Cumin-Baked Pork Chops

- Total Time
- 25 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 48-ounce pork chops
- 1teaspoon kosher salt
- 4teaspoons grainy Dijon mustard
- 2tablespoons crushed cumin seeds
- 1teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1teaspoon canola oil
Preparation
- Step 1
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Sprinkle the pork chops on both sides with salt, then brush each side with mustard. Rub the cumin and pepper into the mustard.
- Step 2
Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add the pork chops and brown for 2 minutes on each side. Put the skillet in the oven and bake until the chops are just cooked through, about 12 minutes. Divide among 4 plates and serve.
Private Notes
Comments
Cooked as directed the chops were a little tough. The 2nd time I made them, I brined the chops first for about 45 min in a mixture of 3 TB table salt in 1 Qt. water, rinsed, and wiped them dry, then cooked them as directed. They were much better.
I used 1-1/4 inch, on-the-bone chops. Browned in a little evoo for about 2 min a side. Then brushed with the mustard to which I had added about 3/4 tsp. of ground cumin and 1/2 tsp. of black pepper. No salt; the mustard has enough.
Then baked at 450 for about 8 min; the chops had an internal temp of 145 degrees. Rest for 5 minutes. I served it with broccolini that I roasted until tender and slightly scorched, and then tossed with lemon juice and grated Parmesan. Outstanding!
I heeded the comments of previous cooks about difficulty with browning the pork chops. I browned them first. I let them cool slightly and then applied dijon mustard, crushed cumin seeds and pepper. Also to increase the browning of the chops, I finished them under the broiler rather than baking. This recipe is simple and delicious.
I followed the suggestion to brown initially without mustard & cumin, then brush on mustard & cumin & briefly return to pan, slip a slice of apple (I used granny smith) between the chop & the cast iron pan, then finish in the 450 oven. I also sliced up a bunch of mushrooms & steam cooked them with a little butter while the chops were cooking, then added them to the pan (after removing the chops,) which ended up being one of the most delicious quick & easy concoction ever.
Amazing. Sauce is butter, water white wine, whole grain
Chops that I used were quite thick (? 1 1/2 inches) and were a bit dry at the end. Yes, brining is probably needed and that is what I'll do with the remaining chops next time. Flavor was very good.
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