Pork chops with apple mustard shallot sauce

Ingredients

1 center-cut pork chop, bone-in, fat cap left on

Kosher salt

Pepper

4 T unsalted butter, divided

4 sprigs of thyme

1-2 tsp parsley

3 cloves lightly crushed garlic

2 cloves minced garlic

1-2 shallots sliced into thick rings

1/3 cup apple brandy, hard apple cider, apple cider vinegar, beer or wine

1/3 cup heavy cream

1-2 T whole grain mustard

1/2 cup chicken stock

Vegetable or neutral oil

Directions

Take the pork out of the fridge an hour before cooking to bring up to room temperature. Pat dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture from the chop. Season liberally with approx 1/2 T salt on both sides and the fat cap (the recipe calls for pepper but be judicious or add at the end as it can burn easily). Before placing in the pan, dab it again with paper towels to remove all moisture.

Preheat a stainless steel or cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add approx 3 T vegetable oil, or a neutral oil, and coat the pan well to help brown the chop. When the oil is shimmering with just a bit of smoke coming off, place the pork chop in the pan, dropping it away from you so the oil doesn't splash. You should see a lot of smoke, lower the temp just a little and let sear for a few minutes. Peek at the bottom side, when it's starting to brown, flip it and let sear on the opposite side for three to four minutes. After both sides are seared, hold it on the fat cap side to brown and render the fat. At this point the pan should be dark with dark brown rendered fat. Hold the chop with tongs and discard the searing oil/fat.

Place the pork chop back in the pan, adding 2-3 T unsalted butter, 2-3 sprigs of thyme, and 3 cloves crushed garlic. To flavor the chop, tilt the pan towards you and baste the chop by spooning butter over it. The garlic will get brown and fragrant, the butter brown and nutty, which helps transfer to the crust on the pork chop. With an instant-read thermometer, check the temp really close to the bone. Cook the pork chop to a medium temperature: 135 - 140 degrees. If it's not to temp, continue basting for a minute or two more. You can also put in the oven at 375 for a few minutes. When done, let rest for 5-7 minutes on a resting rack so juices can redistribute.

Pan Sauce

Discard the spent butter, garlic, and thyme, keeping the fond in the pan. Place the pan on medium heat, add 2 T oil, one sliced shallot (rings), and a 1/4 tsp salt. Cook until lightly brown, approx 3-5 minutes. Add the remaining sprig of thyme, 2 chopped garlic cloves and cook until fragrant, approx one minute. Deglaze the pan with 1/4 to 1/3 cup of your preferred liquid. Add 1-2 T whole grain mustard. Any flames will extinguish by adding 1/4 to 1/3 cup heavy cream to the pan. Thin out the sauce by adding approx 1/2 cup? chicken stock. Add salt, pepper, 1 T butter, and stir, scraping the fond to incorporate. Let the sauce reduce. As it gets thicker, the bubbles get bigger and pop slower. The best way to determine that the sauce is done is by placing a spoon in it, then running your finger down the back of the spoon through the sauce. If you get a nice crisp line, your sauce is done. Remove from heat, add 1-2 teaspoons parsley and stir. Spoon a fair amount of sauce onto a plate, place the pork chop on top, right in the sauce. Avoid topping with sauce so you don't ruin the crust. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.

Notes

Frank Proto video: https://www.epicurious.com/video/watch/epicurious-101-the-best-pork-chop-youll-ever-make-restaurant-quality