sure they are at least 150 degrees.
- Reduce heat on the pan to medium. Melt 1/2 tbsp of butter in the pan. Add the shallot and cook for 1 minute, stirring so it doesn't burn. Add the flour and mustard, whisking constantly. Slowly add the broth and cider, whisking the whole time. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Add the sage and the whole grain mustard and 1/2 tbsp butter. Stir and taste and adjust seasoning. Serve sauce over the pork chops and potatoes or whatever you are serving them with.