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Tandoori-Orange Spiced Pork Chops

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Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 4 pork chops
  • 1/2 cup kosher salt (for brine)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (for brine)
  • 1 tablespoon Tandoori spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 1 orange, sectioned (see Beyond Salmon's cool step by step), reserving the 2 ends & the middle membrane for juice
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 1 pint sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Instructions
 

Brine the Pork Chop:

  • This step is purely optional, but I've found that when I brine chicken or pork chop, it never dries out even if I accidentally overcook the chops. But I understand if you don't have time, no big deal, just skip this step. Or, if your chops are really thin, don't bother. Grab a big pot. Take the salt and brown sugar, dissolve in 2 cups of hot water. Add cold water and ice cubes to make total of gallon total of brine. Place pork chops in the cooled brine, refrigerate between 1 hour-2 hours. Rinse and pat dry. Season with Tandoori spice and ground pepper (no salt! its salty enough from brine) Note: If you want the chops to be brined for a longer period of time, just use less salt/sugar. Sometimes I put the meat in brine in the morning, go to work and come home to cook. I'll just use half the amount of salt/sugar.

Fry the Pork Chop:

  • In a pan large enough to hold all chops without touching each other, heat over high. Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil. When hot and shimmering, add pork chops to pan. Fry 2 minutes without moving, touching or peeking.
  • Ok, now look - a nice brown crust! Flip the chops, turn the heat to medium-low and let it finish cooking through (internal temp 125.) Timing really depends on how thick your chops are. Really thin chops - just a couple of minutes. Thicker chops - cover the pan after flipping to get more heat in the pan. Really thick chops - best to stick it in the oven after flipping, 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Check the internal temp. Remove chops from pan, let rest on plate while you make sauce.

Make the Sauce:

  • Pour out all but 1 tablespoon of the pan drippings (most of it is fat). Place back on stovetop on medium heat. Add onions and cook until golden, soft and totally fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, cook another 2 minutes.
  • Turn up heat to high and add wine. Stir and scrape up the bottom of pan. Cook 1 minute. Add chicken broth and the orange sections. Take the orange ends and membranes, squeeze whatever remaining juice remains into the pan and discard. Cook 1 minute.
  • Swirl in the 1 tablespoon of butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the sauce until it becomes thick, coating the back of a spoon. Pour on top of the chops.
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