Pork Chops with Apples

Ingredients

1 cup water
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups ice water
4 bone-in pork chops (each about 12 ounces and ¾- to 1-inch thick)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, sliced
2 crisp, sweet-tart apples, cored and sliced (about 3 cups)
1 cup hard cider, beer, white wine, or chicken broth
1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Instructions

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Make the brine by stirring together the water, salt, and sugar in a small saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring until the salt and sugar dissolve. Remove the pan from the heat and add the ice water, stirring until the ice melts and the brine cools to room temperature. Pour into a shallow bowl that will hold the chops snugly in a single layer. Submerge the chops in the brine. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.

Remove the chops from the brine and pat them dry with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat; add the oil and butter. When the butter melts, lay the chops in the skillet. Do not crowd the chops in the skillet or they will steam instead of brown. Depending on the size of your skillet, you might need to work in batches. Cook undisturbed until nicely browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn once and brown the other side, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

Add the onion and a pinch of salt to the skillet; stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom. Cook until the onions wilt, about 5 minutes. Add the apples and cook, until the onions are golden and the apples begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Stir in the cider and bring to a simmer.

Return the chops to the pan and nestle them into the onion mixture. Simmer over low heat until the pork is tender and cooked through, about 15 more minutes, turning halfway through. An instant-read thermometer inserted sideways into the center should register 140° to 145°. Even if the meat is a tiny bit pink in the center, the juices should show no traces of pink. Transfer the chops to a plate, tent with foil, and let rest.

Stir the mustard into the apple mixture and continue simmering to thicken a little while the chops rest. Stir in the thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the chops warm, topped with the warm apple mixture.

Notes

Most would agree that North Carolinians love pork, even in preparations other than barbecue. People are perhaps less familiar with the role apples play in past and present North Carolina. Our state consistently ranks among the top 10 apple producers in the country. At one time, at least 1,500 different kinds of apples flourished in the South. More than half of those varieties are now lost, but North Carolina is still home to influential collections of antique and heirloom apples. An excellent example is Century Farm Orchards in Rockingham County. Under the expert care of David Vernon, more than 400 varieties grow on his farm, which functions as both a living museum and an active nursery from which customers can order apple trees. David always acknowledges the mentoring he received from Lee Calhoun of Chatham County, one of the country’s most accomplished apple preservationists and author of Old Southern Apples, a compendium of antique apple varieties.
It takes a little unsupervised time, but brining the pork for even a brief period adds flavor and ensures juiciness in the finished chops. It’s also important to not overcook the pork, which is novel to those of us raised to think that pork chops that weren’t hard and gray weren’t done.