Yogurt-Marinated Pork Chops with White Wine

Active Time:

30 mins

Marinate Time:

6 hrs

Total Time:

7 hrs

Servings:

6 servings

A yogurt marinade suffused with mustard flavor and warm celery seeds tenderizes these pork chops to keep them unquestionably juicy while cooking. Homa Dashtaki, who shared this recipe, prefers to use yogurt whey in the marinade for the pork chops, while we tested this recipe with whole-milk yogurt; both options work well.

If you prefer to marinate the pork chops overnight, turn down the heat while cooking to prevent the marinade from charring, as the pork chops would have absorbed more of the yogurt’s natural sugars with time.

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Ingredients

3 cups plain whole-milk yogurt, plus more as needed, or 6 cups yogurt whey
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon celery seeds
6 (8-ounce) bone-in pork chops (loin or rib-cut chops)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper, or to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 medium shallots, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions

In a large, flat-bottomed container, stir together yogurt or yogurt whey, garlic, mustard powder, and celery seeds. Add pork chops, turning to coat; add more yogurt if needed to fully coat pork chops. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or up to 12 hours.
About 30 minutes before cooking, remove pork chops from marinade, and place on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Discard marinade. Pat pork chops dry using paper towels. Season with salt and pepper, rubbing liberally on both sides of pork chops.
Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high until very hot, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, swirling to coat skillet; add 3 pork chops. Sear until golden brown on one side, about 4 minutes. Flip pork chops, and cook until seared on other side, meat is just slightly pink in center, and a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion of pork chops registers 145°F, 3 to 4 minutes, reducing heat if exterior gets too brown before pork chops are cooked through. Transfer pork chops to a clean plate; tent loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm. Wipe skillet clean, and repeat cooking process with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining 3 pork chops.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Add shallots to skillet, and cook, stirring often, until soft and caramelized, about 3 minutes. Pour wine into skillet; using a spatula, scrape up browned bits from bottom of skillet. Cook until wine is reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes; turn off heat, and stir in butter and Dijon mustard. Pour sauce over pork chops.

To make ahead

Pork chops can be marinated up to 12 hours. Pork should be cooked to a temperature of 145°F.

Note

Yogurt marinades are extremely versatile and give proteins a unique texture. Both the yogurt’s dairy proteins and sugars caramelize in the pan. The result is a meat that is crisp on the outside with a soft, juicy interior. It’s important to remove the marinade completely and thoroughly pat the chops dry before they go into the pan to prevent a pasty texture on the outside of your chops.