Ginger Plum Pork Chops

Five ingredients and 25 minutes stand between you and glazed pork chops swimming in a sweet, tangy, ginger-spiked plum sauce. This is weeknight cooking at its most efficient: brown the chops, stir together the sauce, cover, and simmer.

Plum preserves form the base of the glaze, melting in the hot skillet into a sticky, jammy sauce. Ground ginger adds warm spice, and apple cider vinegar sharpens everything with a tart bite that keeps the sweetness from becoming cloying. The balance between the sweet preserves and the vinegar is what makes this sauce land. Without the vinegar, it’s just jam on pork. With it, it’s a proper glaze.

Brown the chops on one side first over medium-high heat to get a golden sear, then flip and pour the sauce mixture around (not over) the chops. Cover and lower the heat. Five minutes of gentle simmering finishes the cooking and lets the plum sauce reduce slightly and cling to the meat. Thin boneless chops (3/8 inch thick) cook fast, so don’t wander off. Overcooked thin chops turn dry in seconds.

Pro Tips

• Use a nonstick skillet; the plum preserves are sticky and will cement to stainless steel
• Stir the sauce ingredients together before adding to the skillet so you can pour it in one move
• The sauce thickens as it cools on the plate; serve immediately for the glossiest presentation
• Pair with roasted potato wedges to soak up the extra sauce

Variations

• Apricot ginger: Swap plum preserves for apricot preserves
• Spicy plum: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes or a dash of sriracha to the sauce
• Bone-in chops: Use bone-in chops and increase the simmer time to 12-15 minutes