Make Ahead

Cider Brined Pork with Calvados, Mustard and Thyme

by:
November 20, 2009
3.7
3 Ratings
Cider Brined Pork with Calvados, Mustard and Thyme
  • Serves 2
Author Notes

This dish was inspired by a meal I had while traveling through Brittany a few years ago. The sugar from the cider brine causes a deliciously sweet caramelized crust on the chops, and the process renders the inside perfectly seasoned and moist. I like the dish with a nice thick chop, but it would also work well with a cutlet, or pork tenderloin. The bite of the mustard, the sweetness of the cider, and the silkiness of the cream make for a well rounded sauce to complement the meat. —Oui, Chef

Test Kitchen Notes

Oui Chef has proven himself to be an accomplished cook, especially talented at taking a simple concept and elevating it to new heights. Here, he brines thick chops in cider and herbs so that they stay juicy and develop a rich, caramel crust as they sauté. He then constructs a quick pan sauce by building on the ingredients of the brine. Starting with the drippings, he deglazes with Calvados, then adds shallots, thyme, more cider and cream for suppleness. A spoonful of Dijon lends a subtle bite. It may seem like this recipe makes a lot of sauce for two servings, but trust us: you'll be mopping up the last creamy ribbons with your final bite of pork. - A&M —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Cider Brine
  • 2 cups apple cider
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/4 cup kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
  • 2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • Chops and Pan Sauce
  • 2 1" thick, bone-in center cut pork chops
  • 1/4 cup calvados
  • 1 shallot, finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely minced
  • 1/3 cup apple cider
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • salt and pepper to taste
Directions
  1. Place all brine ingredients in a medium saucepan, and stir over low heat until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.
  2. Place chops in a single layer in a shallow pan, cover fully with brine, wrap and refrigerate overnight. When ready to cook, remove the chops from the brine, rinse well under cold water, and dry with paper towels before continuing.
  3. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of canola oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Season pork with a little salt and freshly ground pepper. Add pork to skillet and sauté until just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to plate; cover with foil and keep warm.
  4. Pour off excess oil, and deglaze the pan with the calvados over medium heat , scraping the bottom of the pan well, letting the brandy reduce to a glaze. Add 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet over medium heat and add the shallots and thyme, and sauté 2 minutes. Stir in cream and cider; boil until mixture thickens to sauce consistency, about 3 minutes. Stir in mustard, season with salt and pepper, remove from heat and serve with the pork.
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Oui, Chef
I am a father of five, who recently completed a two year professional hiatus during which I indulged my long held passion for cooking by moving to France to study the culinary arts and immerse myself in all things French. I earned “Le Grande Diplome” from Le Cordon Bleu, studied also at The Ritz Escoffier and Lenotre cooking schools, and completed the course offerings of the Bordeaux L’Ecole du Vin. About six months ago started "Oui, Chef", which is a food blog that exists as an extension of my efforts to teach my children a few things about cooking, and how our food choices over time effect not only our own health, but that of our local food communities and our planet at large. By sharing some of our cooking experiences through the blog, I hope to inspire other families to start spending more time together in the kitchen, cooking healthy meals as a family, passing on established familial food traditions, and perhaps starting some new ones.

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63 Reviews

Vilja
Vilja January 2, 2024
Way too salty !
 
Laura M.
Laura M. February 12, 2016
Could I use brown mustard seeds instead of yellow? Or should I just skip the mustard seeds if I don't have yellow?
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. February 13, 2016
Brown seeds would work just fine, hope you enjoy the dish! - S
 
Andrew S.
Andrew S. December 15, 2015
Made this tonight for dinner. I hate making changes to recipes I'm trying for the first time, but like the others, I switched out the Calvados for Apple Jack because the only bottle of Calvados I could find cost $70. A little rich for my blood. But it turned out fantastic. I loved both the pork chops and the sauce. My girlfriend wasn't crazy about the pork but, but she loved the sauce and still ate the pork chops because of it. That's how good this sauce is. Thanks for this recipe. It'll be used again.
 
