Upgrade your midweek meal with this sweet-savoury, punchy dish

Enjoy honey espresso glazed pork chops to get you over ‘hump day’ with an espresso kick

Prep Time: 2 hours – this is just to make the sauce (5 mins) and let it stand for 2 hours to get loads of flavour
Cook Time: 15 mins
Serves: 2
Difficulty: easy
Ideal for: midweek meal, friends over, weekend meal

I discovered this recipe when I bought the Food X Fire cookbook to get inspired as I await summer to arrive.

Once the days warm up, I’ll be outside learning to cook over fire and hopefully mastering the techniques to serve great food.

But as it’s still cold, I thought I’d test run this lovely recipe.

Honey espresso glazed pork chops

Flavour: Honey espresso glazed pork chops that’ll make you rethink dinner

Let’s talk pork chops — not the dry, tough ones you remember from awkward family dinners.

We’re talking thick-cut, juicy, flavour-bomb pork chops with a glaze that could very well change your entire perspective on sweet-savory pairings.

Honey espresso glazed pork chops are the kind of dish that sneaks up on you — bold, elegant, and surprisingly easy to nail if you treat the chop right.

The secret sauce

The glaze is the star here: dark, glossy, and complex.

Honey brings warmth and sweetness, espresso adds depth and a subtle bitterness, and a few supporting players like garlic, vinegar, or chilli flakes can elevate it even further

The result? A lacquered glaze that clings to the chop and caramelises just enough to make you feel like you know what you’re doing in the kitchen.

But the key to all of this, is cooking the chop to perfection.

The perfect pork chop

Cooking a succulent pork chop isn’t rocket science, but it does require a little love.

The biggest mistake people make? Overcooking.

Pork is lean, and once it passes that sweet spot of 63°C / 145°F, it starts drying out.

Here are a few tried-and-true cooking methods to help you get it just right:

1. Reverse sear (one of my favourite methods)

This method is a game-changer.

You start by gently roasting the chops in the oven until they’re just shy of done, then sear them quickly in a hot pan to finish.

The result? Even cooking, a beautifully browned crust, and zero stress about timing.

2. Pan sear + oven finish

This is the weeknight warrior move.

Sear your chops in a cast-iron skillet until golden, then slide the whole thing into a preheated oven to finish cooking.

It’s quick, gives you good colour, and works wonders with a thick chop.

Just keep an eye on that internal temp — use a meat thermometer and aim for that magic 63 C / 145°F.

3. Grill it (this recipe)

If the weather’s playing nice, put the chops on the grill. But if, like I my case, it’s still cold outside, cooking on the hob is just as good.

The smoky char pairs beautifully with the espresso in the glaze, and grilling gives you a slightly more rustic finish.

Keep it medium heat so you don’t scorch the glaze too quickly, and baste toward the end for maximum stickiness without flare-ups.

4. Brine it

Even a quick 30-minute brine can work wonders for pork chops.

It seasons the meat through and helps lock in moisture during cooking.

Add a touch of brown sugar to the brine and you’ll echo the sweetness of the honey glaze later on.

Better meat, better planet

Before you even fire up the oven, think about the kind of pork you’re buying.

In the UK, look for high-welfare, outdoor-reared pork — ideally from farms that focus on slow-growing breeds and give animals space to root, roam, and live naturally.

Labels to look out for include RSPCA Assured, Organic, or high-welfare local butchers who can tell you exactly where your meat came from.

Even better, some farms are taking things a step further with regenerative farming — a system that works with nature, not against it.

These farms use methods like rotational grazing, cover crops, and minimal soil disturbance to boost biodiversity, enrich the land, and sequester carbon.

It’s a win-win: pork that tastes amazing and supports a healthier planet.

It might cost a little more, but the difference in flavour, ethics, and environmental impact is worth every penny.

We have reduced our meat intake in order to buy better quality meat.

Pairing it up

These chops go well with creamy mashed potatoes, a citrusy salad, some lovely greens.

Give it a go

Honey espresso glazed pork chops are what you make when you want to impress without the stress.

They feel fancy, taste complex, and prove that pork doesn’t have to be boring.

With care on the cooking of the chops, buying quality meat, and with a little patience, you’ll end up with something juicy, flavourful, and maybe your new favourite dinner.

If you’re looking for some nice sides to go with this dish, chick out some of my favourites, here.

References:

Food X Fire cookbook

Freybors

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