Pork Chops with Cherries & Bourbon

Pork Chops with Cherries and Bourbon is sublime and simple to make – My favorite kind of recipe! When the cherry farmers at our farmers market told us that it was the last week for cherries (sad face), we took full advantage… and bought way too many. I love this kind of problem.

Pork Chops with Cherries & Bourbon: Quite tasty.

It’s easy to make, too. Pork chops are seared, finished in the oven, and then a simple pan sauce of shallots, cherries, bourbon, and butter comes together quickly.

I used Ras el Hanout to season the pork, which is a blend of warm spices used in Moroccan cuisine, and literally means “head of the shop”. I love the flavors of it, but if you don’t have any on hand, this dish will still be great with an alternative.

Some options:
1. Make your own version of the blend with what you have on hand, there are lots of options on the googles!
2. Use whatever seasoning you love the most with pork. a BBQ blend will be great with this. Or Garam Masala or any curry blend.
3. Keep it simple! The sauce is so flavorful, that seasoning the pork with salt and pepper will still yield very tasty results.

More recipes for when you buy too many cherries:
– Cherry Berry Sangria
– Chocolate Cherry Almond Biscotti
– Cherry Clafoutis
– Brown Butter Peach & Cherry Cobbler
– Cherry Bomb

Pork Chops with Cherries & Bourbon

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5 from 2 reviews

• Author: zenbelly
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 20-24 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings
• Category: pork

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless pork chops, about 1 1/2 inches thick
• 1 heaping teaspoon salt (I use kosher pink salt)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ras el hanout (see note)
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• 3/4 pound cherries, pitted
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 4 tablespoons bourbon, divided

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Instructions

1. Up to a day before you plan on cooking the pork chops, season them on both sides with the salt and ras el hanout. if seasoning more than 2 hours ahead of time, cover and refrigerate.
2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add one tablespoon of the butter to melt.
3. Add the pork chops and sear for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until nicely browned. Transfer to an oven safe dish and cook until the internal temperature reaches 145ºF, about 8-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chops.
4. Turn the heat under the skillet down to medium. Add the shallots, cherries, and a pinch of salt to the skillet. Sauté for 6-8 minutes, until the shallots are golden, and the cherries are softened. Add 3 tablespoons of the bourbon, stirring until it is mostly evaporated. Add the remaining tablespoon of bourbon, turn off the heat, and add the remaining tablespoon of butter.
5. Once the pork chops reach 145ºF, return them to the pan with the cherry bourbon sauce and serve.

Notes

Some alternatives to ras el hanout: 
– make your own version using the spices you have on hand
– use another spice blend, like garam masala or a curry powder
– keep it simple and season the pork with salt and pepper

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