SimplebySara
SimplebySara September 10, 2015
Great recipe! Would love to share a better photo with you that I took of the dish....
 
Bevi
Bevi April 1, 2015
I made this for dinner tonight. Delicious! Thanks for a great recipe!
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. April 1, 2015
Thanks, Bevi! Glad you liked the dish.
 
Claudia
Claudia December 7, 2014
I'm always looking for recipes that you get a good start on the day before -- for a quick dinner for friends, etc. Made this in anticipation of a houseguest. It was wonderful. I used a pork loin roast and sliced before brining. I also used Apple Jack because I had it on hand. I served it with fingerling potatoes that also appreciated the sauce.
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. December 9, 2014
So glad it worked for you, and you're right, spuds LOVE that sauce!
 
lisavanin
lisavanin November 8, 2014
I made this last night for myself and my partner. The whole time we were eating we were going "mmmmm oh man mmm". Excellent recipe! I will make again for sure!
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. November 10, 2014
Awesome...glad you liked it!
 
jifferb
jifferb March 18, 2014
I made this last night for a dinner party - and i am so glad I did - the sauce was ah-mazing. calvados + cream and butter + dijon = heaven. Really so amazing. I paired it with Thirshfield's celery potato gratin and wanderash's not too virtuous salad and it was a huge hit! LOVE this recipe - thank you!
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. March 19, 2014
WOW....sounds like a pretty FAB menu, wish I was there! So glad the dish was a hit, thanks for letting me know.
 
Manhattan T.
Manhattan T. February 20, 2014
It's (exceedingly!) rare that I have the forethought -- unless in dinner party mode -- to begin prep for the NEXT night's dinner, but this was requested by my daughter and, in an attempt to affirm ANYONE who ever has ANY idea about what I should make for dinner, I went with it. We're all so glad I did! It had fabulous flavor and came together easily. I used a bigger hit of a combo of grainy mustard & dijon and went a little heavy on the shallots, but otherwise followed the recipe closely. I could see using a glug of another something boozy in place of the calvados if you don't have it in the cupboard, maybe plain brandy? This is delicious, simple and even a bit elegant. Will happily make it again.
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. February 23, 2014
So glad you liked the dish and happy to see you make it your own with some smart modifications.
 
sharon
sharon September 30, 2013
i love this recipe, have all ingredients & looking it over again ... i cook a lot & take meals over to my hard working kids (i'm retired at 55 - wooo hoo - but what do you think? This looks delicious XO but probably won't travel (10 minutes? + serving time??). awww :( I love to cook and take meals, try twice a week to each, my son (alone) & my daughter, cause they work so hard. I feel guilty retired, so I cook for them ...
 
Rebecca C.
Rebecca C. October 22, 2013
i think it would travel just fine. cook the pork chops right before you go, wrap them in foil and then make the sauce and put it in a glass dish. it should all stay pretty warm but, if the sauce needs to be heated, again, it'll take slow, low heat just fine. do it; your kids will love you (even though they do already). you could even pack up the chops and all the sauce ingredients measured out and cook it all there. only takes like 15 minutes. plus, i served these chops with the sweet potato/brown butter/arugula side. OMG!!
 
crispylikechicken
crispylikechicken December 22, 2012
This was my first pork-chop experimentation and it was delicious =) Thanks for a great recipe!
 
jess C.
jess C. November 23, 2012
Just made this for dinner - it was delicious!! I didn't get my act together the night before, so I only put the chops in the brine after breakfast and made them the same day. They tasted great, but I'll try remember to brine them overnight next time - and not overcook them (I don't like them as rare as suggested, but left them too long)! I also agree with the other posters - it's the sauce that makes it and I should have made double since I wanted to just eat it with a spoon;) Can't wait to see how the second chop is leftover tomorrow.
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. November 24, 2012
Spoon + sauce = happiness...so glad you liked the dish, thanks for letting me know.
 
neverenoughtime
neverenoughtime September 26, 2012
I want to make this recipe, but using a tenderloin rather than chops. Should I pan-sear the meat before roasting and then use the pan in which the meat has been seared to make the sauce (adding juices that have accumulated in the roasting pan, minus as much fat as I can scoop off)?
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. November 24, 2012
Yes, I think that should work just fine.
 
worstkase
worstkase September 20, 2012
I made this last night, using regular brandy and doubling the number of pork chops. Still plenty of sauce, and I upped the brine recipe by half. So, so delicious and deceptively easy to make. A++!
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. September 20, 2012
So glad you liked it, and thanks for reminding me about this recipe...'tis the season!
 
