Dirty Martini Pork Chops

Using a vegetable peeler, remove wide strips of peel from the lemon. Halve the lemon and squeeze out 1 tablespoon of juice. Generously season the pork chops all over with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the pork chops and cook, flipping every 2 minutes, until browned on the outside and the internal temperature in the thickest part is around 130 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes depending on the thickness of the meat. (Cooking the chops over moderate heat and flipping them often leads to more-evenly cooked meat that has less chance of drying out before a browned crust develops.) If your chops have a fat cap, using tongs, stand the chops up on their narrow sides, fat side down, and sear until crisp, about 1 minute. Transfer the meat to a plate and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.

Add the shallot and lemon peel, season lightly with salt, and cook until the shallot is softened and golden in spots, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the gin, vermouth and olives. Scrape up browned bits from the pan, then simmer until reduced by half, 2 to 4 minutes.

Turn off the heat, discard the lemon peels, and stir in the olive brine and the lemon juice. Add the butter and shake the skillet until the sauce is emulsified (shaking the skillet helps to bring the sauce together more seamlessly than stirring). Taste, and season with more salt and pepper, if desired — because olives vary in saltiness, you might not need any additional salt. The sauce will be fairly thin, to better soak into the sliced meat.

Slice the pork against the grain and serve with a pour of the pan sauce.