When cooked properly, pork chops can be really good, but when brushed with this sweet bourbon glaze, they are downright incredible…
Bourbon is naturally sweet on its own, but when it is paired with brown sugar, maple syrup and apple cider vinegar, it is transformed into a rich, sticky glaze that brings the absolute best out of your pork chops.
Let’s get started…
Begin by preparing your pork chops. I recommend using thick cut bone-in pork chops to give you the best flavor and juiciness, but this glaze will work perfectly on any cuts of pork.
About 30 minutes before you want to get started, set your pork chops out at room temperature. Just like with beef, placing an ice cold pork chop on a hot skillet will make the meat seize up and become tough, so it is best to allow the pork to come to room temperature before cooking.
Once the pork is at room temperature, use a fork to poke a few holes into the meat to both tenderize and to allow the spices to work their way inside.
Pat them dry with paper towels and generously season with a blend of 1 teaspoon of sea salt, 1 teaspoon of ground mustard, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon of paprika and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper and set them aside for now.
Make the sweet bourbon glaze…
Place a small saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and as soon as it has melted, cook 2 cloves of finely minced garlic for about 60 seconds while stirring consistently. Now stir in 1/2 cup of bourbon, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey, 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a pinch of sea salt and bring to a simmer.
Simmer the glaze, stirring occasionally, until it has reduced slightly and deepened in color. At this point, transfer the glaze off of the heat and start your pork chops.
Place a large skillet over medium heat and add a few tablespoons of a neutral oil.
Let the skillet get warm for a few minutes and then place your seasoned pork chops down leaving some space in between them.
Once the bottom of the pork chops develop a golden brown crust, flip them and add your first layer of sweet bourbon glaze…
You can either brush the glaze over your pork chops or spoon it over, but once you add your first layer, you are going to flip the pork chops every 60 seconds or so adding another layer of glaze each time you flip them until they are cooked through with an internal temperature of 140 degrees.
My chops were pretty thick and it took about 9 minutes total to cook them to 140 degrees internally, but as soon as they reach this temperature, transfer them off of the heat so they do not over cook and dry out.
When you have used all of the glaze in your saucepan, begin spooning some of the caramelized glaze from the bottom of the skillet over the chops. The sauce gets thicker and more sticky as the pork chops cook.
Once the pork chops are cooked and your sauce is deeply golden and sticky, nestle your pork chops over some creamy mashed potatoes and spoon any of the leftover sauce over them.
I made a batch of my spiced apple chutney to pair with these pork chops because I am a huge fan of pork and apples together. It ended up being a wonderful addition to this meal and I would highly recommend it!
These sweet bourbon glazed pork chops are a dinner that I would serve to someone I really want to impress. The way that the glaze enhances the pork chops is fabulous making them feel luxurious and special.
Sweet Bourbon Glazed Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in thick cut pork chops
- 2 tablespoons of a neutral oil
Dry Rub
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1 teaspoon of ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
Sweet Bourbon Glaze
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 cup of bourbon
- 1/4 cup of brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey
- 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
- a pinch of sea salt
Instructions
Prepare the pork chops...
- 30 minutes before cooking, transfer the pork chops out of the refrigerator to come to room temperature
- Combine the dry rub spices
- Prep the pork chops by patting them dry with paper towels and using a fork to poke a few holes throughout
- Season all sides of each pork chop generously with the dry rub mixture and set aside for now
Make the sweet bourbon glaze...
- Place a saucepan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of butter
- Once the butter has melted, add 2 finely minced garlic cloves and cook while stirring for 60 seconds
- Add 1/2 cup of bourbon, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey, 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a pinch of sea salt and bring to a simmer
- Simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, and as soon as it begins to thicken, transfer the saucepan off of the heat
Make the pork chops...
- Place a large skillet over medium to medium high heat and add a few tablespoons of a neutral oil
- Add the seasoned pork chops and sear for about 2 minutes on the first side
- Reduce the heat to medium, flip the pork chops and brush with the sweet bourbon glaze
- Cook the pork chops for 3-4 minutes, flip again and brush with additional bourbon glaze
- Continue flipping and brushing with glaze every 60 seconds or so until the pork chops are cooked through with an internal temperature of 140 degrees (reduce the heat if the glaze begins to burn)
- Serve the pork chops over mashed potatoes with a dollop of apple chutney (optional)