David M.
David M. April 15, 2012
This was delicious. The only Calvados we could find was over $40 a bottle. We used Applejack instead. It was still fantastic.
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. April 17, 2012
Hey David, glad you liked the dish....thanks for letting me know.
 
ahstone
ahstone November 3, 2011
I tried this but made a basic mistake- I think the chops I used had been injected with brine previously. Brining them in the cider made them ridiculously salty. I'll be more choosy next time I buy the meat.
 
Ms. T.
Ms. T. October 30, 2011
I posted about my spin-off of your recipe on my blog: http://stillsimmering.wordpress.com/
Hope you don't mind! Let me know if you'd like me to credit you differently--I'm happy to edit as needed. Thanks again for the inspiration! Next time, I will follow your recipe more precisely, as I'm sure it's delicious as is.
 
911granny
911granny September 25, 2011
Do you always need to use so much salt in the brine? Would love to "brine" but every recipe has so much salt,
 
singing_baker
singing_baker September 21, 2011
I saw this recipe months ago and was counting down the days till I could get some fresh fall cider. My husband and I took one bite each and were floored with how amazing the flavor was. This will definitely be a fall dinner favorite. I am ever considering doing a pork crown roast for Christmas with this brine and sauce!
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. September 21, 2011
Funny you should write this today, because I just picked up my first bottle of cider of the season as well. I'll be making this dish again this weekend. So glad you liked it, thanks for letting me know. - S
 
roryrabbitfield
roryrabbitfield January 28, 2011
please please please how do i unsubscribe from getting email notifications about additional comments on this and other recipes where i have commented? I do not want to get an email every time a new comment comes in. help?
 
Food52
Food52 February 6, 2011
You can unsubscribe from all email notifications -- just click on your username in the upper right corner of the screen, then go to "Edit your profile." At the very bottom, make sure this box isn't checked: "Check this box if you'd like email updates when people interact with you."
 
scgoble
scgoble January 28, 2011
I have made this recipe twice now, once with a tenderloin and this week with chops. Absolutely amazing both times. This week, I didn't have brandy and used Jim Beam and apple juice - I'm sure that's not what you had in mind but it was delicious anyway! Even my 2-year-old had to make sure that each bite of pork chop had some sauce on it.
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. February 1, 2011
Jim Beam and apple juice...what a lucky 2 year old! Glad you like the dish and thanks for your kind words. - S
 
artsycella
artsycella January 25, 2011
We made these for dinner a week or two ago, and the pork chops were absolutely divine. My husband and I were actually split on the sauce--I wasn't crazy about it, but he thought it was fantastic. Reading these other comments, I'm pretty sure I'm the weird one out. :D But I would make the brined pork chops again any day.
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. February 1, 2011
Glad you like the chops. You can always cut the sauce recipe in half to make just enough for your husband. Cheers - S
 
beetific
beetific January 20, 2011
This is a fantastic recipe! I doubled the sauce recipe for a dinner of eight and there was more than enough to go around. I would recommend serving with something bitter like broccoli rabe or a potato-parsnip puree to balance the sweetness of the sauce. Also next time I will rinse the meat more thoroughly because it stayed quite salty after the brine. I also really appreciate the clarity and simplicity of the instructions--it was very easy to follow and I got the sense that everything had been made as easy as possible. After the party (which included a couple French who are not always that impressed by my cooking!) there was consensus that this meal was the best that I've prepared for friends this year.
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. February 1, 2011
Thanks, beetific! Yeah, you really do need to rinse the meat. Drying it well will also help it to achieve a great crust. I love broccoli rabe and I bet it would be perfect with this dish. Impressed some French guests, huh? Well done! - S
 
