Cider-Glazed Pork Chops

I have been talking about starting a food blog for months and so here it is. Enjoy!

For my birthday my amazing husband gave me The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook and for the past few months I haven't been able to put it down. I'm sure I have spent hours leisurely flipping through this book, time I consider well-spent. I think it is only fitting that my first post is from this book. Since fall is in the air, I decided to try these cider-glazed pork chops which were both easy and delicious!

Cider-Glazed Pork Chops
(Taken From The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook)

Glaze
  1/2 cup cider vinegar
  1/3 cup brown sugar
  1/3 cup apple cider or juice ( I used juice since that is what I had, but I will try cider next time)
  2    tablespoons dijon mustard (or spicy brown will work)
  1    tablespoon soy sauce
        pinch of cayenne pepper (use more if you like heat)

Pork Chops
  4 boneless pork chops 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick with excess fat trimmed off
  Salt and Pepper
  1 tablespoon of cooking oil

Combine all the glaze ingredients and set aside.

Take your chops and cut two slits, about two inches apart, through the fat and skin layer of each. This will keep the meat from buckling as it cooks ( This cookbook is full of amazing tricks and tips, like this one). Pat the chops dry with a paper towel and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a skillet on medium-high heat until the oil is extremely hot. Add chops, and cook one side until it is well browned (about 5 minutes). Flip the chops over and cook the other side for one minute. Place the chops on a platter and discard any remaining oil.

Place the chops back in the skillet, with the browned side up, pour in the glaze, and cook on medium heat until the center of the chop is about 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. This will take about 5-8 minutes. Take the chops out, place on a plate, and loosely cover with foil. Let the chops rest until the temperature rises to 150 degrees, about five minutes.

While the chops rest, pour any juices from the plate the chops are on into the skillet with the glaze. Whisk this constantly until the glaze has thickened. This should take around five minutes. Once it is thick, place the chops back in and coat both sides. Place the chops (browned side up) on your serving dish, pour the remaining glaze on top, and serve.