Honey Balsamic Pork Chops
The Spice & Tea Exchange
3 to 4 pork chops
15 minutes
30 minutes
A quick and easy brine technique will become your go-to for guaranteed juicy and tender pork. Finished with a delectable, one-pan sauce featuring balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, and rosemary, this recipe is full of savory, sweet, bright, and herbaceous flavor, table-ready in 30 minutes or so (after brining).
Ingredients
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- 8 oz water at 200°F
- ½ cup All-Purpose Brine Seasoning
- 1½ quarts cold tap water
- 3 to 4 bone-in pork chops(1 to 1½-inch thick)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1½ tsp Chef’s Choice Steak Rub
- 1 tsp kosher salt
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- ½ cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 3 Tbsp finely chopped shallots
- 1 Tbsp Sautéed Mushroom Spice Blend
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, divided
- ¼ cup butter
Directions
- Brine pork chops. Combine hot water and brine seasoning in a 3- to 4-quart container; stir until salt is dissolved. Stir in cold water then submerge pork chops; cover and refrigerate for one to two hours. Remove chops from brine and rinse with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. Discard brine liquid.
Cook pork chops. Preheat oven to 350°F. For both sides of each pork chop, brush or rub olive oil and season with steak rub and kosher salt. Heat a large cast iron or oven-safe pan over high heat. Once hot, add pork chops; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown, then turn to other side for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Nestle 2 sprigs of rosemary between the chops. Transfer pan to oven; bake for 3 minutes then check temperature. If necessary, turn chops to other side and bake 3 additional minutes, or until an internal temperature of 145°F.
Remove from oven and return to stovetop. Transfer chops to a plate and cover loosely with aluminum foil to rest, then prepare sauce; discard rosemary.- Prepare sauce. Drain any excess rendered fat from pan except for one tablespoon. Over medium-low heat, add the remaining two rosemary sprigs and sauce ingredients – except for butter – to the pan. Use a wooden spoon to loosen any baked-on bits from bottom of pan and incorporate into the sauce. Gently simmer, uncovered, for 5 to 6 minutes until slightly thickened. Turn off heat; remove rosemary and whisk in butter. Spoon over pork chops.