maggiesara
maggiesara December 6, 2010
Boy did I love this! I, too, would double the mustard, although nothing stopped me from mopping up every drop of the sauce, without the extra mustard, with my finger. I had it with some pureed butternut squash, and it was absolutely wonderful. Next time I'd add some sauteed broccoli rabe or Belgian endive, a little bitter accent to the sweetness.
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. December 14, 2010
Glad you liked it! Broccoli rabe would be perfect with this! - S
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. February 1, 2011
I added more mustard (as you suggested) the last time I made this dish, and it WAS BETTER! Thx - S
 
JosieD
JosieD November 10, 2010
Just made this tonight. Used Ice Cider instead of Calvados and had some yummy chops from our meat CSA. So delicious! Wasn't planning on serving bread with the meal but needed to pull a brioche roll out of the freezer to sop up all the wonderful sauce.
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. December 14, 2010
This recipe does make a lot of sauce....you did the only sensible thing. - S
 
KarenO
KarenO October 31, 2010
The chops came out crusty, juicy and done perfectly. The sauce was too sweet for me and I would add more mustard next time. On the other hand, my husband loved it as is and had every last drop of it.
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. December 14, 2010
Awesome...so glad you and your husband liked it. - S
 
eatyourbeets
eatyourbeets September 16, 2010
Sounds wonderful. Has anyone tried this using milk instead of cream or no cream at all?
 
Lizthechef
Lizthechef April 1, 2010
This looks like a terrific recipe - I won't wait til fall to try it!
 
dymnyno
dymnyno December 10, 2009
I made this last night with a heritage pork chop (very thick and more fat than other) using this brine, minus the sugar....delicious!!!
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. January 5, 2010
So happy to hear you liked the dish. I'm curious...how was the crust on the meat with the loss of the extra sugar in the marinade? Was there enough sugar from just the cider to give it a sweet, caramelized crust? Cheers - S
 
roryrabbitfield
roryrabbitfield December 6, 2009
I want to make this but I don't want to buy a bottle of Calvados; can someone suggest a substitute for that ingredient? Thanks.
 
melissav
melissav December 7, 2009
I just used regular brandy and it turned out well.
 
Maria T.
Maria T. December 3, 2009
Congratulations, it's a brilliant recipe.
 
Janneke V.
Janneke V. December 3, 2009
Congratulations! I knew you would win sooner or later, your food is so thought through and it looks delicious. A well deserved trophy!
 
Adriana
Adriana December 2, 2009
I made this tonight--without the brine because I didn't plan ahead--and even without the brine it was delicious. Congrats!
 
TasteFood
TasteFood December 2, 2009
Congratulations, Oui Chef! I'm looking forward to trying your recipe!
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. December 2, 2009
Thanks so much!
 
mt97
mt97 December 1, 2009
Chef,
I made this recipe tonight and it absolutely rocked. Your magic help me turn out the best chop of my life thus far. I could not get over how the apple cider spice permeated the meat. And the sauce...the sauce was both rich and light. My girlfriend would not stop gnawing at the completely stripped rib bones! Kudos to you, chef. Kudos to you...
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. December 2, 2009
Glad to hear you liked the dish, and that your girlfriend was so enthusiastic about it as well. Cheers - S
 
Judith H.
Judith H. November 29, 2009
I will definitely try this recipe. I love sauces with cream and I especially love recipes without garlic. I generally cook for one or two, so this recipe is perfect for me.
 
Amanda H.
Amanda H. December 5, 2009
Great seeing you on the site!
 
Gale
Gale November 29, 2009
This one got my vote only because I usually am only cooking for one and am not a big leftover fan. I made this and it was delicious, but think if I had done the braised shoulder (which I definitely will) I'd feel the same about it.

Both read really well and I wish I could have voted for both.
 
dicamp
dicamp November 21, 2009
This sound so good. I'll have to try this .