Autumn Apple Pork Chops in the Pressure Cooker

Serves 2 in about 45 minutes. A pressure cooker recipe built around tsp cinnamon and pecans.

Ingredients

• 3 apples sliced about 1/4" thick
• 1 small sweet onion (walla walla, vidalia, etc) cut in half and thinly sliced.
• 2-4 pork chops
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• ¼ cup plus 1 tbsp water (divided)
• 4 tbsp butter (unsalted)
• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 3 tbsp cold water
• 2-4 small potatoes (to cook with pork chops as a side dish)
• Chopped pecans (optional)

Method

1. Prepare apples by coring, and slicing. keep it nearby.
2. Lift out the outer skin of the onion. Cut in half and slice thinly (You will have half circles). keep it nearby.
3. Season the pork chops with a sprinkling of salt and pepper on each side. Go lightly on the pepper. keep it nearby while pot warms up.
4. Turn the IP to Sauté mode (Normal heat). When the display reads "Hot" add the oil to the pot.
5. Tip in the pork chops, two at a time, and brown on each side for about 4 minutes per side. Lift out to a plate and keep it nearby.
6. Tip in the onion and 1 Tbsp water. Simmer the onion, while stirring often and scraping to deglaze the pot (get all of the brown bits off the bottom).
7. When the onions are translucent and tender, add the butter and stir until melted.
8. Stir in the apples and 1/4 cup water. Mix well.
9. Tip in the pork chops (and any juices on the plate) back in and just set them on top of the apples. Don't stir.
10. If you are cooking potatoes with this dish, set them on top of the pork chops. Leave them whole (small potatoes).
11. Put the lid on the pot and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position. Cancel the Sauté mode.
12. Press the Manual (or Pressure Cook) button and then the + or - button to select 10 (8 minutes for thinner chops) minutes.
13. ***Yes, the pot will come to pressure with only 1/4 cup of water in it. This is because the apples will release water as the pot is heating up and building pressure, so you will be okay. It's the same for making applesauce!
14. While the pork chops are cooking, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. keep it nearby.
15. When the cook cycle ends and the pot beeps, don't do anything to it, just let it naturally release pressure for 10 minutes (the counter will begin counting up). After the 10 minutes is up, turn the steam release knob to manually release the remaining pressure.
16. When the pin in the lid drops, open the lid. Lift out the pork chops (and potatoes) to a plate and cover with foil or a lid to keep warm.
17. Turn the Sauté mode back on.
18. Stir in the brown sugar mixture to the apple mixture and stir.
19. Stir the corn starch with the cold water. Mix the corn starch slurry into the apple mixture, while stirring the whole time.
20. When the mixture thickens, turn off the pot. Lift out apple gravy to a serving bowl immediately.
21. Plate the pork chops smothered in the warm apple gravy. Yum!
22. Garnish with chopped pecans, if you want it.

More instant pot ideas are in the instant pot collection.