Apple Butter Glazed Pork Chop

This was the first day with enough chill in the air that one could suspect autumn was actually here, and suddenly apple butter seemed like exactly the right thing to put on a pork chop, which was lucky as I had some languishing in the fridge door.

What surprised me about this was how complex the flavor was considering how little went into it. A thick-cut, meaty, bone-in pork chop with pan-crisped fatty bits, salt and pepper, apple butter, a little red wine vinegar and the concentrated juices left in the pan are pretty much the whole story. I considered some grated ginger, but decided to let the apple butter be the star of the show.

I served mine with steamed leeks mixed with roasted purple potatoes, mostly because I liked the color contrast, but this pork chop would be happy alongside whatever pork chop sides you prefer. Homemade apple butter would undoubtedly make this even better, although store-bought worked beautifully. You could also add a few apple wedges to the pan before putting the pork chop into the oven, if you wanted to lean even further into autumn.

1 thick-cut bone-in pork chop

1 Tbsp apple butter

1 tsp red wine vinegar

2 tsps olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Season the pork chop generously with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork chop and sear for about two minutes on each side, until deeply browned and smoky.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the pork chop for about 10 minutes, depending on its thickness, until cooked through.

Remove the pork chop from the skillet and set it aside to rest. Add the apple butter and red wine vinegar directly to the hot pan. Stir and scrape vigorously, incorporating all the browned bits and pan juices into the apple butter. Cook for a minute or two, until the mixture is glossy and thick enough to coat the pork chop.

Spoon the glaze over the resting pork chop, making sure to get every last bit of it onto the meat. Serve immediately with your favorite pork chop sides.