Recipe Notes: Mustardy Apple Butter-Glazed Pork Chops

28 January 2020

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, January 2020

I do like pork chops but it seems like it has been several years since I have cooked them. I can think of several reasons for this. It can be difficult to get chops the right thickness at the store, the pre-packaged ones are usually much too thin. This leads to overcooked, dry, tough chops that are not good to eat. A good glaze can also add a lot to the success of the dish and would be key to a successful recipe. The promise of a flavorful glaze and a technique that did not overcook the chops in this new recipe from Cook's Illustrated was thus very appealing.

I used the "for Two" version of this recipe from the Cook's Illustrated website which uses two, rather than four, pork chops. These were 1¼-inch thick, center cut boneless pork chops, a little thicker than specified in the recipe. They were custom cut for me at Whole Foods and weighed about 8 ounces each. The glaze was made by whisking together apple butter, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, and cider vinegar. I ordered the apple butter online, in part so I would have the brand recommended in the recipe due to its desirable consistency. The chops were seasoned with salt, brushed with glaze, and roasted, on a wire rack set in a sheet pan at 275° for 47 minutes to reach an internal temperature of 135°. The pan was removed from the oven, more glaze was applied, and the chops were then cooked under the broiler for 3 minutes. Total prep time is about 10 minutes and the total time about an hour.

These slow-roasted, glazed pork chops were very good, tender, and juicy. The glaze was mildly spicy from the mustard and apple butter and it complemented the pork very well. We thought the dish could have used a little more glaze than specified in the recipe. This is a recipe worth using again. Now, what do I do with all of this apple butter?