Braising pork chops with vinegar peppers is simply one of the best ways to cook pork chops.
They are tender from the braising and so flavorful from the white wine, cherry pepper vinegar and chicken stock sauce. Topped with vinegar peppers they make one heck of a dish.
They are real easy too! You can use hot or sweet cherry peppers. By the way, vinegar peppers or cherry peppers are the same thing. Depending on the brand you buy, they might be labeled either way.
What's The Deal With Pork And Cherry Peppers
This is a dish I have been eating my whole life. The combination of pork and pickled peppers is pretty much the perfect flavor match. Check out our Italian Potatoes With Sausage And Cherry Peppers for another classic pork and vinegar pepper combo.
If you have an Instant Pot definitely make this Italian style pulled pork recipe and top it with vinegar/cherry peppers or pepperoncini.
These peppers are extremely popular here in the northeast. We used them in the potato recipe referenced above. We also used them in this Shrimp Arrabbiata recipe and this easy Roasted Broccolini And Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner.
How To Make Italian Pork Pork Chops With Vinegar Peppers
- Dry the pork chops off with paper towels and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Picture of the vinegar or cherry peppers. These are hot as indicated on the bottle. They are about 5000 on the scoville scale. You can sometimes find sweet cherry peppers. Often they use high fructose corn syrup to take out some of the heat.
- Chop 4 large cherry peppers into quarters and remove most of the seeds.
- Chop 4 cloves of garlic and mince ¼ cup fresh parsley.
- Heat pan to medium-high heat and add a touch of olive oil. Sear the chops for 2-3 minutes per side. Do not crowd the chops and/or sear in batches to avoid them touching.
- Set chops aside when finished searing.
- Lower pan heat to medium, add 3 Tbsp of olive oil and saute the garlic. After 2 minutes add the vinegar peppers and cook for 1 minute more.
- Next, turn heat to high and add ¾ cup of white wine. After 2 minutes, add the ¾ cup chicken stock and ¼ cup of vinegar from the jar. Let the sauce boil for a minute.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low
- Add the chops into the sauce, spreading them out.
- Cover and cook for 1-1 ½ hours minimum or until tender. Make sure to turn the chops over every 30 minutes to achieve even cooking.
- When the chops are finished they will be smaller and more tender. If they are not quite tender enough, feel free to cook them for another 15- 30 minutes or so. Finish by mixing the fresh parsley into the sauce.
So that is how to cook pork chops with cherry peppers. The longer the chops cook the better they will get. If most of the liquid evaporates, just add some water to the pan to keep the braising process moving along.
Depending on the type of chop used (thickness, variety, overall toughness) the cooking time can vary. If the chop cooks for too long it can fall apart, so keep that in mind. Definitely not a problem, if you like them that way.
Make sure to serve more cherry peppers and vinegar on the side. Also, some Italian bread to mop up all the pan sauce would be a great addition.
Type Of Pork To Use
- Pork chops - If you can find premium chops with a good fat content they will not need to be braised as long. A standard blade chop will take over an hour to get tender though, so do keep that in mind.
- Pork tenderloin - Works well by cutting 1" thick pieces and following the recipe as is.
Ways To Cook Pork Chops And Cherry Peppers
- Oven - For the most part, can be cooked the same as the stove top. Set the oven for 325f and cook for 1-1.5 hours after searing the chops. Cooking them in a lidded dutch oven would work perfectly.
- Instant Pot - Sear them off in the pot first, then add the garlic to saute and finally all the ingredients. Stir it around and add the chops back in. Set to manual pressure cook for 15 minutes. When finished, let the pot naturally release for 15 minutes. The chops will be fork tender this way.
- Grill - If you have access to premium chops this would be a great way to make cherry pepper pork chops. Season with salt and pepper, grill chops to 145f internal and serve either just cherry peppers and vinegar on the side or make a sauce with the same ingredients in this recipe.
Substitutions And Additions
- Breaded chops - Frying the pork chops in an egg and bread crumb mixture can give great results. What's nice about this particular way is all you need is cherry peppers and vinegar. The breaded chops absorb the vinegar quite nicely.
- Broccoli rabe - Serve on the side with chops. Broccoli rabe is simply one of the best vegetables to serve with this dish.
