Month: September 2026

Bourbon Maple Fig Glazed Pork Chops

It’s still a million degrees here in Louisiana, so I tweaked a favorite pork chop recipe to emulate Fall flavors, but one I can grill to lessen the amount of heat I produce in my kitchen this week. I’m so envious of all the cool-weather content and recipes coming across my socials. Meanwhile, the temp is resting at 97 degrees here. We haven’t seen rain in weeks, and the whole parish is under a burn ban, lest we turn into a tinderbox. So, if I can’t have Fall weather, I’ll take Fall flavors.

These pork chops are the perfect combination of savory, sweet, and smoky, and if you cook them properly, they’re juicy and tender. I paired them with a Sweet Potato and Blue Cheese Gratin and roasted green beans.

Bourbon Maple Fig Glazed Pork Cops

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Main Course
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 6 thick cut bone-in pork chops
Sauce
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1-1/2 cups ketchup
  • 1-1/4 cups apple juice
  • 1 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup bourbon
  • 1/2 cup dried figs approx. 4-5 depending on size, stems removed
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Method
 

Pork Chop Prep
  1. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Sprinkle evenly over pork chops and refrigerate at least 2 hours, preferably up to 8.
Sauce
  1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 7-10 minutes. Add vinegar and brown sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Add ketchup, apple juice, maple syrup, figs, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne, and salt and pepper, stirring to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Using an immersion blender (or food processor), puree sauce until smooth. Remove 1 cup of sauce for basting the pork chops. Keep remaining sauce warm for serving alongside cooked chops.
Grill and Assembly
  1. Preheat one side of the grill to medium-high heat, and the other to low heat. Remove pork chops from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Oil the grill grates before cooking the chops.
  2. Place pork chops on the hotter side of the grill and sear the first side for approximately five minutes, or until grill marks are set. Repeat on other side of the pork chops, then move them to the cooler side of the grill to finish cooking. Cook until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chops registers 140 degrees F. Time will vary based on chop thickness and your grill.
  3. Brush both sides of pork chops with reserved sauce, and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F and glaze has set.
  4. Remove chops and transfer to a cutting board. Tent with foil and let the chops rest for 7-10 minutes. Serve whole or sliced with warm sauce.
    5. You can also cook these in a cast-iron skillet. Sear chops on both sides, glaze, and finishing cooking in a 375-degree F oven until they reach temp.
    An instant-read thermometer is a kitchen essential that you can find everywhere and cheaply. My local grocery store has them for about 15 bucks. This will save you from the "is it cooked" guessing game. Pork is notoriously easy to overcook if you are cooking based on time rather than temperature.
    Sauce can be made ahead and reheated on low heat.

Though I included this in the notes, I cannot stress enough that cooking to temperature rather than time on any meat is what separates joy from disappointment. I HATED pork growing up because my mother, (rest her soul), cooked pork to death for of fear we’d all get worms. She was pretty obsessive about food safety and threw out any meat that looked at her wrong (especially “too-puffy” chicken packages). Anyway, meat is at a premium right now, and we are all stretching our grocery budgets, so it doesn’t make sense to risk a $$ cut of meat on a wing and a prayer. The thermometer is your friend.

 

Cooking My Books plus Weekly Meal Plan

Screenshot

Screenshot

Screenshot

After a brutally long, hot summer, I’m finally settling back into some semblance of a routine. And part of that routine involves more intentional meal planning from my large cookbook library. I was pretty uninspired in the kitchen over the last few months, and finally decided to carve out the time to pull a few books each week, take an hour to browse, and create a weekly menu that is do-able but still enticing.

Part of the impetus for this effort came from feeling fairly disenchanted with social media recipes that flood my feed; some are great, but others are untested or are more about monetized views than quality products. Viral doesn’t mean good, sometimes. I decided that letting my library sit stagnant was just silly, and I needed to stop being lazy.

