Sweet And Spicy Apricot-Glazed Pork Chops Recipe

Pork and fruit make for the perfect pairing — or pear-ing, if you're Jamie Oliver and like to make pork roast with a pear-peach-apple chutney. Recipe developer Julianne De Witt wanted to show apricots a little love in her glazed pork chop recipe. The apricot preserves she's using here complement the rich, fatty meat, while the glaze also has a hint of heat from crushed red pepper and a tiny bit of tang from lime juice. She says, "The flavors complement each other while not overpowering the taste of the pork."

If you prefer to use a different type of preserves, De Witt feels that peach would also work well. Another option would be to go with hot pepper jelly made with jalapeños to give the meat even more sweet heat. You could also spice up the glaze by adding extra crushed red pepper or stirring in a spoonful of fruity habanero hot sauce.

This is a fairly simple recipe, requiring just eight ingredients in all. In addition to the pork chops and apricot preserves, you'll also need salt, pepper, garlic, crushed red pepper, paprika, and lime juice.

Season the pork chops liberally on both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Prepare the glaze by placing a small saucepan over medium heat and adding the apricot preserves, garlic, dried chile, paprika, and lime juice. Stir.

Bring glaze to a light boil, then simmer and cook for 2 minutes, until thickened slightly.

Spray an ovenproof frying pan with cooking spray and place it over medium-high heat.

Sear the pork chops on both sides until browned, approximately 3 minutes per side.

Spoon half of the glaze over the pork chops.

Place the chops in the oven and cook for 4 minutes.

Remove the chops from the oven, flip, and spoon over the remaining glaze. Return to the oven for 4 minutes.

Turn the oven to broil, then broil the chops for 2 minutes, or until the tops have browned nicely and the internal temperature reads 145 F. Rest for 5 minutes.

Add the pork chops to a serving platter. Spoon the glaze over the chops and serve.

One problem with cooking pork chops is that they can dry out pretty quickly. For that reason, it's important to choose the right chops — De Witt goes with bone-in rib chops since she says the chops have a little fat to keep them juicy and flavorful, but she advises that you can also use loin chops. She cautions against using thin-cut, boneless chops, however, as these can easily be overcooked.

Once you've chosen your chops, there are a few more steps you can take to ensure that they stay as moist as possible. One is to bring them to room temperature before you cook them, as this will help them to heat more evenly. De Witt also notes that searing the chops before baking them helps to keep their moisture inside where it belongs. Finally, once the chops have cooked to 145 F (and not a degree higher), you should allow them to cool for 5 minutes before slicing into them. This resting period allows the meat to re-absorb all of its juices.

De Witt starts her apricot-glazed pork chops on the stove and finishes them off in the oven, making this recipe perfectly suited for any time of the year. If the weather is warm and you're itching to do some outdoor cooking, though, she says you can always adapt it to make on the grill.

If you have a gas grill where you can control the temperature, set it to 450 F. If you're using charcoal instead, heat the coals until they're glowing red. Once the grill is hot, sear the pork chops for a few minutes on each side. When this is done, move them away from the direct heat so they are off to the side, then finish cooking them for however long it takes for the temperature to reach 145 inside (a meat thermometer will be necessary). As De Witt explains, "Indirect heat is key here [because] cooking the pork with the glaze on at too high a temperature will cause it to burn."