Apple Cider Pork Chops

Make your marinade in a medium mixing bowl by whisking together apple cider, olive oil, honey, garlic, Dijon mustard, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, and cornstarch.

Measure 3/4 cup of marinade into a small sauce pan, add golden raisins, and cover. Set aside remaining marinade in a mixing bowl for the pork. Place the sauce pan in the refrigerator and allow the golden raisins to marinate and become plump while the pork marinates.

Place the pork into marinade in mixing bowl and refrigerate for 6–8 hours. If you work or have a busy day ahead, this is ideal to prep in the morning, making dinner prep much easier at the end of a long day.

Remove pork and sauce pan with raisins from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to cooking and allow both to come to room temperature. Cook pork on a grill or on the stovetop over medium-high heat, flipping and basting with leftover marinade midway. Depending on the size of your pork chops, you will only need to cook them 3–5 minutes on each side. The pork is done when there is a small amount of pale pink in the center with white outer edges.

Allow meat to rest for a few minutes on a plate while you place the saucepan with the marinade and raisins on medium heat. Simmer and stir frequently until sauce is heated through and thickened. If you cooked your pork on the stovetop, be sure to cook the sauce in the pan that the pork was cooked in to pull up any of that extra flavor that was left over from cooking. Remove from the heat, add the chops to the pan, and coat them in the apple cider sauce. Serve immediately.