Sous Vide Apple Pork Chops
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Whenever the topic of cooking pork comes up, for whatever reason, the first ingredient my mind jumps to is Angry Orchard. I’ve used Angry Orchard as a marinade in the past and it truly makes for a spectacular brine.
I recently received an immersion circulator, so I’ve been practicing my sous viding on all of my favorite recipes. I thought this might be the perfect excuse to see what happens when you sous vide Angry Orchard pork chops!
Traditionally, meat is not marinated prior to being sous vide. Since this recipe is calling for an alcohol based marinade, keep in mind that the alcohol won’t evaporate away while it’s cooking. If you don’t drink alcohol or can’t obtain any, apple cider vinegar works just as well, just mix it into water in a 1:1 ratio.
Vacuum seal the pork chops, two to a bag, along with the garlic, paprika, onion powder, brown sugar and garlic powder. I used about a quarter cup of my Angry Orchard in each bags and reserved the rest for the apple topping. Don’t add too much liquid to the bags or else it will just make it impossible to vacuum seal the bags.
Let the pork chops sous vide at 190ºF. I used my Anova immersion circulator to keep my water at a constant temperature for two hours. I totally forgot to take pictures during this stage, very much because this is a “set it and forget it” recipe…therefore I set it and literally forgot about it for about two hours.
About fifteen minutes prior to removing the pork chops from their bags, add the chopped apples to a skillet with the remaining garlic and paprika. Pour about a half cup of the remaining Angry Orchard into the pan and simmer until the apples have softened and the liquid has mostly evaporated. Pour the sauce over the pork chops and serve. I quickly seared my sous vide pork chops on a grill pan for aesthetic reasons, but the chops are totally great without this extra step!
Sous Vide Apple Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops trimmed of fat
- 1 apple chopped
- 12 oz Angry Orchard Hard Cider
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons garlic minced
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoons onion powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring your water to 190ºF with an immersion circulator or closely monitored candy thermometer.
- In a bowl, stir together the garlic, brown sugar, lemon juice, then half of the onion powder, paprika, and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spread the garlic mixture over the tops of each pork chop. Place the chops in vacuum bags (two per bag) then add a quarter cup of hard cider to each bag – do not overfill. Carefully vacuum seal the bags.
- Place the bags in the water bath and set a timer for one hour and forty-five minutes.
- When the timer goes off, start the apple sauce. Peel and chop the apple then add to a hot skillet with the two tablespoons of garlic, then add the remaining halves of the spices. Pour in a half cup of Angry Orchard, then simmer for fifteen minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Remove the pork chops from their bags. Throw away any remaining liquid.
- Optional step: quickly sear the pork chops on a grill pan over high heat.
- Pour the apple sauce over the pork chops. Serve right away and enjoy!
