(upbeat music) - I love going to the Butcher Shoppe because there's a variety of meats to choose from and they can trim and tie it however you like.

That way, it's ready for the kitchen.

I'm Lauren Furey.

"Now We're Cookin'."

(waves crashing) (light music) (waves crashing) Erin Norcross, welcome to my kitchen.

- Thank you so much for having me, Lauren.

- I'm so glad you're here, and ever since I met you at a foodie party, I just was drawn to your warmth, your humility, and how kind you are.

And Erin is very talented as a recipe creator and developer, a content creator here in Charleston, and she's known for her viral grocery hauls, which I love to watch.

- Oh, they're a lot of fun.

- And you've managed many test kitchens for about a decade, right?

- Yeah.

Yeah, including my own.

- Including your own.

(both laughing) And so we're gonna do pork chops with apple slaw.

- [Erin] Ooh.

- [Lauren] And a little mustard pan sauce to bring it all together.

- [Erin] That sounds delicious.

(Lauren chuckling) - Our first ingredient today is celery and its leaves.

Would you like to add that?

- Sure.

- Our thinly sliced celery.

And we slice it on the diagonal (celery thudding) because it's visually appealing.

- Mm-hmm.

- And then the celery leaves I'll add with the side of this knife, and go, make it rain.

(Erin chuckling) You know, with cooking, (knife clattering) we always try to keep it clean as we go, as clean as we can.

If we leave a little mess, you know, we're cooking after all, right?

- Mm, this is true.

- [Lauren] Would you like to add the apple cider vinegar?

- Ooh, yes.

- Then to add the acidity as well as to reinforce that apple flavor, we have some extra virgin olive oil.

That's a staple in my kitchen.

What are some oils and vinegars that are staples in your kitchen area?

- Definitely olive oil.

- Olive oil?

- Yeah.

Salt everything, basically.

(chuckling) - Salt bae.

(chuckling) - Yes.

- These are chives, chopped real nice.

We have some honey.

Erin, if you'll just measure- - [Erin] Ooh.

- With your heart, I'll tell you when.

Just about then is perfect.

- Okay.

- And I'll add a pinch of salt to bring out the flavors of everything that we're using.

And so, do you wanna do a couple pinches of- - Sure.

- Cracked black pepper.

(container thudding) We'll add our herbaceous parsley.

This is whole grain mustard, so we'll add about half of this pinch bowl.

And so the whole grain mustard, I like how the seeds, like, pop in your mouth.

- Mm-hmm.

I love a whole grain mustard.

- And you'll see when it all comes together, the mustard seeds just look visually appealing, super nice.

(container thudding) Now, Erin, you a big zester?

- I can zest, yes.

- So.

(chuckling) - I have hurt myself before, zesting my on my thumb.

Have you ever done that, hurt your thumb, yeah?

- Oh, yes.

- But.

- I'll help you out today.

So we're gonna go just until we see the white part.

(zester scraping) And then, because that white is the bitter pit.

- There I go with my thumb.

(both laughing) (zester tapping) I feel like a little goes a long way with the zest.

- Oh, yeah, a little goes a long way.

And we'll do the juice of half the lemon too, to add some acidity.

(juicer thudding) You ever roll your lemons out?

- Mm-hmm.

- Mm.

We can just cut this in half.

(knife clattering) And then if you would like to juice this lemon.

- Sure.

(juice pouring) - Jeez, she's strong.

Oh my goodness.

(Erin chuckling) (Lauren laughing) - Do you always have a juicer to match your fruit, so, like?

(chuckling) - That's a great question.

- Yeah.

- That is my one and only juicer, but.

- I love it, it's fancy.

- I might need to get one in every color now.

- I think you should.

(Lauren chuckling) - So we're gonna start chopping our apples.

And so, we're just thinly slicing our apples into about 1/4 inch or even thinner if you can pieces.

Then they look like half moons or a smiley face.

(laughing) - Mm-hmm.

- How about them apples?

(laughing) - (chuckling) How do you like them apples?

