Jack Daniels Marinated Pork Chops

I am posting this recipe for my buddies on the Smoking Meats Forum – cfarmer, b-one, SeenRed and dirtsailor2003.  I made these Jack Daniels Marinated Pork Chops on Sunday, and I must say this is one of my favorite pork chop recipes.  Here’s my dinner on Sunday.  I made sautéed fresh green beans with sweet onions to go along with my delicious pork chops. To compliment my dinner, I made myself another one of my favorites – Mr. Jack Daniels and diet coke with a twist of lime! I saved one pork chop for Monday. My dinner (and libations) made up for my losing football teams ;o(

Here’s what I had for Monday night football.  I love having all of my veggies prepared and ready to cook (see post Fresh Veggies and Fresh Fruit – Rinse it Good!).  So putting together this delicious dinner was a breeze yesterday.  I sautéed some chopped squash,  carrots and sweet onions.  Served with a side of mixed greens (kale, spinach, green leaf lettuce and collard greens) tossed with a raspberry vinegarette dressing and topped with crumbled feta cheese! I am trying to eat a little healthier so I did NOT sauté my veggies in bacon fat.  I used olive oil instead.  FYI – just between me and you I would have preferred to use the bacon fat for sautéing! LOL.

Here’s the recipe Jack Daniels Marinated Pork Chops  from “The Roed to Good Cooking” cookbook on page 43. Enjoy!

Jack Daniels Marinated Pork Chops

Servings: 4

1/2 cup Jack Daniels

1/2 cup apple cider juice

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard

pinch Aleppo Pepper Flakes (you can use red pepper flakes)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

4 – 1/2″- 3/4″ bone-in pork chops

2 tablespoons canola oil (for frying the pork chops)

pinch kosher salt

ground black pepper

1 tablespoon butter (to finish off the Jack Daniels sauce)

Making the Jack Daniels marinade

In a medium bowl whisk together; Jack Daniels, apple cider juice, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, pinch of red pepper flakes, vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar.  Transfer about 1/4 cup of the marinade to a baking pan (or a gallon size Ziploc bag).  Add the pork chops to pan – turn to coat with marinade on both sides.

Cover pan with plastic wrap and marinade in the fridge for 1 hour and 30 minutes.  After marinating time (of 1 hour and 30 min)  flip the pork chops over and continue to marinade on the other side for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Put plastic wrap over rest of marinade and store in the fridge until you are ready to make the Jack Daniels sauce.

NOTE – If you are using a Ziploc bag to marinate your pork chops, make sure you turn the bag to coat all of the pork chops during the marinating process.

After the marinating time, remove pork chops from marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. Season pork chops with kosher salt and ground black pepper.

Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Cook pork chops 2-3 minutes per side.

After cooking time transfer pork chops to a platter and cover with aluminum foil.

SLOWLY add reserved Jack Daniels mixture to your skillet and bring to a boil. Scrap up browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon.  Cook on medium high heat for 3-5 minutes or until the sauce reduces down to a  glaze. Watch the glaze closely during the last few minutes of cooking.  The bubbles will become small as it approaches the right consistency.  Whisk in butter to finish sauce and reduce the heat to medium low.

Return pork chops back to skillet along with any accumulated juices.  Simmer 5-6 minutes on low heat.  Cover pan with a lid and continue to simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes.  Make sure you turn pork chops at least once to coat both sides with the sauce.

Remove pork chops to a servings platter, drizzle with pan sauce and serve with your favorite side dish.. Enjoy!