Oktober Fest starts this month and naturally we are inclined to eat some of our favorite German dishes. My Mama back home in Germany would often prepare brats, liver or pork chops with apples and onions so I was excited to try this pork chop recipe from the Big Green Egg blog. All you need to cook this über-tasty dish on your Big Green Egg is the convEGGtor and either the half moon cast iron griddle or a cast iron pan.
We started by seasoning our 3/4in thick bone-in pork chops with salt and pepper and setting them aside. Then we EGGnited our Big Green Egg, set it up for direct heat with the convEGGtor and the grid. Preheat it to 400F.
In the mean time, cut one small apple per person into quarters and then slices. The recipe calls for two apples for four people but we like apples so we used more (but smaller ones than they were probably intending). Also half an onion and thinly slice it. You’ll also want to prepare the spice mix before things get busy on the EGG: Combine 2TB brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne (we were out and substituted chili powder, which tasted great, too).
Once your Big Green Egg is at 400F, place your cast iron pan or griddle on the grid, let it warm up for a few minutes and then add 2TB of butter. Once the butter has melted, place your pork chops into the pan, close the lid and cook for about 3 minutes per side. They will continue to cook in a later step so for now, remove them from the pan and set aside.
Add an additional TB of butter to the pan and once that’s melted add the apple and onion slices. Give them a good stir to coat them with butter, close the lid and cook them for 5 minutes. Now stir in the spice mixture and thereafter 1/3 cup heavy cream and 2/3 cup of apple cider or apple juice. Place the pork chops back into the pan and let it all simmer for about 5 or 6 minutes until the chops have reached an internal temperature of 160F (medium).
Serve it with your favorite German sides like Spätzle, Sauerkraut or Rotkohl (red cabbage). Enjoy!
Dairy Free Option
To make these pork chops with apples and onions dairy free, substitute dairy free butter for the regular butter and non-dairy milk with an additional TB of vegan butter for the heavy cream. We tried cashew milk and it turned out deliciously!