- And then we're gonna use our knife and make little matchsticks.

(knife chopping) And so it looks like this, and then you can use your hand.

And so, what makes you happy about creating all this helpful content for people?

- I just enjoy bringing flavors together that maybe people don't really think about, or combinations of foods that, yeah, people, that wouldn't come to mind naturally.

And I just think I have a knack for that, and can be creative with things I already have lying around in my kitchen.

So I find joy when I hear that people have made one of my recipes.

And it's rewarding.

That's the rewarding part for me is to maybe give somebody some confidence in the kitchen that they didn't have before.

- I feel like cooking is one of the things that brings everybody together.

- Mm-hmm, definitely.

- And so, being in this field, I think we have the opportunity to do what we love and also do something important at the same time.

- Mm-hmm.

- To gather people.

- Absolutely.

- So would you like to do some mixin' here?

- Sure.

- And so we're gonna get all these apples, and spices, and herbs mixed together.

Oh, I see that whole grain mustard.

- Oh, it looks so good.

- So pretty.

- The flavors, it smells so good.

- And I love the slaw because it actually softens as it sits.

- Mm.

- And then by the time we're done searing our pork, the slaw will be ready to enjoy.

- [Erin] That sounds great.

- Oh, yeah.

- I've had this the day after before and even two days after, and it was so good.

- Ooh.

You could even, if you just had the slaw by itself, you could mix like a little tuna salad in there.

- Ooh.

- Or chicken salad.

And make, like, this slaw is the star of the show, I'm telling you.

- It is.

- Little cheddar cheese cubes in there.

- Ooh, yeah.

- Whoa.

- Maybe some, like, crunchy pecans or candy pecans.

- Oh my gosh.

Now we're cooking.

- Yeah.

(both laughing) - Shall we?

- We shall.

- Okay.

(chuckling) (forks clattering) - Oh, yeah, ooh, with some of each.

- [Both] Cheers.

- It's a big bite.

We can do it.

- Yeah.

- All right.

- I'm gonna make a mess of myself, but.

(Lauren chuckling) - [Both] Mm.

- Mm-hmm.

- Wow.

That is so crunchy.

- That is delicious.

(spoon clattering) - As the slaw sits, the apples will begin to soften and absorb all the flavors we have in this mixture.

So we're gonna let this sit, let's season our pork, and then get it in the pan, make our little pan sauce, and then we will finally get to enjoy everything put together.

- I can't wait.

- Let's do this thing.

(waves crashing) These are Duroc pork chops, and they are an American red breed hog, and they're super tender and a little bit of marbling, but they are really lean and very flavorful.

So we've got this extra virgin olive oil, and we're brushing it because we want to be sure that the olive oil is on the pork to help the seasonings stick to the pork.

And then we will be sure to add that to the pan, and we won't need to add as much oil in the pan since we're brushing it.

- Mm-hmm.

- Such an artiste, you are.

- Yes.

(Lauren chuckling) I love a good brushing moment.

- Oh, yes.

Can't brush the process too much.

(both laughing) - Oh my.

- [Lauren] All right, and pepper.

Oh, yeah.

So I like Erin's big pinches of seasoning.

- [Erin] Yes.

- Because some comes off in the pan- - Absolutely.

- Which is okay, 'cause we're gonna be making a pan sauce.

So now I'm gonna just pat it into the pork.

Are you ready to rock, Erin?

- I'm ready to Duroc.

(both laughing) - All right, let's take this over to the stove.

- Okay, all right.

(waves crashing) - So we have a hot pan here, we have a cast iron pan, 'cause we're in Charleston after all.

- Mm-hmm.

- And why don't you add that olive oil there to the pan?

- Sure.

- We'll let that get hot for a couple moments.

Oh, yeah.

That looks amazing.

(oil sizzling) And that pan's already nice and hot, so I'm gonna just go ahead and add these seasoned pork chops.

(pork chop sizzling) - [Both] Ooh.

- That's what you wanna hear, right?

- Yeah.

- All right.

