Pork Chops with Pears and Creamy Cider Sauce

Pork chops with pears & creamy tarragon, cider sauce, the chops are cooked on the bone and finished in the oven whilst the sauce is made.

The rind is crisped up in a medium pan to get the fat rendering and the crackling to crisp before they get a flash in a hot oven to finish cooking.

Pork, Cider, Tarragon and Pears

I love pork chops and they are no stranger to my site.

Whether it be my favourite sweet and sour pork chops or slightly more elegant pork chops with Jerusalem artichoke puree, they are never far from our weekly meal plan.

Most of the time I cook them with the rind removed, as I do in my Spanish influenced pork chops.

But here they are cooked with the rind and fat on. My time in Hungary has given me a real love of pork fat, so I eat the lot.

But you can remove it if you like after the chops have been cooked, keep the crispy crackling though!

In this recipe keeping the chop whole helps the meat cook in a beautifully even way. It delivers the most succulent pork chops.

The recipe is rounded out with a simple creamy cider and tarragon sauce and griddled pears.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use thick-cut pork chops?

For this cooking technique, yes! Skinny pork chops that you get from the supermarket will overcook and be dry if you cook them using this method.

Go and chat with your butcher and get some chops that are 25-35mm thick. That’s an inch to an inch and a half for the Americans visiting.

Do I have to use a meat thermometer?

If you want to take the guesswork out of cooking meat, then yes! Buy one, they will make you a better cook and they cost very little.

What sort of cider should I use?

A note for my American readers, Cider means booze in most of the world. As a result, you need to make this recipe with hard cider, a dry cider at that.

I used an Aspall premier cru for this recipe!

Can I replace the pears with apples?

Yes, absolutely! They are a direct replacement, treat them in exactly the same way as the pears.

Why do the pears get put in lemon water?

This is purely about practicality!

If you do not do this and slice the pears early they will go brown. You can slice them when they are ready to cook and skip this step if you wish.

Serving Suggestions

These crispy pork chops with pears are a centrepiece that works so well with so many different side dishes.

It is particularly good with cabbage, here it is pictured served with some roasted cabbage slices.

But they would be equally good with some braised red cabbage, or even some simple buttered cabbage.

Other sides that would work particularly well are petit pois a la Francaise, braised cavolo nero or some glazed Chantenay carrots.

Of course, potatoes make a great side for this too.

Now we have the oven at a really high temperature, so roast potatoes are off the menu, but it is a perfect excuse to double down and break out the fondant potatoes.

A final suggestion would be some comforting mash. Mashed potatoes are the obvious choice, but celeriac mash or swede and carrot mash both work wonderfully.