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one irregular broad marbled pork shoulder blade chop with several distinct cooked muscle sections and a small flat blade bone embedded within the meat, no long rib bone or single round loin eye, with thick softened apple wedges and thin cooked fennel and onion in light amber cider sauce on an ordinary plate, with no cabbage, green fronds or garnish
Rachel Kim

Crockpot Apple Cider Pork Chops

Apple cider belongs in the cooking liquid, while fresh apple wedges go in near the end so they still look like apples when the pork is tender. Thin fennel underneath gives the sweet sauce a savory edge without cabbage or a mustard-heavy finish. Choose unsweetened cider rather than apple cider vinegar, which is a different ingredient entirely. The small vinegar spoonful comes later to sharpen the reduced juices. Keep the apples in thick wedges and lift them before boiling down the sauce, because tender fruit doesn't need to keep breaking apart while the liquid catches up.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 6 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 4 well-marbled bone-in pork blade chops 1 inch thick, about 2 1/2 lbs total
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 fennel bulb cored and thinly sliced
  • 1 small yellow onion sliced
  • 1 cup unsweetened apple cider
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/4 tsp dried sage
  • 2 firm apples cored and cut into thick wedges
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp cold water

Method
 

  1. Season chops with salt and pepper and brown in oil in a skillet for 2 minutes per side in 2 batches. Place fennel and onion in a 6-quart slow cooker and arrange chops on top.
  2. Pour cider and broth around the chops, add sage and cover. Cook on low for 5 hours.
  3. Add apple wedges around the pork, cover again and cook for 1 more hour until apples and chops are tender; pork must be at least 145°F and marbled blade chops generally soften near 190°F.
  4. Lift chops and apples to a platter and rest the pork for at least 3 minutes. Transfer fennel, onion and liquid to a saucepan, skim excess fat and simmer for 5 minutes.
  5. Mix cornstarch with cold water, stir into the sauce for 2 minutes until lightly thickened and add vinegar. Spoon the cider sauce and vegetables around the chops and apples.