Cane Syrup Glazed Pork Chops

I'm a sweet and savory kind of girl, not big into candy bars or pretzels, but give me a bag of yogurt covered pretzels and you lose, because you will never get them back.  That's a fact. 

Since I'm confessing, I lay awake at night thinking about different recipes I've seen on TV or on blogs that I visit and either just flat out try,copy and blog about them or figure how to tweak them a bit to appease my picky family's palate. One of the many things that makes blogging amazing is we are in different regions, even different countries and we all have different tastes! 

Over the years, I've watched many chefs create their version of Maple Glazed Pork Chops, but here in East Tennessee where a four ounce bottle of maple syrup is about eight dollars, (which is way too rich for my pocketbook), I found a very tasty substitute and hope you like it too. 

The main star of this recipe is Steen's Pure Cane Syrup:

This is the syrup stood by me during my childhood.  No gravy on biscuits, we poured Steen's.  We poured Steens on pancakes, waffles and Pain Per Dou (Lost Bread or French Toast).  We even made popcorn balls with Steens. 

I don't know the people at Steen's and I can guarantee, they haven't heard of  me, but you can get their products online, just saying.

But let's get serious; we're talking pork and sweet and savory and this is a Winter, Spring Summer, and Fall kind of dish.  So get out the cast iron skillet and fire it up!

4 teaspoons ancho chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 - 6 center cut bone-in pork chops
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup Steens Pure Cane Syrup or of course you can use maple syrup
1/2 cup chicken stock

In a small bowl, combine the chili powder and salt.  It's not hot or spicy,but just gives the pork a little kick in the chops and wakes it up.

Sprinkle evenly over both sides of the pork chops.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook until desired doneness, about for 4 to 6 minutes.

In a small saucepan, over medium-high heat, add the balsamic vinegar and cook until reduced by half. Stir in the Steens Pure Cane Syrup and chicken stock. Cook over medium heat until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes.

Transfer to a serving platter and serve with the cane syrup.

Tie a napkin around your neck, and make sure you don't waste a drop.