Pork chops with maple-bourbon glaze

Whipped this up for dinner the other night. Quite tasty; the glaze didn't reduce long enough but otherwise wonderful. Recipe reproduced below:














4 boneless center cut pork chops
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika [subbed chili powder, excellent choice - Z]
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock

Glaze:
3/4 cup bourbon (I used a cherry bourbon – yum!)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, combine bourbon, sugar, maple syrup, garlic, worcestershire, vinegar and mustard. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then reduce to a simmer and let cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring every now and then. Remove from heat and let sit to thicken. [Leave on the lowest heat possible and continue simmering to reduce by about 1/2. - Z]

Pound pork chops with a meat tenderizer, then season on both sides with salt, pepper and paprika. Heat a cast iron (or oven-safe) skillet over medium-high heat. Brush with canola oil and once hot (I let my skillet heat for almost 5 full minutes), add pork chops. Sear on one side for 2-3 minutes, or until golden Flip and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Turn off heat, add chicken stock to skillet, then place in oven and bake for 15 minutes. My pork chops were about 1 inch thick, so if yours are a bit thicken they may need to bake a little longer.

Once finished, pour glaze over top and serve immediately.

(I served these with rice and peas; fantastic. - Z)