Effortless Pork Caramelized Apples (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ For the Caramelized Apples
01 -
3 tablespoons honey
02 -
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
03 -
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
04 -
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
05 -
0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
06 -
1 Gala apple, sliced with the skin on, core removed
07 -
1 Granny Smith apple, sliced with the skin on, core removed
→ For the Pork Chops
08 -
Fresh thyme sprigs to finish
09 -
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
10 -
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend
11 -
0.5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 -
0.5 teaspoon fine sea salt
13 -
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
14 -
4 boneless pork loin chops (around 680 g all together)
# Instructions:
01 -
Set pork chops onto plates. Pour that gooey caramelized apple mix and all its sauce right over the meat. Scatter some fresh thyme on top if you want. Eat it right away while it’s still hot.
02 -
Turn the pork chops over, take the heat down to medium, and cook 'em another 5 minutes or so, until your thermometer says 63°C in the thickest part. If your chops are thicker or thinner, just adjust a bit. Get them out of the pan and give them a short rest.
03 -
Get your big cast-iron pan good and hot for about 3 minutes on medium-high. Pour in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and let it shimmer. Lay the pork chops in the pan and don’t touch them for 5 minutes so you get that brown crust.
04 -
With all the caramelized apples still sizzling in the pan, take it off the heat. Pour in the honey right away so it bubbles up and gets gooey. Gently stir things so the slices get covered. Set the apples aside for now.
05 -
Crank the pan up high and melt one tablespoon butter with the olive oil. Toss in the apple slices in a single layer—don’t crowd them, so do two batches if you have to. Let them sear about 3 minutes each side until they look browned and sticky around the edges. Pull those out, throw in the rest of the butter if needed, and cook the rest.
06 -
Slice up your apples lengthwise, keeping the peel—they add crunch and color. Drop them in a big bowl, dust with cinnamon and brown sugar, and mix till the pieces are well covered. Leave them alone for about 10 minutes so some juice leaks out.
07 -
Dab pork chops with paper towels so they’re dry. Use one tablespoon olive oil to coat them, then sprinkle salt, pepper, and Italian herbs everywhere. Let those chops chill out at room temp while you work on the apples.
# Notes:
01 -
A cast-iron pan will give you a great brown crust because it gets and stays really hot.
02 -
Don’t put pork straight from the fridge in the pan. Let it warm up a bit for better flavor and juiciness.
03 -
Leave the apple skins on. You’ll get extra crunch, some good color, and extra nutrients.
04 -
If your skillet looks crowded with apple slices, cook them in a couple batches instead. They’ll brown up much better.
05 -
Stick a food thermometer in the thickest part of your pork chop. Hit 63°C and you’re good to go.