Photos by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

A gastrique is a reduction of vinegar and caramelized sugar. It’s hardly a sauce on its own, but when livened up with ginger and chilis and added to savory pan juices, it becomes a punchy sweet-and-sour glaze—the perfect complement to thick, marbled pork chops. Equal parts apple cider and apple cider vinegar are slowly added to caramelized sugar, then simmered with thinly sliced ginger and red chilis. You make the call as to how spicy you’d like this. Use half the chili, or take the seeds out if you don’t want too much heat. Depending on how hungry your crowd is, two large chops can feed two to four people. The gastrique ingredients can be easily scaled up to accommodate as many pork chops as you’d like.

Serve 2–4

¼ cup apple cider
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup water
1 piece (1-inch) fresh ginger, cut into thin matchsticks
1 small Fresno chili, thinly sliced into rings
2 large (1½- to 2-inch-thick) bone-in pork chops
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a glass measuring cup, combine the apple cider and apple cider vinegar. Keep close to the stove.

MAKE THE GASTRIQUE:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Continue to boil steadily, occasionally swirling the pan but not stirring, for about 8 minutes or until it starts to take on a light amber color. Watch carefully as it can go from light amber to black very quickly. Continue cooking, swirling the pan for about another minute, until it turns a medium amber color. Remove from the heat.

Little by little, carefully add the cider and vinegar mixture to the hot caramel, swirling the pan as you go. Once all the liquid is added, add the ginger and chili and return the pan to medium-low heat. Simmer for another 3–4 minutes, or until the mixture is slightly thickened and syrupy. Set aside while you make the pork chops.

Pat the pork chops dry and generously season on all sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat a large oven-safe cast-iron or heavy-bottomed stainless steel skillet over high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the pork chops to the pan and cook for 5 minutes without moving them. When they look nicely browned, flip and cook on the other side for 3 minutes.

Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 5–7 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 140°F in the thickest part of the chop. Cooking time will vary depending on thickness. Transfer the chops to a serving dish and keep warm.

Add the gastrique to the hot skillet. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits. Pour the sauce over the pork chops. Let the meat rest 5 minutes before serving.

This recipe appeared in the Fall 2021 issue as part of a larger story on Apple Cider: Sweet, Sour or Hard.