Roadhouse Pork Chops with Cherry Pepper Pan Sauce
Juicy pork chops get a quick cherry pepper pan sauce that tastes like a roadside supper without the long drive.
Prep: 10 · Cook: 30 · Total: 40 · Serves: 4 · Difficulty: Easy · Rating: 4.8/5 (83 reviews)
INSPIRED BY
This original dinner takes the sweet-hot pepper sauce often found beside counter-griddle meats and gives it a quick skillet treatment. The sauce is bright enough to cut through pork and rich enough for mashed potatoes.
Story
At a diner outside Amarillo, I watched a cook finish pork chops with a handful of cherry peppers and a splash of vinegar, then slide the whole plate across the counter without ceremony. I tried to recreate it at home and learned that thick chops are the wrong tool for a fast pan sauce; they overcook before the sauce reduces. Thin chops, hot skillet, short rest. The peppers do the talking.
By Theo
Ingredients
- 4 boneless pork chops, about 1/2 inch thick
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup sliced sweet cherry peppers, drained
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 4 cups prepared mashed potatoes
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Pat the pork chops dry and season both sides with salt, smoked paprika, and black pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sear the chops for 3 minutes per side until browned and cooked through; transfer to a plate.
- Lower the heat to medium, add the butter and garlic, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant without browning the garlic.
- Add the cherry peppers, broth, and cider vinegar, scraping up the browned bits from the pan.
- Simmer the sauce for 4 to 5 minutes until slightly reduced, then stir in the parsley and any juices from the resting pork.
- Spoon the sauce over the pork chops and mashed potatoes, and serve with lemon wedges.
Chef Tips
- Thin chops cook quickly, so pull them as soon as the center reaches 145 F.
- Do not rinse the cherry peppers; the little bit of brine helps season the sauce.
- If the sauce reduces too far, add a splash of broth before serving.
- Swap sweet cherry peppers for mild banana peppers if that is what your store carries.
Cook's Notes
- **Pork:** Use chops of even thickness so they finish together.
- **Sauce:** Scrape the browned fond before the broth goes in.
- **Temperature:** Rest the chops while the sauce reduces, then return their juices to the pan.