- Fresh mozzarella - After the chops are finished braising turn the broiler on and in a broiler safe pan layer one chop, a few pieces of cherry peppers and a nice slice of fresh mozzarella. Broil for a couple minutes until cheese is bubbly. Serve the sauce on top.
Vinegar Pork Chops Difficulty Level
On a scale of 1-5 with 1 being easy this recipe is a 3. The common problem issue will be getting the chops tender. Pork should be cooked to 145f most of the time if it's a good cut (besides pork shoulder of course). Most pork chops (unless high quality like Berkshire or other heritage breed) will be tough at 145f. If using a blade chop, braising them long enough will make them nice and tender.
Bottom line, just make sure to cook the chops long enough to get that perfect texture and tenderness!
Serve With These Side Dishes
- Sauteed Zucchini And Mushrooms With Burrata
- Stuffed Tomatoes With Ricotta Salata
- Italian Vegetables With Lemon Caper Sauce
- Crispy Roasted Potatoes
- Italian Roasted Peppers
Did You Try This Recipe?
Give it a star rating.
Please share this pork chops with vinegar peppers recipe using #sipandfeast.
We would love to know how you did and it’s nice to show others as well. Thanks!
Follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. Sign up to receive great recipe ideas in your inbox.
Ingredients
- 6 1" thick bone in pork chops
- 4 cloves garlic
- 4 large cherry peppers
- ¼ cup parsley
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- ¾ cup low sodium chicken stock
- ¼ cup vinegar from cherry peppers
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Pat dry and season pork chops on both sides with total of 1 tsp kosher salt and ½ tsp black pepper evenly. Chop 4 cloves garlic and quarter 4 vinegar peppers removing seeds.
- Heat a large pan to medium-high and sear pork chops in 1 Tbsp olive oil on both sides for 2-3 minutes. Remove chops and set aside.
- Lower pan heat to medium and saute the garlic in the remaining olive oil for 2 minutes. Next, add the cherry peppers and give the pan a stir. Add the wine, stock and vinegar to the pan and turn heat to high. Bring the sauce to a boil for 2 minutes then lower heat down to medium-low.
- Place all the pork chops into the sauce spreading around evenly. Cover and let simmer for 1-1 ½ hours or until the pork is very tender. Every 30 minutes, turn the chops over to achieve even cooking.
- Mix the parsley into the sauce. Serve the pork with sauce spooned over the top of each chop. Enjoy!
Notes
- The chops cooking time will vary based on thickness. The longer they cook the more tender they will get. 60-90 minutes will ensure a tender chop.
- If all the sauce evaporates towards the end of braising process just add a ½ cup of water and stir to combine.
- Serve with extra vinegar and peppers on the side, along with a loaf of Italian bread for the pan drippings.
This sounds awesome!. My husband always has jars of cherry peppers in the pantry AND in the fridge. He eats them right out of the jar. He will love this recipe, and so will I. 🙂
Thanks hope you all enjoy it! Cherry peppers are so good, and really make this dish so much better. I like to serve a whole bowl of them on the side for anyone who loves them as much as I do!
I am in love with these peppers. This sounds so tangy and spicy and good!
Thanks Jo! They really are the best and go amazing with any type of pork.
I cooked the chips in my Instapot. These were outstanding! Rave reviews! I added a bit more juice from cherry peppers because I love the flavor. Served with crispy fried potatoes. Thank you for this recipe.
Sounds great with potatoes and good call on more juice! Glad everyone enjoyed them!
I never made this recipe. But wanted to try it. I followed it exact until I put it all together and baked it in the oven. I didn’t have a pan for the stove big enough to hold all the pork chops. I put it at 400 degrees to cook sooner. It was done in 40 minutes! It was tender and delicious!!
Hi Jody! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. There are a few ways to prepare this that still produce great results. In this written recipe I cook the chops in the pan. In the accompanying YouTube video, I cooked them in the oven similar to how you did it. Thanks for the comment and feedback!
Great instructions. Thanks
Thanks! Hope you enjoy it!
yum
This looks great! Do you think I could add potatoes to the pot before putting in the oven, so they roast with the juices? Or better to do on the side?
