I was weeding my patch of elderberries when I spied more than a few blackberry vines poking through the soil. The funny thing is when we planted the blackberries originally, they seemed far enough away from the elderberries. Lesson learned: blackberries are like mint – new growth springs from the mother plant, roams, then roots wherever it finds soil. I dug up the vines and worked up a good appetite in the process.

After all that weeding, I wasn’t about to fix anything that took a lot of time or effort for supper. That’s why I made these sautéed pork chops with an orange Dijon pan sauce. I served them with buttered noodles and a simple salad.

You might find these chops on a trendy bistro menu. Yes, they’re that good.

Sautéed thick pork chops with orange Dijon pan sauce

Do not under any circumstances over cook pork. Moist, flavorful meat is the goal. We like bone in chops – bones carry flavor.

Ingredients

3-4 thick pork chops with bone or not,1 to 1-1/4” thick

Salt and pepper

Flour

Olive oil

7 tablespoons or so butter, divided

1 cup orange juice

2-3 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon or so minced rosemary, fresh or dried

Instructions

Season chops with salt and pepper.

Dredge in flour. This means to drag chops through flour on both sides which gives a light coating.

Film a skillet with oil, a couple tablespoons or so. Add 5 tablespoons butter and turn heat to medium. When butter starts to turn golden, put chops in. Sauté, turning once, until brown and cooked through, to 145 degrees. Remove from pan and tent with foil while making sauce. This “rest” may raise the temperature up to 5 degrees. Pork may still be a bit pink but it’s safe to eat.

Add juice, Dijon and rosemary. Boil until liquid reduces to 1/2 cup.

Whisk in remaining butter. Taste, adding more of any ingredient if you like. Spoon sauce over meat and enjoy. 

Tips for moist, tasty pork

Cook whole cuts like chops, roasts, etc. to 145.

Ground pork? Well, that needs to be cooked to 160.

Can you help? Sauerbraten recipe needed

John K. would love to make sauerbraten similar to the now closed Window Garden Restaurant. John has friends who grew up eating it and raved about it.