(pork chops sizzling) Let's crank the heat up a little bit.

What you think?

Now we're cooking.

Now we're really cooking.

- Getting piggy with it.

(chuckling) - Getting piggy with it.

Oh my gosh, it never ends.

(Erin chuckling) I'm ready to pig out.

(laughing) - Me too.

(chuckling) - Let's flip 'em over now.

- All right.

- I think they're ready to flip.

(pork chops sizzling) Oh, yeah.

And Erin flips them away from her so they don't splash her.

- [Erin] Oh, yeah.

Perfect.

- Now let's get the sides of these porks, too.

Erin's turning it around to get the other side.

'Kay, you can put it down now.

- Okay.

(pork chops sizzling) - Do you want me to do it, too?

- Yeah, maybe just do the other side.

- [Lauren] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- Yeah.

(pork chops sizzling) - Oh, yeah, nice and juicy.

(chuckling) - [Erin] It is.

- I'm gonna check the temperature on the pork.

Perfect.

Let's take our pork chops onto the wire rack.

I like to cook my pork to 145 degrees Fahrenheit, but it's all based on personal preference.

So we're gonna start making our pan sauce now.

You ready?

(waves crashing) - Ready.

(shallots and garlic sizzling) - So we're gonna cut the shallots and the garlic in there, and then here's a little spatula for you to stir it all together.

- Thank you.

- And I'll take that plate for you when you have a minute.

- There you go.

- Thank you.

(shallots and garlic sizzling) And then we're gonna cook 'em just 'til they soften.

You can do a little pinch of salt and pepper.

Mm.

And then right away, we're gonna add our white wine.

Oh, yeah.

(shallots and garlic sizzling) Now we're cooking.

- Oh, yeah, to that.

- Then let's go ahead and add that rosemary sprig right in there to get that flavor.

Yes.

And it's a no-fuss recipe.

You just remove the rosemary sprig after you're done cooking.

- Like a bay leaf.

- Like a bay leaf.

And then, Erin, we can go ahead and add our chicken stock.

And I'm using a low sodium chicken stock because we wanna control the amount of salt that we add to our dish.

(stock pouring) And I would rather us just add it ourselves so we know how much we're putting in there.

- [Erin] Mm-hmm.

- And let's also add the rest of that whole grain mustard, and we'll also add that honey.

And you can measure with your heart.

That's perfect, yes.

And so, Erin and I are about ready to serve up this pork with our pan sauce and the apple slaw.

All right, Erin, now's the time.

We're gonna add our pork chops to the pan, and it's gonna help the pork chops just retain that pan sauce.

And I'm gonna add some of this, and we can lower the heat just a little, okay.

Thank you.

All right, so we're gonna take this last pork chop out of the pan, onto the wire grates, and let it rest.

And now let's plate it up.

- [Erin] All right.

(waves crashing) - All right.

Erin, I am just dying to try this pork.

- Let's eat.

(fork clattering) (light music) - I'll get some apples.

- Yeah.

- [Lauren] And then a fork for you.

- Thank you so much.

- Yes.

- I'll wait for you.

- All right.

So we'll get the apples, and then the pork.

And then, of course, I'll cheers you.

- Cheers.

- Thank you so much for coming.

- Thank you so much for having me.

I loved every minute.

- Now the moment of truth.

- Yes.

- (chuckling) All right.

- Here we go.

- [Both] Mm.

- Okay.

That's so juicy.

- [Erin] Mm-hmm.

- And that pan sauce that we had on top of that pork with the slaw, that was a really good bite.

- [Erin] Mm-hmm.

(fork clattering) - [Lauren] The traditional pork and apples is good, but I think I gotta stick with this version now.

- [Erin] I think you kicked it up a notch here.

- (chuckling) Yeah.

Well, so good to see you.

- So great seeing you, Lauren.

Thanks again.

- It's a pleasure, it always is.

I'm Lauren, this is Erin.

Thank you for watching, "Now We're Cookin'."

(upbeat continues) (waves crashing)