I’m repeating this headnote from the recipe for Simple Glazed Pork Chops (page 111) because it’s really important: I’ve found that folks tend to overcook pork. Though there was a time everyone thought it had to be nearly overcooked, it’s now been found safe to eat it a little less done—by which I mean with just the very faintest hint of pink (as in just barely pink, not actually fully pink) in the center. You never want to eat raw pork. Also, the first time you make this recipe you may want to buy an extra chop to “play with.” I’ve found broiler intensity varies significantly from oven to oven, so it’s tough to give you the precise time on this one. And timing really does matter here, as the chop needs to be cooked through on the inside before the sauce burns. Once you figure out the perfect timing with that one chop, you’ll always know exactly how long to broil your pork chops, whether you’re making this recipe or one of the other broiled pork chop recipes. So it really is worth a one-time effort that will take less than 10 minutes. When purchasing apple butter, look for it next to the peanut butter and jelly in your grocery store.

　　

Ingredients

makes 2 servings

　　Olive oil spray (from a spray bottle, not a store-bought, prefilled one that contains propellant; I used a Misto)

　　2 (3- to 4-ounce) trimmed, boneless pork chops, about 3/4 inch thick

　　1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

　　Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

　　2 tablespoons apple butter, preferably a natural one (I used Eden), divided

　　

Step 1

Preheat the broiler. Line a small baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil and lightly mist the foil with spray.

　　

Step 2

Lightly mist the chops all over with spray, and then season them with the garlic, salt, and pepper. Place them side by side on the prepared baking sheet, not touching. Transfer the sheet to the top oven rack and broil the chops about 3 minutes. Flip them and brush 1 tablespoon of the apple butter evenly over the top of each chop. Continue broiling until the apple butter caramelizes (turns brown in spots) and the pork just barely has a hint of pink inside, 2 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately.

　　

nutrition information

Step 3

Each (1-chop) serving has:

　　

Step 4

Calories: 164

　　

Step 5

Protein: 22g

　　

Step 6

Carbohydrates: 8g

　　

Step 7

Fat: 4g

　　

Step 8

Saturated Fat: 1g

　　

Step 9

Cholesterol: 65mg

　　

Step 10

Trace Fiber

　　

Step 11

Sodium: 51mg

　　Reprinted with permission from I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening! by Devin Alexander. Copyright © 2010 Devin Alexander. Published by Clarkson Potter Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.Devin Alexander is the author of The Most Decadent Diet Ever, Fast Food Fix, and coauthor of The New York Times bestsellers The Biggest Loser Cookbook and The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. She was a chef on NBC's The Biggest Loser and the host of Healthy Decadence on Discover Health and FitTV.