So let’s hop into this week if you are looking for meal inspiration. At the end of the week, I will update this post with thoughts/reviews.

Sunday

I made Lemony White Bean Dip with Roasted Tomatoes from Everything Delish (pictured above) for happy hour. I was testing this recipe for future hosting gigs, and it was a hit. Even my skeptical husband liked it. The lemon brightens the beans and the tomatoes have the perfect pop of sweetness and texture. I am also pretty sure this doesn’t contain any dairy, so it will be a good choice when our vegan friend joins us.

For lunch, I made a brie, bacon, and blueberry grilled cheese with fresh thyme. No recipe, just used what I had on hand.

Next, I played around and made what I am calling French Onion Beef Tips with Gruyere and Crouton Breadcrumbs. I honestly made this up as I went along after chatting with a local chef about idea for the upcoming fall menu at the restaurant. I need to test it a few more times but will eventually post the recipe once I feel confident that it is exactly how I want it. The problem with a gastronomy degree and chef friends is that when an idea takes hold, I obsess until I try to create it for real.

I paired this with a spinach salad with apples, candied curry pecans, goat cheese, and a maple-Dijon vinaigrette. Also Roasted Garlic Asiago Bread from The Bread Machine Cookbook.

Monday

It’s a busy day with workers at the house, so I will be making Thanksgiving sliders. I really don’t have a recipe for this per se. I layer turkey, gouda, (maybe ham), cranberry sauce and prepared stuffing mix onto Hawaiian rolls. Then I mix up some melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and Dijon, brush this over the assembled sliders and bake at 350F until toasty and gooey. I’ll probably serve these with honey roasted carrots

Update–only got a picture of the pre-cooked sliders because the afternoon went haywire and dinner ended up being later. I made the mistake of purchasing a different brand of stuffing mix, and the preparation was more extensive than my usual Stove Top (for this recipe). I also used up the last teaspoon of some “everything bagel seasoning” in the topping in order to clear it out of my pantry.

Tuesday

I will be retesting a version of my favorite glazed grilled pork chops, and if it passes, I’ll post the recipe later this week. To go with this, I am making a Sweet Potato Gratin with Blue Cheese from the book Gather and Graze by Stephanie Izard, and roasted green beans.

Update–This was a great dinner, and my final test of the recipe was successful in my opinion. The recipe has been posted. The gratin was a success, as always and I love this recipe for its simplicity in preparation yet depth of flavor.

Wednesday

Feeling nostalgic, so I will make Chicken Divan from You Got This! (pictured above), which I will pair with French Onion Rice and biscuits with seasoned butter. The rice is the basic “stick of butter” rice all over the internet, but I only use 1/2 a stick and it works out fine.

Update–This was an easy, low-effort meal that was perfect after a stressful day.

Thursday

Chili Lime Marinated Flank Steak and Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas also from You Got This! (pictured above), along with Mexican Street Corn (just out of the can with some cheese added for topping).

Update–This meal was a hit. I loved pairing the steak with the enchiladas. Picky husband loved it as well. My only note on the enchilada recipe is that it made a lot more filling than expected. I had a bunch left over so I made burritos and froze them for lunches next week. I did make her homemade enchilada sauce, which was quick and easy using ingredients I had on hand. I think that it was worth ten extra minutes of effort because it didn’t have that “chemically” taste that I sometimes detect in canned enchilada sauce. Thus far, every recipe I’ve tried from this book has worked well for me, so I can say I this book is a keeper for my library.

Friday

Chicken Riggies from Sip & Feast (pictured above) with roasted asparagus and some type of bread in the bread machine (also from the book mentioned previously), likely a rosemary or other herby bread. Just haven’t decided yet.

Update–This was probably my least favorite dinner this week. The pasta was fine, I just thought it was kind of underwhelming. However, this was just my opinion. I’ve made several other recipes from this book that were very successful, so maybe I was just having an off night.

So, that’s the plan for the week. Check back for updates and reviews.