Pork chops and fried egg brunch

Crucial Rule #1 when it comes to doing just about anything with a pork chop: make sure that you get the thickest possible cut of pork chop! Just about all of us pig-eaters have at some point encountered the jaw-straining treachery of the overcooked skinny pork chop, and it gives a bad name to this potentially delicious cut of meaty goodness. Crucial Rule #2---and this applies to most meats you'll want to cook---is that you should have a meat thermometer. If you get a nice, chunky pork chop and cook it to 145F, there's almost no way you can go wrong. I mean, seriously, a pork chop is gonna be delicious with no marinade, rub, or glaze at all. It's that good.

That said, here's a recipe for a brunchy pork chop presentation that does involve a (super quick and easy) rub/glaze, largely inspired by this recipe.

Ingredients [for 2 pork chops]
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons butter
2 thick-cut pork chops
3 Tablespoons bourbon*
2 eggs
2 teaspoons chives or scallions or garlic scapes

Procedure
Heat the butter on a (preferably cast-iron) skillet over medium heat. Mix brown sugar, paprika, salt, and pepper together. Rub the mixture onto the pork chops, making sure to get the whole surface. When the butter has melted completely, throw the pork chops on to the skillet. Lower heat to medium-low. Cook for about 5 minutes on the first side. Flip the pork chops, and then pour the bourbon. Cook for another 5 minutes. If your pork chop is really thick, the internal temperature is probably only around 100F by this point. If this is the case for you, finish the rest of the cooking in the oven: put the pork chops onto a foil-lined baking sheet, pour any glaze remaining in the pan on top, and bake at 400F until the internal temperature of the pork chops reaches the desired 145F. Transfer the pork chops to a warm plate when they're ready.

Meanwhile, fry up a couple of eggs (letting the whites cook through but leaving the yolks runny). Mince up the garlic scapes (or whatever green thing you're using). Put the eggs on top of the pork chops, and sprinkle the green stuff on top of the eggs. Serve with some delicious biscuits!

---

* When I was making this recipe this morning, a disaster occurred, in which I grabbed what I thought was a little Christmas-stocking-stuffer-size bottle of bourbon, only to discover it was a Christmas-stocking-stuffer-size bottle of bourbon maple syrup. I was saved only by the fact that it is humanly impossible to screw up a pork chop and literally any delicious thing tastes good on it.