Pork Chops with Glaze

Two weeks after James. I have been at Gloria's every day. I drove over after work on weekdays and spent the whole day Saturdays and Sundays. Tyler came every time. He did not ask whether I needed him there. He just came.

I cooked. That is what I did because it is what I know how to do and because it was what was needed. The casseroles that church families brought were kind but Gloria needed her food, the specific food that belongs to her kitchen and her grief and her seventy-two years of feeding James every day. I made his favorites: the smothered pork chops he always ate two of, the fried chicken, the banana pudding in the yellow Pyrex dish. I made them and set them on the table and Gloria ate and I ate beside her and Tyler ate beside me and the house was very quiet and the food was very good and that is how you grieve in a kitchen. You make the things that meant him. You keep his flavors in the room.

Gloria said one afternoon: he waited until the summer. He mowed the lawn in summer. He died in summer. She said it like it was a thing she was trying to understand. I said: he was there until he was not. She said: yes. That is the whole thing. She said: you are going to be married in October, Savannah. She said: he knew that. He told me he was glad he was going to see you settled. I said: he is going to see it. She said: yes. He is.

I am going to get married in October under Gloria's oak tree and James Martin will have known me for eleven years and said you were a gift and meant it and that is the foundation I carry into whatever comes next.

The smothered pork chops were always the first thing I made at Gloria’s — they were James’s first request at any Sunday table, and so they became the first act of keeping him present. This glazed pork chop recipe is the version I come back to when I want that same weight of love and simplicity in the pan: the sear, the caramelized glaze, the way the whole kitchen fills up with something that smells like it was made for someone specific. It was. It still is.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 bone-in pork chops, about 3/4 inch thick
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp unsalted butter
Fresh thyme or parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Season the chops. Pat pork chops dry with paper towels. Combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, then rub evenly over both sides of each chop. Let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and minced garlic. Set aside.
Sear the pork chops. Heat olive oil in a large cast-iron or heavy skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add pork chops in a single layer and sear undisturbed for 4—5 minutes until a deep golden crust forms. Flip and sear the second side for 3—4 minutes.
Add the glaze. Reduce heat to medium. Pour the glaze over the chops. It will bubble and thicken quickly. Spoon the glaze over the chops repeatedly for 2—3 minutes, turning once, until the pork is cooked through and the glaze is caramelized and sticky.
Finish with butter. Remove pan from heat and add butter, tilting the pan and spooning the melted butter and glaze over the chops for 30 seconds to finish.
Rest and serve. Transfer chops to a plate and let rest 5 minutes before serving. Spoon any remaining pan glaze over the top. Garnish with fresh thyme or parsley if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pork Chops with Glaze — The Food That Kept His Memory in the Room