Bourbon Maple Pork Chops with Apples
If you've read my blog very much, you know I am a huge fan of the Pioneer Woman! I've tried a ton of her recipes including Spicy Whiskey BBQ Sliders, Roasted Red Pepper Pasta, Cinnamon Chip Scones, Steak Butter...you get the point. Well, last weekend I got to meet her! She was the celebrity chef at a food show in the city we used to live in.
My husband and I bought tickets several months ago, so I've been looking forward to it for a long time! The whole weekend was wonderful; we got to visit some of our favorite local restaurants and places. The actual food show included tons of venders letting us sample delicious treats from all across KY. We sampled ice cream, popcorn, cheeses, country ham, bacon, sauces, and so much more!
While we enjoyed the show in general, we were most excited about the Pioneer Woman! We showed up an hour and a half before the show started to ensure we were one of the 150 that got to get a book signed by her. It was so crazy to actually meet her, since I watch her show all the time on Food Network. I probably acted a little weird...I was super star struck! She was as friendly and nice as she appears on TV.
The main event, though, was a food demonstration by Pioneer Woman. She cooked, answered questions, and told some hilarious stories! For the cooking demonstration, she did a twist on her pork chops and apple recipe replacing the white wine with a KY staple - bourbon. The food looked (and smelled) delicious, so we didn't wait too long to try her recipe ourselves.
Bourbon Maple Pork Chops with Apples ingredients:
- 6 boneless pork chops (we used thin breakfast chops)
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 tbs butter
- 2 whole gala apples
- 1/2 cup bourbon
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- Dash salt
- Dash ground black pepper
Bourbon Maple Pork Chops with Apples instructions:
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium high heat
- Salt and pepper one side of the pork chops and place in skillet seasoned side down
- Season the other side of the pork chops
- Cook each side of the pork chop for about 2 mins to get a nice sear on the chops
- Continue cooking the chops until they are done, flipping back and forth between the sides as needed
- Once pork chops are finished cooking, remove from the skillet
- Leave the butter and oil in the skillet and reduce heat to low medium
- Toss in the apples and coat them in the butter and oil
- Pour in the bourbon and apple cider vinegar
- Scrape the bottom of the of the skillet to mix in the seasonings
- Cook the apple mixture until the liquid is reduced by half, approximately 5 mins
- Mix in syrup, salt, and pepper
- Add pork chops back into the skillet and simmer for 20 minutes
