Brined Pan Seared Pork Chops with Maple Five Spice Apples

This recipe for brined pan seared pork chops with those beautiful glazed spiced apples just says “great Fall or Winter comfort food meal”.

Brined Pan Seared Pork Chops with Maple Five Spice Apples

Brining the pork chops is optional of course and should not be done for longer than a couple of hours. However, the process does impart great deep seasoned flavor and makes the chops extra plump and juicy.

Thick cut pork chops are best for this recipe, thinner ones will be over-brined.

Boneless Centre Cut Pork Chops

The brining also allows the sear on the chops to be extra caramelized and flavourful with a beautiful deep brown color.

The fragrantly spiced apples get some tart balance for the maple syrup from apple cider vinegar and lemon juice. This makes them the perfect accompaniment to the pan seared pork chops.

Apples ready to sauté to serve with the pork chops.

We served them with some steamed green beans and Sautéed Orange Walnut Sweet Potatoes for a complete and delicious meal.

A simple pan seared method can produce juicy flavourful pork chops.

For more tried and true recipes, check out this collection of our 25 Most Popular Recipes since Rock Recipes began back in 2007.

Originally published Nov, 20212, Updated Oct 2020.

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Yield: 4 Servings

Brined Pan Seared Pork Chops with Maple Five Spice Apples

Additional Time: 2 hours

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes

The five spice and maple compliment the apples beautifully when served with these ultimately juicy brined pan seared pork chops. The best Fall comfort food!

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Ingredients

• 4 large thick cut pork chops
• 3 tbsp canola oil

For the brining liquid

• 6 cups water
• 2 cups apple juice
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sea salt
• 2 tbsp black peppercorns
• 2 fresh thyme sprig
• 3 cloves chopped garlic

For the Maple Five Spice Apples

• 3 large Granny Smith Apples, peeled cored and sliced thick
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 tsp dry thyme
• 4 tablespoons raisins
• 1/3 cup apple juice
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp five spice powder
• juice of half a lemon
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions

For the brining liquid

1. Stir all the ingredients together until the salt and sugar are dissolved.
2. Soak 4 large thick cut pork chops in the brine for no longer than 2 to 3 hours. Remove from the brine and pat dry.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
4. Heat a cast iron pan or heavy bottom, oven-safe frying pan over medium high heat.
5. Add the canola oil and pan sear the chops for about 2 minutes per side until browned.
6. Place pan in hot oven for 10 minutes or so to finish cooking. Cooking time may be longer depending on the thickness of your chops. Use a meat thermometer to get the internal temperature to at least 145 -160 degrees F. Let the chops rest for 5 minutes before serving witht he prepared glazed apples.

For the Maple Five Spice Apples

1. Saute the apples in butter over medium heat to get them warmed then add all of the remaining ingredients.
2. Simmer quickly, until the sauce reduces to a glaze-like consistency. You don't want the apples to overcook and get mushy.
3. Serve warm over the cooked pork chops.

Notes

Brining time will add another 2 to 3 hours to the time needed for this recipe.

Recommended Products

Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.

• 
  Lodge L8SK3 10-1/4-Inch Logic Pre-Seasoned Skillet
• 
  ThermoPro TP18 Digital Food Cooking Thermocouple Thermometer Ultra Fast Instant Read Meat Thermometer with Touchable Button for Kitchen BBQ Grill Smoker
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  OXO Good Grips Good Grips Apple Divider

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1 Serving
Amount Per Serving Calories 629Total Fat 24gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 15gCholesterol 56mgSodium 7237mgCarbohydrates 94gFiber 7gSugar 76gProtein 12g

The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.

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