Kelewele-Spiced Pork Chops and Pears
Updated November 6, 2025
- Ready In
- 1 hr
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Ingredients
2 (1 to 1 ¼-inch-thick) bone-in pork chops (about 2 ¼ pounds)
Salt and black pepper
4 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, finely grated
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 firm bosc pears (about 1 ½ pounds), peeled, quartered and cored
3 medium shallots, halved or quartered if large
1 cinnamon stick or ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 whole star anise
Zest and juice of 1 orange
¾ cup pomegranate juice
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, sliced if desired
Mashed potatoes or rice (optional), for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
56 grams carbs; 132 milligrams cholesterol; 670 calories; 15 grams monosaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 30 grams fat; 9 grams fiber; 1483 milligrams sodium; 44 grams protein; 29 grams sugar
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
Pat both sides of the pork chops dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Let sit until ready to cook.
- Step 2
In a large bowl, mix the garlic, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and 1 tablespoon oil. Add the pears, shallots, cinnamon and star anise, and toss to evenly coat. Marinate for 10 minutes (or up to 12 hours).
- Step 3
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high until hot. Holding the pork chops with tongs, position each chop so it leans against the edge of the skillet with the fat cap (curved outer edge) down. Sear the fat caps, about 4 minutes.
- Step 4
Turn the pork chops onto their flat sides. Cook the chops without moving until brown, about 5 minutes. Flip the pork chops to kiss the other flat side over the heat for 1 minute.
- Step 5
Reduce the heat to medium and move the pork chops to a plate, browned side up. Add the shallots and pears to the skillet, leaving the marinade behind, and spread in a single layer. Sear without moving the pieces until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Scrape in any marinade from the bowl, along with the orange zest and juice and pomegranate juice.
- Step 6
Cook until the sauce is slightly reduced, 5 to 8 minutes. A fork should slide through the pears and shallots with a firm resistance. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper.
- Step 7
Return the pork chops to the skillet browned side up, nestled among the pears and shallots. Cook until the pork is cooked through and reaches its desired doneness, 6 to 12 minutes. Add water, ¼ cup at a time, if the sauce dries out. The pears and shallots should begin to slightly collapse into the sauce. Remove from the heat and discard the cinnamon stick and star anise.
- Step 8
Move the pork to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes. Slice the pork off the bone and into slices.
- Step 9
Serve the pork chops immediately, over mashed potatoes or rice if you’d like. Top with the pear sauce and mint.
Private Notes
Comments
The comments so far are wonderfully entertaining. See, there’s an actual recipe with instructions that explains why the pork you are looking at in the photo that none of you actually bothered to read past looks the way it does.
Look at step 8 in recipe, which will explain shape of chop.
Those are the slices of the meat once it is removed from the bone. Each chop has a “sirloin” and a “filet” piece—when you slice those, you will get the rectangular pieces.
Five-star recipe. I bypassed the pork chop debate and used a pork tenderloin. I seared it for a few minutes on all sides, then cut it into thick medallions. I seared the flat parts, set the medallions aside and continued the recipe. I used large Canadian Anjou pears and served with a cauliflower mash and green beans with sliced almonds. No mint.
Delicious! My husband made this for dinner tonight and we loved it.
Made this last night (November 16, 2025). I found some of the instructions confusing, specifically what was considered the marinade. So in that respect, I sort of “winged it” (something I frequently do when cooking). I wound up adding all the ingredients to my large bowl when marinating the meat. Found holding the chops on edge to sear the fat caps problematic. I tried, but don’t think I really got them seared. And in the end I do not think it made a difference. I did follow the directions with regards to searing one side five to six minutes and just “kissing” the flip side for a minute. I left the plate with the chops on my stovetop’s warmer section while working with the scallions and pears. I wish I could include photos here, but I did post them to Instagram and Facebook. Even though i didn’t follow the instructions to to the letter, the results tasted fantastic. A caution to anyone trying this recipe - the chop must be thick! One of my worries was would the chop taste dried out? It did not! It was fully cooked but moist. I’m certain that a thinner chop would have been overdone.