Skillet Pork Chops and Apples With Miso Caramel
Updated Sept. 4, 2025
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 3tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1½tablespoons white miso
- 2(1- to 1½-inch-thick) bone-in pork chops, patted very dry
- Salt
- 1teaspoon black pepper
- 1tablespoon neutral oil (such as grapeseed or canola)
- 2small or 1 large Granny Smith or other tart-crisp apples, cored then sliced ¼ inch thick
Nutritional analysis per serving (3 servings)
385 calories; 17 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 22 grams sugars; 29 grams protein; 668 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons water with the brown sugar, vinegar and miso; stir with a fork until smooth. Season the pork chops all over with salt, then the pepper. (Don’t skimp on the pepper; it’s an important element to balance the caramel.)
- Step 2
Heat a large skillet over medium. Add the oil and the pork chops to the skillet. Cook, flipping every 2 minutes, until browned on the outside and the internal temperature in the thickest part is around 135 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes depending on thickness of pork chops. If your chops have a fat cap, using tongs, stack both chops on top of each other, then grab both chops together and hold upright to sear the fat caps until crisp, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate to rest for 5 minutes. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.
- Step 3
Add the apples to the skillet in a single layer and heat over medium. (Snack on any that don’t fit.) Cook without touching until browned underneath, 2 to 4 minutes. If the pan is smoking at any point, reduce heat. Pour in the brown sugar mixture and cook, scraping up browned bits and stirring, until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 1 to 3 minutes. (Keep your eye on the sauce toward the end so it doesn’t burn.)
- Step 4
Turn off the heat, add the pork chops and their juices back to the skillet and turn to coat in the caramel. Serve the pork chops with a spoonful of the apples and caramel.
Private Notes
Comments
Made this last night for the missus… I give it 5 stars. Execute as written for optimal dank-ness. This recipe needs no mods. The only thing I’d watch out for is overcooking your chops. Mine were thin bois and probs got about 6 min total with several flips, the carryover heat during the resting phase took care of the rest. The sauce is fantastic— unctuous and luxurious— on par with Eric Kim’s fish sauce butter. As a serving suggestion, I paired with braised greens and some cute lil roasted taters
I have made this recipe 5 times. So good. Every single time. For most attempts stuck to the recipe religiously. Bone in chops make all the difference. Last night I changed it up for some summertime flare: Swapped one tablespoon apple cider vinegar for one balsamic vinegar. Skipped on the sugar and did 2 teaspoons honey. Then switched out apples for peeled peaches that were ripe. So delicious. The peaches elevated the recipe to a whole different level.
This was excellent! I undercooked the apples a bit because I like the crunch and I swapped maple syrup for the brown sugar. Excellent flavors!
I was rather disappointed after my expectations were built up from the glowing comments. I found the sauce overbearing and a bit simplistic. I wished I had thicker pork chops but only thinner ones were available (they were good quality pork though) and that was probably partly to blame but the sauce drowned out any pork flavour and was cloying. I found it too sweet to pair with pork and at the same time the miso flavour was too forthright and I’m someone who really likes miso (loved it in the corn pasta salad recipe here for example and love it through Japanese cuisine). I’m ok with the sweetness of applesauce with pork but this sauce is way too sweet for me.
Very Good! My pork chops were cooked through in under 8 mins. Watch them! I made a few changes: I didn’t use water, just added the sauce when apples were cooked through. And I added Worcestershire to the sauce and reduced the sugar-it would have been way too sweet. Also, I sliced a Visalia onion and cooked that until carmelized before the pork chops then added it back in with chops at the end. Really great. It’s going into rotation for when I can’t look at another chicken thigh.
Plan on making tonight. I clearly live in a miso barren town in southern Delaware. Tried 6 grocery stores. Acme only had a "low fat sweetened white miso" - no thank you! The other 5 had no miso. 2 of them clearly had no idea what I was talking about! I am grateful for some of the comments with substitutions.