Apple Butter Pork Chops

So I’m sure lots of you are familiar with that apple butter pork loin recipe–it seems like it is one of those recipes like funeral potatoes (cheesy hashbrown casserole, if you’re not familiar with the lingo) that everyone has and no one knows where it came from. I’ll be honest. I want to like it so badly. It sounds so yummy. But I can’t handle that much one-note sweetness with meat.
Awhile back, Sara and I were accidentally shipped some apple products from Musselman’s

(hey, I’m not complaining!) and I remembered apple butter pork loin. And I remembered my feelings of longing and wistfully not fitting in because I’m not 100% crazy about it. So I decided to do something about it and dress up that apple butter pork loin recipe, making it something company-worthy and keeping a lot of the sweetness, but also adding a lot of my favorite savory flavors.
You’ll need a really high-quality apple cider–something where you can’t see all the way through it, like this Musselman’s cider or Simply Apple.

Also, some apple butter. This is super easy to find–it’s usually near the jams, jellies, and peanut butter.

In a small bowl, whisk together the apple cider, apple butter, some Creole or coarsely ground mustard,

and a whole bunch of fresh garlic.

Whisk it all together and set it aside.

Next, whisk together some all-purpose flour, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and garlic powder and set it aside.

To get your pork chops, you can either buy pre-cut boneless pork chops, or you can partially freeze a pork sirloin roast (which is very lean and inexpensive) and then cut 4 3/4-inch slices out of the thickest part of the roast, then just save the ends for a lean alternative to pork shoulder in BBQ Pork Sandwiches.

Preheat your oven to 375.

Prepare half of a recipe of caramelized onions (so you’re just using 1 large onion here) in a large, oven-safe skillet. When you’re done caramelizing your onions, remove them from the pan and set them aside. Return the skillet to the stovetop and heat 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat.

While the oil is heating, dredge your pork chops in the flour/garlic powder mixture.

When the oil is very hot (like sizzling if you flick some water into it), place the pork chops in the hot skillet and cook them for 2-3 minutes per side or until they are brown and crispy.

Whisk the apple cider mixture again and then pour it over the pork chops. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken. Divide the caramelized onions evenly among the pork chops,

cover the pan with a lid, and place the pan in the oven for 30 minutes. If you don’t have a large, oven-safe skillet with a lid, just place them in a 9×13″ baking dish and cover with foil, it’ll just be another dish to wash. Remove the pan from the oven and place each pork chop on a plate with a few spoonfuls of sauce. Serve with your favorite veggies or a tossed green salad.

Sweet & Savory Apple Butter Pork Chops

5 from 7 votes

Boneless pork chops, browned until golden, then baked in a sweet and savory apple cider and apple butter sauce with garlic, mustard, and caramelized onions.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Caramelizing Onions (Can be done ahead of time) 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

ServingsServings4

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Ingredients

Caramelized Onions

• 1 onion sweet varieties like Walla Walla, Texas Sweet, Mayan, Vidalia, etc. work best
• 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil or a combo of both
• kosher salt

Pork Chops

• 4 boneless pork chops About 1 pound. I just got a sirloin roast, partially froze it, and cut 4 chops about ½”-¾” thick.
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup high-quality apple cider
• ¼ cup apple butter
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 ½ tablespoons Creole or coarsely ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon pressed garlic

Instructions

Caramelized Onions (can be done ahead of time if needed)

• Thinly slice onions. Heat butter and/or olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions and a pinch of kosher salt, stirring to coat.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until onions are very soft and deep golden brown.
You may need to add a little more butter or oil during the cooking process if your onions start sticking to the pan.

Pork Chops

• Preheat oven to 375°F (don't preheat if you are making this as a freezer meal). Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder together in a small bowl.
• In a large, oven-safe skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Dredge the pork chops in the flour mixture and then brown the pork chops for 2-3 minutes on each side or until they’re brown and crispy.
• While the pork chops are browning, combine the apple cider, apple butter, water, garlic, and mustard. When the pork chops are done browning, add the cider mixture to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce begins to evaporate and thicken. Remove from heat and evenly distribute the caramelized onions over the pork chops.
• Cover the pan with a lid and place in oven for 30 minutes.
If you'd like to make this a freezer meal, assemble the seared pork chops, onions, and sauce in a disposable aluminum pan. Cover the pan tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil and freeze.
When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350℉. Bake, covered, for 1 hour or until the pork chops reach 145℉.
• Serve with rice and veggies or salad.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pork chop with onions and sauce, Calories: 304kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 84mg, Sodium: 436mg, Potassium: 567mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 102IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 30mg, Iron: 1mg

Course: Main Courses

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Sweet & Savory Apple Butter Pork Chops

Calories: 304kcal

Cost: $11

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