About This Recipe
Apple-cider vinegar and prepared yellow mustard balance the honey in this pork-chop glaze. A short simmer blends the base, and butter is whisked in off the heat. Make it in a clean pan, then use it to finish chops that have already been cooked by a complete pork recipe.
Recipe
Honey Glaze for Pork Chops with Cider Vinegar and Mustard
Whisk a honey, apple-cider vinegar and yellow-mustard glaze, then finish with butter. Includes skillet application guidance and glaze-only nutrition.
7Ingredients
Yield: 4 servings
- 63 g honey
- 30 g apple cider vinegar
- 30 g prepared yellow mustard
- 30 g water
- 14 g unsalted butter, diced
- 1 g table salt
- 0.5 g ground black pepper
Ingredient amounts scale; instructions show the original batch. Cooking times and pan sizes may need adjustment. Season to taste. Honey grams use US measures at 20°C and 17.5% moisture, a density estimate; weigh your honey for precision.
Instructions
- 1Whisk the glaze baseIn a small clean saucepan, whisk the honey, apple-cider vinegar, prepared yellow mustard, water, salt and pepper until smooth. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.
- 2Simmer brieflySimmer for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often. Keep the heat low enough that the glaze bubbles gently without sticking around the edge. It should remain fluid enough to spoon, rather than reduce to a paste.
- 3Whisk in butterTake the pan off the heat. Whisk in the diced butter until smooth, then let stand for 2 minutes. Divide the complete batch into four equal glaze portions, using the finished weight if needed. The 12-minute total includes preparation, simmering and the brief rest.
- 4Finish cooked chopsCook the pork chops separately by a complete pork recipe. Put the cooked chops in a clean warm skillet over very low heat. Spoon a glaze portion over each, turn once to coat and transfer to plates promptly. Keep any clean sauce intended for the table separate from the working spoon and pan.
Estimated nutrition per serving
79.36 calories · 3.09 g fat · 13.57 g carbohydrate · 0.37 g protein · 181.22 mg sodium
Serving: 1 of 4 servings
Calculated from ingredient weights and USDA FoodData Central: 169640, 173469, 172234, 173647, 173430, 173468, 170931. Estimates use ingredient input weights; actual portions, brands and cooking losses vary. Omitted nutrient values are unavailable, not zero.
Cider Vinegar Is the Measured Ingredient
This formula uses apple-cider vinegar, with its tartness balanced by honey and mustard. It does not substitute apple juice or sweet drinking cider for that ingredient. Prepared yellow mustard gives the stated flavor and matches the nutrition record.
Whisk the butter in after the pan leaves the heat. A gentle finish keeps the glaze smooth. Clover honey lets the mustard stay prominent, while wildflower brings more honey character.
Flavor intensity uses an editorial culinary scale: 1 is mild and 5 is bold. These are tasting suggestions, not laboratory measurements.
Sources: UC Agriculture and Natural Resources: cooking with honey; USDA FoodData Central: Vinegar, cider; FoodSafety.gov: refrigerating leftovers; FoodSafety.gov: reheating leftovers.
1 = mild, 5 = bold. Editorial pairing guidance, not laboratory measurements; jars vary.
- Clover
- Cider vinegar and yellow mustard
- Wildflower
- Buttery mustard finish
- Buckwheat
- A bolder pork glaze
Get the Honey Buyer's Cheat Sheet (free PDF)
16 varieties on one page — color, flavor, best use and what a fair price looks like — from the 304 honeys we track.
Use a Clean Skillet for the Finish
The glaze is made separately from the meat. Once the chops are fully cooked, use a clean warm skillet and very low heat for a quick coating. Turn the chops only long enough to spread the glaze; do not boil the honey sauce around them for several extra minutes.
For the meat quantity, doneness and resting instructions, follow honey garlic pork chops. This page supplies a different cider-mustard finishing sauce. The glaze card's time does not include cooking the pork.
Count the Sauce Separately
The complete glaze batch is divided into four portions. The estimate includes all honey, mustard, vinegar, butter and seasoning, with no pork or side dish included. Water evaporating in the pan changes the finished weight, so weigh and divide the sauce if you want equal portions.
There is no assumed percentage for glaze absorbed by a chop or left in the skillet. If some sauce stays behind, the listed full-portion estimate still counts that input. See honey bourbon glaze for a separate sauce with a measured spirit ingredient.
Store Clean Leftovers Promptly
Reserve clean table sauce before a spoon or brush touches the working pan. Do not return used sauce to the clean container. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 90 F (32 C).
Reheat leftover glaze to 165 F (74 C), stirring, and loosen with a little plain water if needed. Honey glaze gives broader glaze ideas; this version keeps the cider-vinegar and yellow-mustard balance explicit.
Choosing the Honey
Use Clover Honey or Wildflower Honey for the flavor described in this recipe. See our honey selection guide for other culinary choices.
For a jar to give alongside a cooking gift, see the Christmas honey gift guide.
