Fruited Pork Chops

This crockpot recipe proves that pork and fruit are one of the great culinary pairings. Lean pork chops slow cook in a mustard and white wine vinegar sauce, then get topped with a glossy fruit cocktail glaze right before serving.

The sauce starts with just three ingredients whisked together: prepared mustard, white wine vinegar, and a pinch of dried dill. The syrup from the canned fruit cocktail goes in too, adding sweetness that balances the mustard’s bite. That tangy-sweet liquid surrounds the chops during the long cook, slowly tenderizing the meat and infusing flavor.

Holding back the actual fruit until the last 10 to 15 minutes is smart. Adding it at the start would cook the fruit to mush over 4 to 6 hours. Stirring it in at the end keeps the peach chunks, grape halves, and pear pieces intact with some texture still left.

The cornstarch slurry thickens the braising liquid into a spooning sauce that glazes each chop beautifully on the plate.

Kitchen Tips

• Use lean chops for this. Fatty chops render too much grease into the closed crockpot, making the sauce oily.
• Drain the fruit cocktail well and reserve that ½ cup of syrup. Don’t skip the syrup; it’s the sweetener for the sauce.
• Dissolve the cornstarch completely in cold water before adding. Hot liquid causes it to clump instantly.
• Four hours on low gives tender but sliceable chops. Six hours makes them fall-apart soft.

Variations

• Use canned peach halves instead of fruit cocktail for a more focused peach-pork pairing.
• Add a tablespoon of soy sauce to the mustard mixture for an Asian-inspired sweet-savory twist.
• Replace the dill with fresh rosemary for a more herbal, Mediterranean direction.