Maple Chili Pork Chops
The original recipe: Maple Chili Pork Chops by PaleOMG
Serves 2
4 boneless pork loin centre chops (about 537g, 1.5" thick)
1 heaping tsp red chili flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp neutral oil (eg. canola)
For the sauce:
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
1. In a small bowl, mix together all of the spices.
2. Pat the pork drops as dry as possible, and rub the spices onto both sides of the pork chops.
3. Heat a large cast iron skillet to medium-high/medium (depends how strong your stove is) heat with 2 tbsp olive oil.
4. Place the pork in the pan - you should hear a slight sizzle. If not, take the pork off and let the pan reach a higher temperature (see Note #3).
5. After approximately 4 minutes, a nice crust should have formed. Flip the pork chops and cook for another 2 minutes and check to see if a nice sear has developed on the other side. If so, reduce the heat to medium-low and allow to cook another 5 minutes.
6. While the pork cooks, in a small bowl whisk together the sauce ingredients.
7. If your pork chops are thicker, use tongs to flip the pork chops onto its long edges, about 30 seconds per long edge.
8. Remove the pork from the pan and set aside.
9. Increase the heat to medium and the sauce mixture to the pan and whisking constantly, about 2-3 minutes until thick and bubbly.
10. Serve sauce over top of the pork
My Changes & Notes:
1. The pork.
I used 4 boneless pork loin centre chops (total about 537g) that were approximately 1.5" thick. This is typically how the cut comes packaged at my frequented grocery store, so it's what I grab whenever we make this recipe. Having a thicker cut also gives a bit more leeway to avoid overcooking, which is super helpful because overcooked pork sucks!! I also pat the pork dry with some paper towel before applying the spice rub.
2. The spices.
I use a teaspoon to measure out the spices, but very, very roughly. Depending on your spice tolerance, I actually like to add a touch more heat with more cayenne pepper. The original recipe calls for ground red pepper, but I just leave it in flakes. Another time I may try grinding the red pepper flakes with a mortar & pestle, but for now the flakes work just fine for us.
3. Sizzle & Sauce.
Instead of butter, I use about 2-3 tbsp of canola oil and heat to medium/medium-high. Make sure the pan is hot before adding the pork chops - you want to get a nice sear on each side (I listen for a slight sizzle when I add the pork)! I flipped mine after about 4 minutes. After about 2 minutes, I check to see if the second side has enough of a sear; if so, reduce the heat to medium low and whisk together the sauce ingredients in a separate, small bowl.
After about 5 minutes (total) on the second side, I turn the chops onto their longest edge to help render some of the fat lining the edges; about 30 seconds to a minute on each long edge. After both long edges had their moment on the pan, I took the pork chops out to rest before adding in the sauce (the original recipe has you pour the sauce around the pork chops).
For the sauce itself, I followed PaleOMG's recipe exactly, using unsweetened orange juice from concentrate. After taking the pork chops out of the pan, I turned the heat up to medium and poured the sauce in, whisking constantly until it gets bubbly and thick (about 2-3 minutes).
