Sous Vide Bourbon-Glazed Pork Chops with Smoky Sear

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Thick bone-in chops spend two hours in a 140°F water bath, which is the whole trick: they come out edge-to-edge juicy and impossible to overcook. A hard 60-second sear in cast iron builds the crust, then a splash of bourbon, brown sugar and cider vinegar reduces in the pan drippings into a sticky Southern-style glaze. Ten ingredients, mostly pantry, and almost all of the cook time is hands-off.

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in pork chops, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches thick
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup bourbon
• 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Fill a large pot or container with water, clip in your immersion circulator, and set it to 140°F (60°C). Let it come up to temperature while you season the pork.
2. Pat the chops dry. Stir the salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder and black pepper together and rub it over all sides of each chop. Slide the chops into zip-top freezer bags in a single layer, one or two per bag, adding 1 tablespoon of the butter split between the bags. Seal all but one corner, lower the bags into the water so the water pressure pushes the air out, then seal completely and clip the tops to the side of the pot.
3. Cook in the 140°F bath for 2 hours (anywhere from 1 1/2 to 4 hours is fine — the chops will not overcook). Meanwhile, whisk the bourbon, brown sugar and cider vinegar together in a small bowl.
4. Lift the bags out, remove the chops, and pat them very dry on both sides with paper towels. Dry pork is the difference between a crust and a steam bath. Discard the bag juices.
5. Set a cast-iron skillet over high heat until it just begins to smoke, about 3 minutes. Add the oil, then the chops, and sear 60 seconds per side plus 30 seconds standing on the fat edge, until deeply browned. Transfer to a plate.
6. Pull the skillet off the heat, wait 15 seconds, then pour in the bourbon mixture — it will bubble hard. Return to medium heat and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, scraping the pan, until glossy and syrupy. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, spoon the glaze over the chops, and rest 3 minutes before serving.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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