Apple & apricot pork chops

The slow cooker is a fantastic tool for the busy wanna-be chef. They come in really handy for soups, roasts, chops, shanks, and any other cut of meat that is best braised. Most slow cookers these days will automatically switch to a warm setting once they have finished cooking. Most of us are uncomfortable leaving the house with an oven on or pot simmering, right? I have no reservations leaving a slow cooker whatsoever.

3–4 thick pork chops
1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons (30 ml) avocado oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups (300 g) onion, sliced
2 teaspoons ginger, minced
1 cup (250 mL) chicken stock
¼ cup (60 mL) apple cider vinegar
¼ cup (60 mL) dry sherry
1 cup (150 g) dried apricots, chopped
1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground nutmeg
1½ tablespoons fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1½ cups (150 g) apples, chopped

1. Rub salt and pepper over pork chops. Heat avocado oil in large skillet. Brown pork chops over high heat (about 3 minutes per side).
2. Remove from skillet and place in bottom of slow cooker.
3. Return skillet to stovetop and reduce heat to medium to melt butter. Add onion and cook until they begin to soften. Add ginger and cook until fragrant (a few minutes).
4. Pour in stock, vinegar, and sherry. Now add the apricots, nutmeg, sage leaves, and cinnamon stick. Bring this to a simmer for 1–2 minutes.
5. While simmering, place chopped apple over the pork chops in crock pot.
6. Pour the contents of skillet over chops and apples.
7. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
8. When cooking is done remove contents from crock pot to serving plate. Careful, the meat will be very tender and may fall from bones. I recommend that you use a slotted spatula. Pour remaining liquid in sauce pan and reduce over medium heat. Pour over chops as a sauce.

Variations—Replace apples with pears or mango. Feel free to swap out sherry for additional stock if you so choose.

Plan Ahead—Have ingredients measured out ahead of time. You can get this dish started on a lunch break and eat it that night.

Hint—This dish will freeze well if there happen to be leftovers.

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Apple and apricot pork chops are slow-cooker magic for a cold evening. Thick chops are seared hard, then braised low with sweet onion, ginger, dried apricots, warm spices, and a sharp-sweet broth of apple cider vinegar and sherry until the meat barely needs a knife.

Pro Tips

• Sear the chops over high heat before they go in the slow cooker — that crust is the only chance you get to build savoury depth in a slow braise.
• The vinegar and sherry balance the sweetness of the apricots and apple; don't skip the apple cider vinegar or the sauce can taste flat and jammy.
• Layer the chopped apple over the chops and pour the skillet contents over everything so the fruit braises gently on top without turning to mush.
• The meat will be fall-apart tender after 3 hours on high or 6 on low, so lift everything out with a slotted spatula and keep the chops in one piece.
• Reduce the cooking liquid at the end until it's a glossy sauce — it concentrates all that apricot and spice flavour into something worth pouring over everything.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use bone-in pork chops?

Yes, thick bone-in chops are ideal here — the bone adds flavour to the braise and the meat stays juicy through the long cook. Just handle them gently when serving since they'll be very tender.

Are dried apricots paleo?

Dried fruit in moderation fits most paleo approaches; look for unsulphured apricots with no added sugar. They're doing the sweetening here, so there's no refined sugar in the dish.

Can I make this without a slow cooker?

Braise it covered in a 325°F (165°C) oven for about 2 hours after the sear, until the chops are tender, then reduce the sauce on the stovetop as written.

What should I serve with these pork chops?

Mashed cauliflower is the natural pairing to soak up the apricot sauce, along with simply roasted green vegetables to cut the sweetness.

Recipe Card

Stav Kogan

Apple & apricot pork chops

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Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 3–4 thick pork chops
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp avocado oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 cups (300 g) onion, sliced
• 2 tsp ginger, minced
• 1 cup (250 mL) chicken stock
• ¼ cup (60 mL) apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup (60 mL) dry sherry
• 1 cup (150 g) dried apricots, chopped
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Rub salt and pepper over pork chops. Heat avocado oil in large skillet. Brown pork chops over high heat (about 3 minutes per side).
• Return skillet to stovetop and reduce heat to medium to melt butter. Add onion and cook until they begin to soften. Add ginger and cook until fragrant (a few minutes).

Method

 

1. Remove from skillet and place in bottom of slow cooker.
2. Pour in stock, vinegar, and sherry. Now add the apricots, nutmeg, sage leaves, and cinnamon stick.
3. Bring this to a simmer for 1–2 minutes.
4. While simmering, place chopped apple over the pork chops in crock pot.
5. Pour the contents of skillet over chops and apples.
6. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
7. When cooking is done remove contents from crock pot to serving plate. Careful, the meat will be very tender and may fall from bones. I recommend that you use a slotted spatula.
8. Pour remaining liquid in sauce pan and reduce over medium heat.
9. Pour over chops as a sauce.

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