Grilled Pork Chops With Fennel and Cherry Agrodolce

By Dan Pelosi

Updated June 15, 2026

  • Armando Rafael for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
30 min
Rating
5(78)
Comments
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In Italian, “agro” means sour and “dolce” means sweet, making traditional agrodolce sauce a balanced combo of both tastes. The most basic of agrodolce sauces are a thickened mix of vinegar and honey, though most welcome additions like garlic, raisins and pine nuts. This recipe swaps out the raisins for dried cherries, which are rehydrated as the agrodolce cooks, and bring extra sour to the sauce with their sweet-tart flavor. The sauce can be made in a skillet directly on top of your grill grates, if desired, following after simply seasoned pork chops and wedges of fennel, which are grilled until crispy and caramelized. The pork chops, fennel and agrodolce are delicious served over warm polenta, mashed potatoes or even slices of grilled bread. If inspired, try using dried cranberries or golden raisins instead of dried cherries, swapping red wine vinegar for balsamic, or adding toasted pine nuts to the agrodolce.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 4 ( 1-inch-thick) bone-in pork chops 

  • 1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into 8 wedges

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing the pork chops and fennel

  • Salt and black pepper

  • 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced

  • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

  • ½ cup red wine vinegar

  • ¼ cup honey

  • ¼ cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped

  • Crushed red pepper 

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

34 grams carbs; 153 milligrams cholesterol; 586 calories; 14 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 31 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 814 milligrams sodium; 43 grams protein; 28 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

  1. Step 1

    Clean the grates of an outdoor grill and bring the grill heat to high. (You can also use a grill pan on your stove top over medium-high heat.) 

  2. Step 2

    Pat pork chops dry with a towel. Lightly Brush the pork chops and fennel slices with olive oil and then season with salt and pepper on both sides. 

  3. Step 3

    Place your pork chops and fennel slices on the grill, cover and cook until they are charred on the outside, 4 to 6 minutes on each side. The pork chops should reach 140 degrees in the thickest part of the chop, and the fennel should be softened all the way through. Remove the pork chops and fennel slices from the heat, cover loosely and let rest. The internal temperature of the pork chops will continue to rise as they rest, reaching around 145 degrees.

  4. Step 4

    While the pork chops rest, place a small pan on the grates over the hottest part of your grill. (You can also cook uncovered over high heat on the side burner on your grill if you have one, or uncovered over medium-high heat on a burner on your indoor stovetop.) Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the shallots and garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring, until the shallots are translucent and the garlic is fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vinegar, honey, cherries and a big pinch of red pepper to the pan and stir to combine. Close the lid of the grill and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until reduced by about half and slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and taste to adjust seasoning. Add butter and stir until it’s melted and the agrodolce is thickened and glossy.

  5. Step 5

    Place the pork chops and fennel on a serving platter and spoon the agrodolce over top. Serve warm.

Tip

  • Agrodolce can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept refrigerated. To serve, gently reheat, adding a bit of water to thin out as needed.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
78 user ratings
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Comments

Jim

Leave the bottom stem on the fennel when you quarter it, that will keep the fennel bulb from coming apart during grilling. Simply cut the butt off before serving.

@drakebaer

Excellent, even on a stove-top in a cast-iron pan, which allowed the pork chop juices to incorporate into the sauce. I bought a 50 ml sample size (about 3 TB + 1 tsp) of Don Ciccio & Figli Finocchietto for this recipe (strong fennel flavor and sweet, w/citrus & herbal hints, not bitter, readily available in USA, incl at Total Wine), and reduced the vinegar and honey to 1/4 cup and 2 TB, respectively. Otherwise I followed the recipe (5 minutes each side of chops and fennel, on high). I deglazed the pan with the vinegar after removing the chops to a plate and reducing the heat to medium. Then, per the recipe, I added the oil and alliums for 3 minutes, and then the rest of the ingredients, plus juices from the plate. Buonissimo!

Danka L

I made this last night and it was the best pork chop I have had. Dan Pelosi recipes never disappoint. The only thing I did differently was to rub the pork chops a couple of hours ahead of time with an herb garlic paste - ground fennel, thyme, rosemary, pinch of ground sage, salt, white pepper, minced garlic and olive oil. It really complemented all the flavors in the dish. Outstanding.

Rick

Followed the recipe exactly, with brilliant results. The agrodolce is sublime, and the grilled fennel an unexpected treat. If you’re new to grilling pork chops, consider soaking them in brine for a couple hours prior to grilling to prevent dryness.

Sarah

We found this recipe way too sweet ! Made this using the ingredients listed, except followed advice of other commenters and roasted the fennel in the oven instead of on the charcoal grill. This sweet profile is ubiquitous these days and, in this recipe, overwhelms any tastiness of a quality pork chop.

Margaretha

I made this using fresh, sour, cherries! I stoned and halved the cherries. Used red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar and less honey! It worked very well! If using sweet cherries go easy on the honey!

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