Maple Glazed Pork Chops Recipe with Bean Cassoulet

These pan-roasted maple glazed pork chops are delicious, juicy and incredibly easy to make.  Serve them up with a side of white beans with sausage, vegetables, and herbs for the perfect balance of flavors.  Pork is incredibly delicious and if you love as much as I do then please check out my Grilled Thick Cut Pork Chops with Black Bean Corn Salsa or my Verde Pork Posole Recipe.

Homemade food from scratch isn’t hard at all, it just takes a little more time but is well worth it.  This recipe is my take on the southern classic pork and beans kind of like my Ham, Green Beans and Potatoes stew recipe. These pork chops are incredibly flavorful and juicy and go perfectly with the side of savory beans making it the ultimate weeknight or weekend recipe for family and guests.

What Chop Cut Is the Most Tender

This question is a little subjective, but in my own personal opinion, the double thick-cut bone-in loin chop is the most tender.  It’s fairly lean with some fat on it to help with tenderness and flavor, and the bone indefinitely helps in the flavor and juiciness department.  Think of this cut as a T-bone, the loin on one side with the tenderloin on the other.

Other pork chops cuts include:

• Shoulder Chop
• Rib Chop
• Boneless Chop

I recommend experimenting with these different cuts to find out what you like.

How Do You Tenderize Them

There are a few ways to tenderize pork chops.

• You can pound out the pork to make it thinner, easier to cook, and more tender, just like in my Pork Milanese recipe.
• Slow cook the pork in a slower cooker or in an oven so that the proteins break down and it becomes very juicy, flavorful, easy to eat and extremely tender like in this Verde pork pozole recipe.
• Marinate the pork overnight so the acid can break down the meat making it very flavorful and tender.

enjoy all of these methods as they all bring something to the table.  Pounding it out is the quickest way to tenderize while marinating takes overnight and is the longest.

How Long to Cook Pork Chops

For safety reasons it is stated that pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°.  However, I enjoy them more on the medium to the medium-well side of things.  To me, it is ok if the pork has a little pink in the center.  I always say, when was the last time you heard of someone getting trichinosis?

With that being said, cooking it on a hot grill or in a hot sauté pan will most likely take 15-20 minutes or baked in the oven at 400° for 25-28 minutes.  My personal preference is to sauté the pork in a pan.

Why Are My Pork Chops Tough?

There are a number of different reasons why pork chops can be tough, but the absolutely biggest reason is due to overcooking.  Most people are so worried about a little pink in the pork that they overcook it and it ends up dry and tough.  If you are nervous about there being any pink in the pork chop, remove it from the oven or pan while cooking at 155° and let it rest on a plate or cutting board for 4-5 minutes.

This process is called carry over cooking as the pork chop will go up in temperature to that safe 165° while still maintaining its juiciness and tenderness.

The Marinade

There are several different marinades for pork, but I always suggest at least using the following:

• Vinegar or Citrus (1 part of this to 2 parts oil)
• Oil
• Herbs
• Salt and Pepper

With all of these components, you will ensure your pork is flavorful and juicy.  I made a maple syrup-based marinade to add in a little sweetness.  You can also add in thinks like mustard, peppers, garlic, onions, spices, etc. to help take your marinade over the top.

You should marinate anything for at least 1 hour but it is optimal if you can marinate overnight. The longer the marinade the more flavorful your food will be.

How to Make Pork Chops

• 1. Marinate the pork chops overnight.
• 2. Remove the pork chops from the bag and set it on a plate.

• 3. Heat oil in a large frying pan until it begins to lightly smoke.
• 4.  Add in the pork chops along with butter and fresh thyme and cook them for 4-6 minutes per side or until the desired internal temperature is achieved.

• 5. Set the pork chops aside on a plate and let rest for 4-5 minutes before serving.

What Does It Go Well With

Pork chops go well with many different items and here are my favorites:

• Scalloped Potatoes Recipe
• Creamy Polenta Recipe
• Mashed Potatoes
• Rice
• Risotto
• Spaetzle
• Salad
• Beans

My personal favorites are risotto and spaetzle, but pork is versatile and goes well with a lot so feel free to get creative with your side dish.

