Sweet-Sour Pork Chops

These pork chops spend a long, lazy afternoon in the oven and come out so tender you barely need a knife.

First they get a hard sear in peanut oil for color and flavor, then settle into a baking dish under a sweet and sour sauce built from pineapple juice, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and cornstarch.

Sliced onions and cubed green pepper go on top, and everything bakes covered until the chops are melt-in-your-mouth soft and the sauce has gone thick and glossy.

Serve over steamed rice and let the sauce do all the talking.

Pro Tips

• Sear the chops hard in a hot skillet before they go in the baking dish. That golden-brown crust adds a layer of flavor the sauce alone can’t deliver.
• Keep the dish covered the entire bake. The steam trapped inside is what turns tough chops into tender ones. Uncovering too early dries them out.
• Boil the sauce for the full 2 minutes before pouring over the chops. The cornstarch needs that time to activate and thicken properly.