Pork Chops with Dijon Cream Pan Sauce

Sep 08, 2023 • Tom Jackson

This one-pan recipe of pork chops and sauce will have you craving for more. These Pork Chops with Dijon Cream Pan Sauce are fancy for special occasions; but, are easy to cook any night. These succulent, brined, seared, and then braised pork chops will be some of the juiciest pork chops you’ll taste. For a complete meal, serve over fluffy mashed potatoes and smother them in the creamy Dijon sauce.

WHAT YOU'LL LOVE

One skillet, start to finish. The chops sear, braise, and the sauce comes together all in the same pan — the fond left behind after searing becomes the base of the sauce itself.
Brined for guaranteed juiciness. A quick two-hour (or overnight) brine means these chops stay tender through both the sear and the braise.
Mustard goes on twice. Dijon coats the chops before they're seasoned, then more goes into the cream sauce — building the same flavor from two directions instead of relying on the sauce alone.
Restaurant plating, weeknight effort. Sliced chops fanned over mashed potatoes and smothered in pan sauce look far more impressive than the actual hands-on time required.

Pork Chops with Dijon Cream Pan Sauce

Tom Jackson

Rated 4.4 stars by 16 users

Cuisine

American

Servings

4

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Calories

374

Awaken your taste buds with this one-pan recipe! This Pork Chops with Dijon Cream Pan Sauce recipe offers elegance and convenience. Serve it for a special occasion or any day of the week. Presenting them atop a cloud of mashed potatoes gives this dish a hint of familiarity yet is a gourmet delight.

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Ingredients

2 pork chops
1 1/2 qt cold water
9 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Butcher House Brine
Kozlik’s Dijon Classique Mustard
Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning

Dijon Cream Sauce:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup shallots, minced
1 tbsp garlic, grated on the Microplane
1/2 cup white wine
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp Kozlik’s Dijon Classique Mustard
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp chives, minced

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Directions

Pour one and a half quarts water into a 2 quart Mini Briner Bucket. Add nine tablespoons Cattleman’s Grill Butcher House Brine and whisk well to combine. Add the pork chops to the brine. Lock the plate in place to keep the pork submerged. Place the lid on the briner bucket and transfer to the refrigerator. Brine for at least two hours; up to overnight.
Fire up your Kamado Joe Konnected Joe and set the temperature to 600ºF, and set up the grill for direct grilling (no deflectors).
Cut shallots and chives then use a microplane to mince garlic.
Remove pork from the brine. Gently rinse in cool water. Dab the excess moisture from the surface with towels. Slather the surface of the chops with a thin layer of Kozlik’s Dijon Classique Mustard. Load the Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning into a Finamill pod (or whatever spice grinder you like to use). Grind the seasoning over the pork chops, seasoning on all sides.
Place a Lodge 10” Cast Iron Skillet in the grill to preheat for 5-10 minutes.
Place about one tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in the skillet. Add the chops to the skillet and sear on both sides until the surface is browned, about four to five minutes per side. Remove the pork from the grill.
Add the butter and shallots to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown. Add the garlic and thyme. Cook for about thirty seconds, stirring the garlic into the shallots. Add the wine and let reduce until almost completely gone (au sec). Add the chicken stock and return the pork chops to the skillet. Close the lid and let cook until the pork chops come to an internal temperature of 140ºF. Remove the pork chops once again and let rest while you finish the sauce.
Add in the mustard and the cream to the skillet and close the lid of the grill. Let cook until thickened to your desired consistency, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the thyme from the skillet.
Slice the pork chops and serve over mashed potatoes (or rice or pasta, etc.) smothered in the Dijon Cream Pan Sauce.

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Recipe Note

Recipe FAQ

Why rinse the pork after brining?
Rinsing removes excess surface salt after a brine with a high salt concentration, which keeps the finished chops from tasting oversalted once they're seasoned again.

What internal temperature should the chops reach?
Whole pork chops should reach 145ºF internal per USDA guidance, followed by a short rest. Use a reliable thermometer in the thickest part of the chop to confirm.

What is fond, and why does it matter here?
Fond is the browned bits left in the pan after searing — it's concentrated flavor that becomes the foundation of the pan sauce once the shallots, wine, and stock hit the skillet.

Can I substitute regular yellow mustard for the Dijon?
You can, but Dijon's use of brown and black mustard seeds (versus the milder white and yellow seeds in regular mustard) gives it a sharper, more complex flavor that this sauce is built around.

Can I make the sauce ahead of time?
The sauce is best made fresh right after searing the chops, since it relies on the fond left in the pan — but leftover sauce reheats fine over low heat with a splash of extra cream.

How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
5 out of 5 — perfect for indoor or outdoor cooking. This is fundamentally a stovetop skillet technique; the grill just supplies the heat source instead of an indoor burner.

Recipe Highlights

Two-hour minimum brine: Direction Step 1 brines the chops for at least two hours (up to overnight), which is what keeps them juicy through both the sear and the braise later.
Seared before braised: Step 6 sears the chops on both sides until browned before anything else happens — that browning builds the fond the entire pan sauce depends on.
Wine reduced au sec: Step 7 lets the wine reduce until almost completely gone before adding stock — that reduction step concentrates the wine's flavor instead of leaving it thin and boozy.
Mustard and cream added last: Step 8 finishes the sauce with Dijon and cream only after the chops have braised through, keeping the dairy from breaking or separating over prolonged heat.