Cumin-Baked Pork Chops
Ingredients
4 8-ounce pork chops (bone-in, and not the real thick ones)
kosher salt
black pepper
olive oil (or other cooking oil) to brown the chops in
4 tablespoons grainy mustard (Dijon, Gulden’s etc.)S
2 tablespoons crushed cumin seeds or ground cumin
Preparation
Brine the pork chops (3 tablespoons salt in 1 quart of water in a Ziploc bag) for 45 minutes. Drain and dry thoroughly, then sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add the pork chops and brown for 2 minutes on each side. Remove and let cool slightly.
Combine the mustard and cumin, then coat each pork chop on both sides with this paste. Put the chops back into the cast-iron skillet and put the skillet into the oven. Bake until the chops are just cooked through – check at 8 minutes for thinnish chops.
