Pork Chops

(All Recipes have Gluten-Free Options)

Roast Pork Chops with Apple Sauce, Chimichurri & Crackling

In this recipe from the cookbook, ‘For the Love of Food’, Chef Paul Ainsworth gives the traditional pork chop an extra punch with the addition of the Latin American sauce, Chimichurri. It works particularly well with the salty pork crackling and the sweet yet slightly tart apple sauce. It’s a lively dish perfect on any day, be it May or the midst of the winter. (I’ve slightly changed the preparation of the crackling and chops from the original recipe).

4 pork chops

2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Apple Sauce:

2 Bramly apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

100ml cider

20g caster sugar

3 sprigs thyme, leaves picked

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced

For the Chimichurri:

60g flat leaf parsley, stalks included

60g coriander, stalks included

15g oregano, leaves picked

1 garlic clove, peeled

½ teaspoon chilli flakes

1 teaspoon ground cumin

80ml olive oil

60ml cider vinegar

For the Crackling:

1-2 tablespoons malt vinegar

Sea salt

  1. First of all make the crackling: cut off the rind from the chops. Score the rinds a couple of times. Pour boiling water over each piece, dry it, and sprinkle over the malt vinegar, rubbing it in, finally sprinkle with salt. Leave to one side for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, place on a baking tray and cook in the oven, 200’c, for 30 minutes until crisp. Leave to one side until ready to serve.
  2. To make the apple sauce, take a medium saucepan and add the Bramley apple, cider, sugar and thyme leaves. Cover with a lid and cook over a high heat, stirring occasionally. The apples will soften quickly. Once smooth, add the lemon juice. Set to one side; when ready to serve, gently reheat and add the diced Granny Smith apple.
  3. To make the Chimichurri, add all the ingredients to a liquidizer or food processor and blitz.
  4. For the Chops, lightly oil and season with salt and pepper, then place in a hot pan over a moderate heat and brown on each side. When the chops are browned place on a baking tray and cook in the oven, 200’c fan, for about 10 minutes depending on their thickness (a meat probe will read around 47’c). Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10minutes.
  5. Carve each chop and serve with the apple sauce, chimichurri and crackling.

Pork Chops with Plum and Chinese Spices (Serves 4)

This is a real ‘crowd pleaser’ from Diana Henry’s cook book, ‘Pure Simple Cooking’; as the name of the book promises, this recipe is effortless but with plenty of flavour. All you need to accompany it is some rice and greens – I particularly like a watercress salad or tenderstem broccoli.

450g (about 8) plums, preferably crimson-fleshed ones

4 pork chops, bone in and partly trimmed of fat

5 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

1 teaspoon ginger

1 medium fresh red chilli, seeded and finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

Juice of ½ orange

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

  1. Halve and pit the plums and if they are quite large cut them into quarters. Lay the chops in a shallow ovenproof dish and tuck the plums in around them where they can lie in a single layer without overlapping.
  2. Mix together the honey, five-spice powder, ginger, chilli, garlic, orange juice, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour over the chops, turning everything to make sure they are well coated. Bake for 45 minutes in a preheated oven, 190’c fan, until cooked through.

Walnut-Crusted Pork Chops with Figs (Serves 6)

This is an unusual dish from Rick Steins cookbook ‘From Venice to Istanbul’, this particular recipe originates from Croatia. Not only are the chops crusted with walnuts tasty, but the buttery fig sauce is delicious!…

6 large thick-cut pork chops

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

100g walnuts, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

40g butter, softened

125ml white wine

200g dried figs, finely chopped

125ml chicken stock

To finish:

30 g butter

1 tablespoon parsley, roughly chopped

Juice ½ lemon

  1. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper and score the flesh with a sharp knife. In a shallow roasting tine mix the cinnamon, nutmeg and walnuts, add the olive oil to make a paste and roll the chops in the nut mixture, pushing the crumb into the flesh.
  2. Melt the butter in a large frying pan and brown the chops two at a time, being careful not to burnt he walnuts. This will take a few minutes each side. Then return all the chops to the pan, cover with a lid and cook over a low-medium heat for about 10 minutes.
  3. Remove the pork chops to a warmed plated and cover with foil to keep them warm. Deglaze the pan with white wine, reduce by half, then add the chopped figs and chicken stock and season to taste. Finally, whisk in the butter, parsley and lemon juice.
  4. Serve the pork chops with the sauce spooned over.

