Cider-Cured Pork Chops

By Sam Sifton

Updated June 6, 2024

Cider-Cured Pork Chops
Tom Schierlitz for The New York Times; prop stylist: Megan Caponetto; food stylist: Susie Theodorou
Total Time
45 minutes, plus up to 72 hours' refrigeration
Rating
4(448)
Comments
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This is a home cook's take on a restaurant special, with shortcuts baked into the recipe. I learned the original at the elbow of Marc Murphy, the chef and an owner of Landmarc in Manhattan, and then adapted it for use in the home kitchen. (He grills. I pan-roast.) Brining gives the pork an incredible flavor, one amplified by the accompanying caramelized onions and apples. A drizzle of mock Bordelaise over the top elevates the whole enterprise: it's a meal for date nights and celebrations.

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves 6
  • 8tablespoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning chops
  • 2tablespoons freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning chops
  • 4cups apple cider, plus more as needed
  • 61½-inch-thick center-cut or loin-cut pork chops, bone in
  • 6tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

539 calories; 32 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 16 grams sugars; 42 grams protein; 884 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    To make the brine, dissolve the salt in ½ gallon of warm water in a large bowl. Add the pepper, pour in the apple cider and mix. Drop the pork chops into the brine and add enough additional apple cider so that the chops lurk in the liquid like frogs in a pond. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 72.

  2. Step 2

    To prepare the chops, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove chops from brine and dry with paper towels. Rub them with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season well with salt and black pepper.

  3. Step 3

    Heat the remaining olive oil in two oven-safe skillets and brown the chops, three to a pan, for 4 minutes a side. Place skillets in oven for 6 to 8 minutes and then remove chops to a warm platter. Cover loosely with foil and allow them to rest for about 10 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Serve with caramelized onions and apples, and drizzle with mock Bordelaise sauce.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
448 user ratings
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Comments

Mark

Brined for 8 hrs (threw a few garlic cloves, rosemary, and thyme into the mix). Cooked pork roughly as directed and got very tasty, tender, juicy chops. Cooked to 135 and let rest; maybe 138-40 would have been a better choice. Served with apple and caramelized onion compote -- a really easy, great meal. Note that brine adds plenty of saltiness so chops should NOT be salted again before cooking. Agree that "bordelaise" or other sauce is not needed.

Shaun

Brine itself, would add plenty of salt. Recipe should probably read; Rub with olive oil and season well with pepper only.

Tracey

Very salty. I definitely wouldn't add more salt after cooking!

Leslie Marqua

I used this with a pork roast and it was magic!

Sue

I'll be cooking 4 pork chops. Could I reduce salt to 1T as one person must reduce intake of salt? What about just soaking in the cider? Or maybe best to try a different recipe altogether.

m

Excellent. Brined it in water and salt and a cup of apple cider for about 2 hours. Seared it 2 minutes each side and then approx 8 minutes at 450 oven. Spectacular.

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