Braised Pork Chops with Apples

A few years ago I was walking through Home Depot's garden center when I saw a tiny grafted ultra-dwarf Fuji apple twig in a pot.  "Grows to 6' tall" it said on the tag, "Can be kept smaller if in a pot."  Hmmm....  I love Fuji apples.  And I have a patio.  So I bought it.

The first year we got no fruit, which was as expected.  Last year we got 4 tiny, sour but flavorful apples.  This year, well, check out the picture.  The tree is about 5' tall and bore us 12 large, juicy, crunchy, uber-sweet apples!  We'd already eaten 1/2 of them by the time I got around to taking this photo.

They are awesome eaten freshly-picked off the tree.  But then I wondered, what else could I do with them?  Not enough for a pie.  And I have some pork chops in the fridge.  So why not braised pork chops with apples?  Genius!


Braised Pork Chops with Apples

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless pork chops, all visible fat removed
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• olive oil
• 3/4 cup chicken broth 
• 1 large fresh-from-the-patio-tree Fuji apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• Tastefully Simple Onion Onion
• Dijon mustard

Directions:

• Season both sides of the pork chops with TSSS.
• In a large pan with a tablespoon of olive oil, sear the chops on both sides on medium-high heat.  Transfer the chops to a plate and set aside.
• Reduce heat to medium and deglaze the pan with the chicken broth.  Add in the apple slices and a couple shakes of TSOO.  Cover and cook for a few minutes until the apples are tender.  Add a large dollop of Dijon mustard and stir until fully incorporated.
• Move the cooked apples to the sides of the pan and return the pork chops to the pan.
• Cover and braise for 10 minutes. 
• Remove cover, flip the chops and continue braising for an additional 5-10 minutes.
• Serve immediately.

I think next time I'll use 2 apples instead of 1, they were so yummy! Also, if you like a little sweeter flavor and are not tied to South Beach, you can use apple cider or juice in place of the chicken broth.