Chilli-Rubbed Pork Chops with Charred-Corn Salsa (Serves 4)

This is another incredibly tasty recipe from the cookbook ‘Five Marys Ranch Raised’. To create the wonderful chargrill flavour you do need to use a griddle pan (or a BBQ). The pork chops are seasoned with a chilli rub, I use a mild chilli powder but if you prefer a hotter kick you can of course use hot chilli powder. The sweet-smoky corn salsa makes this recipe extra special – chargrilling the corn cobs creates a delicious, sweet BBQ flavour. The pork chops are cut relatively thinly, so are ready in minutes; it really is a perfect quick dinner dish, just serve with a big salad, and with either ‘Roasted Cauliflower with Chilli & Lime’ or ‘Homemade Oven Chips’ (recipes here).

For the Pork:

4 pork chops (bone in), ¼ inch thick

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon chilli powder (see note above)

1½ teaspoons salt flakes

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

For the Salsa:

2 corn on the cob

2 slices red onion, each ½inch thick

Olive oil

Large bunch of fresh coriander, leaves finely chopped plus a few sprigs to garnish

1 small green jalapeno, seeded and chopped finely

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Sea salt and black pepper

  1. In a small bowl mix together the olive oil, garlic, chilli powder, salt, paprika and oregano to form a paste. Spread the paste evenly over the chops and set aside at room temperature for up to 30 minutes.
  2. To make the salsa, brush the corn cobs and the onion slices with olive oil. Heat a griddle pan until very hot, then place the corn in the hot pan and cook, turning, until tender and slightly charred – about 7-10 minutes. Cook the onion slices in the same way, they will need less time – about 5 minutes.
  3. Cut the corn from the cobs and finely chop the onion. Combine the corn and onion in a bowl with the chopped coriander, jalapeno, lime juice and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Put to one side.
  4. Reheat the griddle pan until smoking hot and place the pork chops on the pan, griddle for 2-3 minutes, so they get lovely chargrilled marks, then turn and cook for a further 1-2 minutes, until the chops are cooked through.
  5. Transfer to a serving plate to rest for a few minutes before serving with the corn salsa, garnished with the coriander sprigs. It is delicious served with ‘Roasted Cauliflower with Chilli & Lime’ or ‘Homemade Oven Chips’ – recipes here.

Pork Chops with Pears & Crackling (Serves 4) 

This is one of our family’s favourites, a real ‘hug on a plate’ – a beautiful creamy dish. I found the recipe years ago in a magazine, the cutting is now rather dog-eared, as I’ve cooked it so many times! The crackling, which is made from the rind of the chops, is my personal addition to the recipe and one which, I must admit, is one of my more brilliant ideas(!); it is really worth making as it makes this dish extra special. I like to serve this with my ‘favourite’ mashed potato or, if I’m feeling a little lazy, jacket potatoes, and for some greenery I like tenderstem broccoli with lemon butter and almonds (all recipes are here).

1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

4 pork chops

4 bushy sprigs of thyme, leaves picked and chopped

2 medium pears

15g butter

200ml dry cider

150ml double cream

Sea salt and Black pepper

For the Crackling

1-2 tablespoons malt vinegar

Sea salt

  1. First of all make the crackling: cut off the rind from the chops. Score the rinds a couple of times. Pour boiling water over each piece, dry it, and sprinkle over the malt vinegar, rubbing it in, finally sprinkle with salt. Leave to one side for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, place on a baking tray and cook in the oven, 200’c, for 30 minutes until crisp.
  2. Meanwhile, lightly oil the chops, sprinkle over the thyme and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Halve and core the pears, cut into large dice. Melt the butter in a frying pan and cook the diced pear until golden and slightly caramelised on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  4. In the same pan brown the chops on each side over a moderate heat. When browned place on a baking tray and cook in the oven, 200’c fan, for 10 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, deglaze the frying pan with the cider, stirring to dissolve any sticky residue that the chops have left behind. Boil and reduce the cider for 3-4 minutes.
  6. Add the cream, whisk lightly to mix in and allow to bubble down for a minute or so.
  7. Return the chops and the pears to the pan to reheat everything. Check the seasoning. Serve with the crackling, mashed potato or jacket potatoes and tenderstem broccoli (recipes here).

Click here to see the video of the crackling being made!