This recipe was adapted from the excellent cookbook The Irish Kitchen. The sweet apples meld perfectly with the cider and mustard to really bring out the flavors of the pork chops. Using sous vide to first cook the pork chops ensures that they'll be perfectly cooked and tender.
Pork is great at many different temperatures depending on your personal preferences. I started out eating it at 135°F (57.8°C) but I've slowly moved to 140°F (60°C) for most of my cooking. Many people enjoy it anywhere between 135°F to 149°F (57.8°C to 65°C) so feel free to experiment and see where you like it best.
This dish is great with mashed potatoes or cabbage, or even brussels sprouts and bacon.
Preheat a water bath to 140°F (60°C).
Lightly salt and pepper the pork chops and then seal in individual sous vide packages with 2 thyme springs and a tablespoon of butter. Place the pork chops in the water bath and cook for around 12 hours.
Prepare the sauce by adding the butter and the apples to a pan over medium-high heat. Cook the apples until the juices begin to brown and the apples are beginning to soften.
Remove the sous vide pork chops from their pouches, reserving the liquid. Quickly sear the pork chops on both sides in a pan over high heat, or on a grill.
While the chops are searing finish the sauce. Add the garlic, sugar, apple cider, cider vinegar, mustard, and about 1/2 cup of the juices from the pork chops to the pan with the apples. Simmer for a few minutes until it reaches a sauce-like consistency then serve with the apples on top of the sous vide pork chops.