Pastured Bone-In Pork Chops with a Rhubarb Maple Mustard Glaze

Imagine this as tonight’s dinner: Pasture raised pork chops prepped in an Herbs De Provence marinade, quickly seared in a screamin’ hot cast iron skillet and then finished off in the oven. A dreamy, rhubarb maple mustard glaze is smothered over top and served on the side. Sounds luxurious, right? It’s actually super simple but will definitely impress!

Truth be told, bone in pork chops used to intimidate me. I wasn’t sure how to get a beautiful crust while cooking it enough to not give myself or the ones I love food borne illness. Not to mention, the fat that lined the meat stumped me. Thankfully, my culinary journey involved cooking and perfecting this beautiful cut of meat and now I can honestly say, I love bone-in porkchops!

Why should I cook with bone-in?

Now that I’ve scared you, allow me to remove my foot from my mouth and explain why you should try bone-in pork chops.

Leaving the bone imparts flavor and helps keep the pork chop tender and juicy.

For this recipe, I sourced my pork from All Grass Farms in Dundee, Illinois. They have an adorable farm store but are adding a shipping option soon. Subscribe to their newsletter to be up to date with all farm happenings. All Grass raises Berkshire pigs on pasture or in the woodlands. The end product is a superior cut of meat in terms of flavor and nutritional value.

Easy Pork Chop Dinner Recipe

The most time-consuming part of this recipe is letting the chops marinade for 30-60 minutes at room temperature. Before getting to that, I suggest a little bit of pork chop prep.

What to do with pork chop fat?

First off, you will most likely notice pasture/woodland raised pork is leaner than conventionally raised. However, the pork chops may still have a ring of fat around the meat varied in size. This isn’t a bad thing, this is flavor. But choices have to be made.

Option #1: If there is a thick ring of fat, cutting it off completely then chopping it into bits and rendering it down like bacon is a great idea. Then, the pork chops can be cooked in its own fat.

Option #2: Score the fat with a sharp knife then sear it in the pan by holding the pork chop up onto its side. Removing some of the fat and scoring what is left is a good compromise between option 1 and 2.

Option #3: Trim the fat, leaving only a thin strip. Sear it in a dry, well-seasoned cast iron skillet and then continue to sear the rest of the sides.

Given that the pork chops had minimal fat to begin with, I went with option #3.

Herbs De Provence Marinade Details.

Herbs De Provence is the French version of Italian seasoning. It has floral notes of lavender that pair well with pork.

Heat. Smoked paprika and chili powder lend heat and spice. It complements Herbs De Provence.

Aromatics. A touch of garlic for depth of flavor.

Olive oil. A little bit of fat emulsifies the marinade and keeps the meat moist.

After drying the pork chops, let them sit in the marinade for 30-60 minutes at room temperature. If you want to get ahead, this can done the night before or morning of. Just remember to bring the chops to room temperature prior to cooking to ensure even cooking.

Rhubarb Maple Mustard Glaze.

This combo sounds like something that would be featured on Chopped to really confuse the contestants. Trust me though, it works. The glaze is sweet and savory and comes together in less than 10 minutes. I suggest cooking it up while the meat is marinading.

Begin by placing the frozen rhubarb in a microwave safe dish with a splash of water. Microwave 1-2 minutes so it’s mushy. Cranberries are an excellent substitution. Check out my cranberry glaze recipe HERE. Transfer the rhubarb to a sauce pan along with maple syrup, Dijon mustard, miso paste and apple cider vinegar. Heat through and then blend. Using an immersion blender is my preferred method. Let it simmer on low for a few more minutes and then turn the heat off. I leave the saucepan on the stove to keep it warm.

Bringing it all together.

Before you go and throw the pork into a hot cast iron skillet, salt it liberally. I use Redmonds Real Salt. I like that it is unprocessed, natural salt, mined right here in the USA.

Next, preheat the oven to 350F. We are going to sear the chops then finish them off in the oven.

Heat the cast iron skillet up so its screamin’ hot. Sear any fatty sides first by holding the chop up onto its side with a pair of tongs. Next, sear one flat side for 3-4 minutes. Flip the chops and add the butter. Quickly baste the pork chops then trasfer them to the oven. This is why using cast iron is important! Cook the chops until they are 150F. This will only take a few minutes. Time does vary based on the thickness.

TIP: When checking the temperature with a meat thermometer, slide it in horizontally.

Once the chops are done cooking, smother half of the glaze onto them along with a little bit more butter. Save the rest of the glaze for serving. Let the chops rest for 10 minutes, loosely tented with foil. I enjoy cutting the meat thin and then tossing the meat with the glaze like I’m dressing a salad.