Oven Roasted Pork Chops in Jalapeno Peach Whiskey Glaze are succulent, sweet, and just a little bit spicy! Make the glaze ahead for an easy weeknight dinner fit for a special occasion.
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I love a good pork chop. I didn’t grow up eating much pork – it just wasn’t something we had in my house. As I lived on my own and looked into other lean meat options aside from chicken though, pork chops have really become one of my household favorites. Cooked just right, pork chops are exceptional. My favorite way to cook pork? In a pan sauce made from a stone fruit preserve, be it an apricot jam like in this recipe for pork tenderloin, or the sweet and mildly spicy Jalapeno Peach Whiskey Glaze pictured here.
Doesn’t that look good?
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Jalapeno Peach Whiskey Glaze
Earlier this year, I reviewed Vivian Howard’s award-winning cookbook, Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South. Always on the look-out for new preserves and loving the combination of peaches and jalapenos (which come into season at about the same time on the East Coast where I live), I was quickly drawn to her recipe for Jalapeno Peach Chicken. I immediately knew I wanted to play around with the included recipe for Jalapeno Peach Glaze, which is meant to be made in a large batch and used over time. My Jalapeno Peach Whiskey Glaze is an adaptation of that preserve, slightly changed to better fit my own tastes and preferences – such as my obligatory inclusion of liquor.
Like Howard’s original recipe, this one comes in two parts. First, there are instructions for the making the Jalapeno Peach Whiskey Glaze (which can either be canned in a water bath for shelf storage for up to a year, or stored in the fridge for a couple months).
Second, I provide a method to cook a perfect pair of bone-in pork chops. Because the glaze can be made and stored ahead of time, I highly suggest spreading the components over two days (or more) unless you have a lot of time on your hands. Once the glaze is made, cooking up the pork chops is a cinch, taking you less than 30 minutes.
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Oven Roasting Bone-In Pork Chops
A lot of people are intimidated by cooking pork chops and other similar cuts of pork. There is fear of illness if you undercook them, and fear of chewy, inedible hunks of meat if you overcook them. I’m here to tell you that there isn’t anything to be afraid of. Just like poultry, it’s a matter of technique and practice. And when in doubt? Rely on your meat thermometer. If you don’t have one, I highly suggest getting one – I use mine all the time. It takes all the guess work out making a delicious (and safe) carnivorous dinner.
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This recipe for Oven Roasted Pork Chops in Jalapeno Peach Whiskey Glaze is a delicious, seasonal, easy meal, and the homemade preserve gives it that little kick of something special. With jalapenos and peaches coming into season, the timing is perfect to make up a batch of the glaze in advance, allowing you to whip this dish up at a moment’s notice. Serve with a side of fresh corn in late summer and roasted sweet potatoes or pumpkin in the fall!
Oven Roasted Pork Chops in Jalapeno Peach Whiskey Glaze
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in pork chops
- 1 Tbsp salt, plus more as needed
- 2 tsp pepper
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup (8 oz) Jalapeno Peach Whiskey Glaze (recipe below)
- 4-6 sage leaves optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Pat pork chops dry with a paper towel and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skilled over medium high heat. Sear the outside of the pork chops, about 2 minutes on each side – just enough to give them some good color.
- Transfer the chops to a foil lined baking sheet, and cover each with a heaping spoonful of glaze and one or two sage leaves. Bake for 6 minutes, then flip the chops over and cover in another spoonful of glaze and more sage leaves. Cook in intervals of 5 minutes, checking for doneness until just cooked. Properly cooked pork chops should have an internal temperature of 145°F. Mine typically take about 15 minutes total in the oven, but this can vary depending on the thickness of the cut.
- Once done, let the chops rest for 5 minutes before cutting into them. Serve with your favorite vegetables and any extra glaze you might have on the side for a delicious meal.
Notes
Jalapeno Peach Whiskey Glaze
Makes about 4 half pints.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs fresh peaches, chopped (about 4 cups)
- 1 lb jalapenos, stemmed, seeded, and diced
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ cup whiskey
Instructions
- Prepare jars and lids as needed for the recipe, using proper sterilization procedures.
- Pulse peaches and jalapenos in a blender or food processor until just chunky but not yet liquified.
- Transfer the peach and jalapeno mixture to a non-reactive Dutch oven and add all the rest of the ingredients except for the whiskey. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat, and then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring often to keep the bottom from browning or burning. Once the mixture has thickened slightly (it shouldn’t be fully set like a jam, but rather resemble runny honey in consistency), add the whiskey and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Remove the Dutch oven from heat.
- To make the jars of glaze shelf stable, follow proper canning procedure: Fill the sterilized jars with glaze, leaving a ½ inch head space. Remove any air bubbles with a chopstick or bubbler, clean the rims of the jars, apply the lids and rings to finger-tip tightness, and process the jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes. Remove from the water bath canner and set on a folded paper towel to cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours. Label and store all jars that have sealed properly, and put any that have not sealed in the fridge for more immediate use. Properly sealed jars are good for at least a year when stored in a cool, dark place.
- *If you do not plan to process the Jalapeno Peach Whiskey Glaze for long-term shelf storage, you can instead store the prepared glaze in the fridge for 2-3 months.*
