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

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Course: Main Course

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

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• 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.
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.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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.