Pork Chops & Apple Slaw (with Creamy Polenta)
True story… I grew up eating “Pork Chops & Apple Sauce.” It was one of the meals my dad would cook when mom wasn’t home. Thin boneless pork chops, pan fried until they were cooked right through! Unfortunately, this process left them quite dry and out of necessity created the classic paring of pork chops & apple sauce, that when combined added some much-needed moisture back into the pork.
Fast forward to the present and we now know that you do not have to over cook pork before eating it. So, for this Father’s Day, I reimagined the classic pairing of pork and apples. Starting with thick juicy, pink in the center chops, served over creamy polenta, with baby kale and a slightly spicy apple fennel slaw. This is legitimately one of the best meals I have ever eaten. The variety of texture, the brightness of flavours and the tenderness of the chops are mouth-wateringly good together! I am salivating just think about it!
Recipe created using the Hestan NanoBond 12.5-inch skillet and NanoBond 4-Quart saucepan NanoBond is perfect for the grill because it is heat tolerant to 1050°F and cleans up like new every time.
#HINT – Makes a perfect Father’s Day Gift!
Watch the process video.
Recipe created using the Hestan NanoBond 12.5-inch skillet and NanoBond 4-Quart saucepan and grilled on my 36″ Hestan freestanding Grill.
Proud Hestan Culinary and Hestan Ambassador. Opinions in this post are my own.
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Cheers! James & Elaine
Pork Chops & Apple Slaw (with Creamy Polenta)
Ingredients
- 3 thick cut frenched bone, pork chops (approximately 9 ounces each chop)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 9 sprigs of fresh thyme
- For serving
- 3 to 4 cups creamy polenta
- 3 cups apple slaw
- 1 ½ packed cups baby kale washed and dried
- 3 tablespoons apple slaw liquid
- Fresh dill leaves
Instructions
- Season the pork chops liberally with salt and freshly ground pepper and let sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before cooking.
- Preheat half the grill on high heat and the other half on low heat.
- In a bowl combine the kale with two tablespoons of the apple slaw liquid. Set aside until ready to serve.
- Place a Hestan Culinary 12.5" NanoBond Skillet over the low heat, then add the butter and thyme. Let the butter absorb the thyme flavour while you grill the chops (ensure the heat is low so the butter does not burn).
- Place the chops over the high heat and grill for about 4 minutes total. Turn the chops 90° at 1 minute, flip at 2 minutes, turn again at 3 minutes, then add to the skillet with butter & thyme at 4 minutes.
- Using a BBQ glove or oven mitt, move the hot pan over the high heat. When the butter begins to sizzle, spoon the butter and thyme over the pork chops to bath them in the hot butter. Continue to bath the chops for 3-5 minutes until the chops reach an internal temperature of 140°F-145°F (when cut into, the meat should be blushing pink in colour, not white).
- Remove to a plate and let rest while you prepare a platter (or individual plates).
- Spoon the warm polenta onto platter. Add the pork chops on top of the polenta. Divide the kale equally between the chops (leaving any excess liquid in the bowl. Add a pile of the apple-fennel slaw, onto the corner of the chop and spilling onto the kale. Garnish with a few dill leaves and serve.
- The ideal bite combines a little of each of the ingredients.
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