Sorry I missed this question. You could do it either way. If you want the potatoes crispy I would do it in another pan though. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Jim your recipes are great Im on Long Island asyou are,one question is that you made pork chops italian style and you just seared them you said that just searing them is not enough they have to be braised,and yetthe cherry pepper pork chopswere seared and braised 90 minutes I assume that both recipes are with not Berkshire pork,why didnt you braise the ita;ian style porkchops good work keepm it up
Hi Robert. If using a high-quality pork chop like Berkshire I would just make this sauce and then pan fry or grill the chops and pour it over. For tougher chops, a braise like this works very well.
Divine! I always braise my chops, and this sauce put it over the top! I couldn’t find whole peppers but found sliced. Worked well for me and I used the whole jar. My whole family loved it. Served with roasted crispy potatoes and sautéed broccoli rabe.
Hi Alison. Really glad you enjoyed the recipe. Sounds great with both the potatoes and broccoli rabe!
Made the recipe last night for dinner. I brined them first then followed your recipe. It was delicious 😋! I love the sauce.
Thanks for commenting and happy you enjoyed this one as well!
I NEVER HAD KNOWLEDGE OF A REAL RECIPE FOR MY TAKE ON "VINEGAR PEPPER PORK" SO WHEN I GOT THE CHANCE TO PLAY ON LINE, I CAME UPON YOURS, I WAS SO DELIGHTED TO READ A PROFFESIONAL RECIPE SO LIKE WHAT INVENTED FROM MY UNTRAINED CHEF BRAIN. THANKYOU !!!!!
Hi Diane, thank you for the comment! Sometimes the best recipes are the ones that just live in our heads and are not written down!
Jim, I had to share. I had the most incredible pork chop at a restaurant in Trumbull, CT last week. I came on your site because I knew you’d likely have a similar recipe so I could attempt to recreate, and sure enough you did. The night we had this pork chop scarpiello item, menu said pappadew peppers, so I bought a jar at my local ShopRite. Now to find decent pork chops. I love your site, your videos, your FB page. Sure enough you mentioned how the regular home cook can’t get excellent pork chops. It’s so true. They cut off all the fat—why??? I buy mine at Aldi! Anyway, the item at this restaurant said Wagyu style kurobuta (aka Berkshire) pork chops. It was incredible. They added some sliced sausage and served over buttery silk mashed potatoes. I cannot wait to try your method and will report back once I make it. I like the oven method of braiding. I love how you give us options.
And. . . If you ever find yourself on the ferry headed into Connecticut, check out this restaurant (Prime One Eleven—I am not related to them in any way, just Adored their chops) right up Route 8 just north of Port Jeff Ferry port in Trumbull. Here’s a pic of their dish on their FB page. Omg. I could’ve licked the plate. Luv Ya. Thanks for such great recipes.
Thanks for the comment, Brenda, and I'm happy you were able to find a similar recipe on my site. Please let us know how it turns out and will definitely keep your restaurant recommendation in mind!
Sounds terrific. I wonder if/how this would work with ribs.? Grilled or even par-smoked...than wrapped in foil with the sauce?
Hi Rob, thanks for the comment. I haven't tested the recipe with ribs but if you happen to make it let us know how it turns out.
If you don’t want to use the white wine, what can I use instead? Suggestions please.
Hi Alexis, you can use chicken stock to replace the liquid in the wine.
This is a fantastic recipe. I made them in the instapot and did not need a knife to cut them!
My cousin and friend said it was the best they have had. Thanks for the great recipe.
Hi Frank, thanks for the comment and so happy you and your guests enjoyed them!
Can this be made with chicken breasts and would you cook it for less time?
Love the pork recipe, but always have chicken on hand.
Hi Diane, this doesn't really work with chicken breasts since it's a braised meat recipe and chicken breasts don't have connective tissue so they would dry out. If you want, you can cook the chicken breasts separately to 165f and then make the sauce separately and pour it over the chicken. Otherwise, you can use chicken thighs and allow them to braise in the same manner as the pork chops would.
I've made these several times after finding you on youtube. They are just like the ones my mom used to make except she stuffed hers and stuffed the vinegar peppers with breadcrumb. I LOVE this recipe because it's so versatile and the chops always come out PERFECT! Thank You!! I've found a piece of my childhood! LOL
Hi Linda, I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the pork chops and really appreciate the comment!