Pork Chops with Apricot Butter Sauce

Juicy, spice-rubbed pork chops paired with a tangy, buttery apricot glaze—perfect with your favorite veggie and grain.

Yield: 1 pork chop
Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cook Time: 25-30
Special Equipment: Sauté pan

Ingredients

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp smoked jalapeño powder

• 1 tsp Trader Joe’s Fermented Black Garlic

• 1 tbsp neutral oil olive, avocado, or grapeseed

• Kosher salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

• 1 tbsp brine from lacto-fermented chilies optional but amazing

• 1 tbsp finely chopped preserved lemon peel rind only, no flesh

• ¼ cup apricot jam

• 2 garlic cloves, minced or 1 tbsp roasted garlic

• 1½ cups homemade vegetable broth

• 2–3 tbsp unsalted butter, added one pat at a time

• Salt to taste

  Optional Sides:

• Frozen green beans or any favorite vegetable

• Quinoa, rice, or mashed potatoes

Directions

1. Spice Rub & Marination:

   Toast paprika, onion powder, cumin, smoked jalapeño powder, and fermented black garlic in a dry skillet over medium heat for 4 minutes.

   Grind into a powder using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.

   Mix with neutral oil to form a paste.

   Rub paste all over pork chop. Add salt, pepper, fermented chili brine, and preserved lemon peel.

   Let marinate for 10–20 minutes while prepping sides and pan.

2. Pan-Sear the Pork:

   Heat a skillet over medium to medium-high until hot and shimmering.

   Lay pork chop down away from you for safety.

   If cooking multiple chops, wait 20 seconds between adding each one.

   Sear for 5 minutes on the first side, 3–4 minutes on the second.

   After flipping, add butter and aromatics like fresh thyme, then baste for 1–2 minutes.

   Remove from pan and let rest.

3. Quick Veggies:

   Add green beans or chosen veg to the same pan.

   Sauté to soak up the flavorful fond, then season with salt and pepper.

4. Apricot Butter Sauce:

   Remove most of the fat from the pan, keeping the browned bits.

   Blot gently with a paper towel if needed, but don’t scrub.

   Add apricot jam and garlic, cooking over medium heat for 5–7 minutes until darkened and sticky.

   Pour in broth, whisk, and reduce to 2–3 tablespoons of thick sauce.

   Strain if desired, return to pan, and whisk in butter one pat at a time until glossy.

5. Plate It:

   Reheat pork chops in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes if needed.

   Plate over quinoa or other grain. Add veggies to the side and drizzle sauce over the top.

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