How To Make Bean Cassoulet

• Soak the beans overnight by covering them with cold water and letting them sit at room temperature.
• Start by adding some oil to a large rondeau pot over medium-high heat and cook off your pork sausage until it is cooked throughout, which takes about 6 to 8 minutes.

• Next, add in the onions and garlic and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the onions are lightly browned and translucent.
• Add in the water-soaked beans and chicken stock and cook over medium-low heat for 20-25 minutes or until the beans are tender.

• Finish by adding in some celery, carrots, herbs that were prepped on the Franke Chef Center along with salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes or until the carrots and celery are tender. Serve!

There is quite a bit of beans leftover, however, it is the perfect base for my Zuppa Toscana soup!

This is no joke one of my favorite recipes of all time.  The balance of flavors is incredible with the sweet pork and savory beans that honestly if I had a restaurant this would for sure be on the menu!

Reheat and Storage

How to Reheat: Add the pork chops and beans to a skillet, cover with foil and bake in the oven at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until hot.   Alternatively, you can heat both up in the microwave.

How to Store: It will last about 4 days covered in plastic and stored in the refrigerator.  It will definitely freeze covered in plastic for up to 2 months, but you will lose some moisture and tenderness in the pork chops when reheating.

More Pork Recipes

• Smoked Pulled Pork recipe
• Apples and Pork Chops
• Pozole
• Pork Chops and Corn Salsa
• Milanese

Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and Pinterest and if you’ve had a chance to make this then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below!

SaveSaved

Maple Glazed Pork Chops Recipe with Bean Cassoulet

Share

Print

5 from 6 votes

These pan-roasted sweet maple glazed pork chops are served up with a delicious side of savory beans, vegetables and sausage.

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Marinating Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Ingredients 

For the Pork:

• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2/3 cup olive oil + 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves + 4 sprigs
• 6-8 fresh sage leaves
• 3 10- ounce bone-in pork chops
• 3 tablespoons butter
• sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

For the Beans:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound loose pork sausage
• 1 peeled small diced yellow onion
• 2 finely minced cloves of garlic
• 8 ounces great northern beans, soaked in water over night
• 32 ounces chicken stock
• 3 small diced stalks of celery
• 3 peeled and small diced carrots
• 1 tablespoon each fresh thyme leaves and chopped fresh sage
• sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a bowl whisk together the maple syrup, vinegar, 2/3 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon thyme leaves, sage leaves, salt and pepper (2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper) to a bowl and whisk to combine.
• Add the pork chops and submerge in a bowl or transfer to a plastic bag and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
• Add olive oil to a large rondeau over medium-high heat and cook sausage until cooked throughout, which takes about 6 to 8 minutes.
• Next, add in the onions and garlic and saute for 4 to 5 minutes or until lightly browned and translucent.
• Add in the beans and chicken stock and cook over medium-low heat for 20 to 25 minutes or until the beans are tender.
• Finish with celery, carrots, herbs, salt and pepper and cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Keep warm, see note.
• To cook the pork, pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and add the pork chops once the oil begins to lightly smoke.
• Immediately add in the butter and thyme sprigs and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until the desired internal temperature is achieved, basting the pork constantly.

Notes

Chef Notes:

• You should marinate anything for at least 1 hour but it is optimal if you can marinate overnight. The longer the marinade the more flavorful your food will be.

 

• There is quite a bit of beans leftover, however it is the perfect base for my Zuppa Toscana soup!

 

• How to Reheat: Add the pork chops and beans to a skillet, cover with foil and bake in the oven at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until hot. Alternatively, you can heat both up in the microwave.

 

• How to Store: pork chops and cassoulet last about 4 days covered in plastic and stored in the refrigerator. Pork chops and the cassoulet will definitely freeze covered in plastic for up to 2 months, but you will lose some moisture and tenderness in the pork chops when reheating.

Nutrition

Calories: 710kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 47gFat: 48gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 172mgSodium: 672mgPotassium: 1130mgFiber: 3gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 8055IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 96mgIron: 3mg

Course: dinner, Main

Cuisine: American

Author: Chef Billy Parisi