Eight ingredients, plus pantry staples. That's all it takes to make an entire meal from scratch. Add in a good bottle of wine for less than $20, and you've got a feast for family or friends.
More meat should be cooked with fruit. Just think about it: Duck à la orange, chicken tagine with apricots, ham and pineapple—they all make compelling arguments for bringing more sweet-savory dishes into one’s cooking repertoire.
What makes them even better? Sweet-and-salty foods—like these bone-in pork chops with jammy, roasted figs—make excellent pairings for wines that balance lively acidity and ripe fruit, whether white or red. This dish is particularly delicious alongside a juicy Pinot Noir. (Get recent ratings here!)
This dish was inspired in part by the classic combo of pork chops and apples, roasted together for a delightful fall meal. As an alternative way of transitioning from late-summer produce to cooler-weather fare, the apples are swapped for earthy, honeyed figs, which, when roasted become concentrated and release a thick, almost-perfect sauce as is.
For the pork chops—as with most meats—bone-in is always better. Bone-in pork chops tend to be a bit fattier, while cooking them on the bone helps retain moisture, making for juicier, more flavorful meat. While you can still get a light sear on the chops with the bone in, the insides won’t dry out once they get in the oven. To season, I went with the classic combination of pork and mustard, which gets slathered all over the chops for 30 minutes. (It’s best to use a smooth, ground mustard rather than a grainy or whole seed mustard. Those will burn easily when searing the meat and tend not to stick to the chops.)
Mustard is also a great companion to the figs, giving the dish a slight bit of heat and savoriness, without overpowering the fruit. Adding the final layer of flavor to the dish, the figs are roasted with the pork, then finished at the last minute with a splash of apple cider vinegar to lift the sultry, jammy sauce while building on the fruity flavors. (In a pinch, Sherry vinegar is an excellent replacement.) To serve, this dish is an excellent companion to roasted veggies—brussels sprouts, potatoes, butternut squash and beyond—and light salads.
While testing this dish, my head was reeling with different red and white wine pairing ideas that would suit the combination of sweet and salty, fruity and meaty, jammy and peppery: Should I go with a juicy Rhône blend, earthy Chinon or rounded Chardonnay? One night, a favorite with dinner was a dry (trocken) German Riesling—piercing with acidity but full of ripe fruit to complement the figs.)The winner was a California Pinot Noir, a classic match with many pork dishes. The Acacia Pinot Noir Carneros 2023 (89 points, $20), from Northern California, rings with notes of concentrated red stone fruit and is a bit savory itself, accentuating he flavors of the roasted figs.
Bone-In Pork Chops with Roasted Figs
Pair with a juicy Pinot Noir with savory, herbal, spicy and/or earthy notes, such as the Acacia Pinot Noir Carneros 2023 (89, $20) from Northern California.
Read our California Pinot Noir tasting report on the exceptional 2023 vintage for more options.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Approximate food costs: $40
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds bone-in pork chops (around two 1-inch thick chops)
- 1 tablespoon ground mustard
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
- 16 ounces Mission figs
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or Sherry vinegar)
- Honey, optional
Preparation
1. In a small bowl, mix together the mustard, one tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper into a paste. Blot the pork chops dry with a paper towel, then smear the mustard mixture onto the pork chops. Let them rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. In the meantime, trim any stems off the figs, then slice them in half.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. On the stove, in an oven-safe frying pan over medium-high heat, add the other tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Once hot, add the pork chops and sear until lightly browned on each side, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pork chops and add the figs to the pan, tossing them in the residual olive oil and scraping up any mustard mixture that’s stuck to the bottom of the pan. Turn all of the figs face down, then nestle the pork chops into the figs. Move the pan into the oven and roast for 15 minutes.
3. Once the pork chops reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F, remove the pan from the oven and set the chops on a cutting board to rest. Put the pan with the figs back on the stove, over medium heat. Add the apple cider vinegar and stir until the liquid is thickened. (Taste the sauce; if the figs aren’t sweet enough, add a small amount of honey until the sauce reaches your desired taste. Season the sauce with more salt, if needed.) Turn off the heat. Remove the meat from the bone of the pork chops, then slice into ½-inch thick strips against the grain. Arrange the slices on a platter or plates and spoon the fig sauce over the pork. Serves 3-4.
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