Equipment
Ingredients
Pork
- 4 bone-in pork chops, thick-cut
- 10 g kosher salt
- 3 g black pepper, freshly ground
- 15 ml olive oil
Aromatics & Vegetables
- 250 g cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 3 garlic, minced
Sauce Base
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 120 ml dry white wine
- 400 g crushed tomatoes
- 240 ml chicken broth
Herbs
- 5 g fresh thyme, sprigs whole
- 5 g fresh rosemary, sprig whole
- 1 bay leaf, dried
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 622 kcal
- Protein
- 49 g
- Carbohydrates
- 16 g
- Fat
- 38 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 8 g
- Sodium
- 1563 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 14 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 16 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 5 g
- Cholesterol
- 159 mg
- Potassium
- 1376 mg
- Calcium
- 158 mg
- Iron
- 4.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 76 mg
- Phosphorus
- 599 mg
- Zinc
- 7.0 mg
- Vitamin A
- 92 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 15 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.6 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 4 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 1.2 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 1.3 mcg
- Thiamin
- 1.22 mg
- Riboflavin
- 1.06 mg
- Niacin
- 17.7 mg
- Folate
- 23 mcg
- Water
- 312 g
- Alcohol
- 3 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Pat the pork chops completely dry with paper towels, then generously season both sides with kosher salt and black pepper. Wash hands and surfaces thoroughly after handling raw meat.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer.
Add the pork chops to the hot skillet and sear until a deep golden-brown crust forms on the bottom, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Flip the pork chops using tongs and sear the second side for another 3 minutes. Remove the chops to a clean plate and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the unsalted butter and sliced cremini mushrooms to the skillet, sauteing until the mushrooms release their moisture and begin to brown.
Stir in the chopped shallots and minced garlic using a wooden spoon. Cook until the aromatics are softened and fragrant, stirring frequently to prevent the garlic from burning.
Pour the dry white wine into the skillet to deglaze, actively scraping the bottom with the wooden spoon to release the caramelized brown bits (fond).
Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, thyme sprigs, rosemary sprig, and bay leaf. Stir everything together to form a uniform sauce base.
Return the seared pork chops and any accumulated resting juices to the skillet, nestling the meat gently into the tomato mushroom sauce.
Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the skillet and braise until the pork is entirely tender and reaches a safe internal temperature of 63C/145F on a meat thermometer.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Discard the thyme stems, rosemary stem, and bay leaf. Let the pork chops rest in the sauce for 5 minutes before serving.
Chef's Notes
- Using bone-in, thick-cut pork chops is vital for braising. The bone insulates the meat, slowing down the heat transfer and preventing the lean muscle from drying out during the long cooking process.
- Do not rush searing the mushrooms. Letting them achieve a deep brown color before adding the shallots develops savory, meaty flavor compounds that define the backbone of this sauce.
- The brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan after searing the pork are called 'fond'. They are pure, concentrated flavor. Deglazing with wine dissolves this fond so it can seamlessly enrich the final gravy.
- Letting the meat rest in the sauce off the heat allows the muscle fibers to relax and reabsorb moisture, ensuring a juicier bite.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store pork and sauce together in an airtight container to keep meat moist.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze in airtight containers. The mushroom texture may soften slightly upon thawing.
Reheating: Reheat gently in a covered pan over low heat until the pork registers 74C/165F, adding a splash of water if the sauce is too thick.
Troubleshooting
Pork chops are tough and chewy
Cause: The braising liquid boiled rather than simmered, causing the meat fibers to seize up
Fix: Cannot be fixed completely, but slicing the meat thinly against the grain will improve the perceived texture
Prevention: Keep the heat very low so the liquid barely bubbles; ensure the lid is tight fitting
Sauce is too thin and watery
Cause: Tomatoes or mushrooms released excess liquid that could not evaporate with the lid on
Fix: Remove the cooked pork chops to a plate, turn the heat to medium-high, and boil the sauce uncovered until thickened
Prevention: Ensure mushrooms are fully browned before adding liquids
Garlic tastes bitter
Cause: Garlic burned in the pan before the wine was added
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Add garlic only in the last minute of sauteing the shallots and stir constantly
Cultural Context
Braised meats in wine and tomato-based sauces trace their origins to traditional French rustic cooking, often echoing the 'a la Chasseur' or hunter style. This historical method was originally designed to tenderize tough cuts of wild game while incorporating foraged ingredients like woodland mushrooms and garden herbs. The technique of building flavor in a single pan from sear to sauce remains a cornerstone of classic French culinary philosophy.
