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Photo via Flickr member johnnystiletto
I’ll just come out and say it: I grew up in a bland pork chop zone. My mother has many talents, but making perfect pork chops was not one of them: her creations tended toward dry, stringy, and flavorless. But I don’t think it’s her fault: it’s more a result of traditional pork chop lore which, as it turns out, can be quite off the mark and outdated.
The fact is this: pork chops have potential for greatness. At their best, pork chops can be a thing of beauty: juicy, flavorful, meaty comfort food. Unfortunately, all too often they are not prepared well, and when served they are underwhelming in a variety of ways: stringy, dry, bland, flavorless.
Happily, it’s not hard to make pork chops that will make you want to sing for your supper. Here are 10 easy (really!) tips to ensure delicious pork chop success.
- Not all pork is created equal. Before you can make awesome pork chops, you are going to need awesome pork. And no, cheap pork chops of iffy lineage are not the stuff we’re talking about here. We’re talking about pork from a trusted, ideally local, source, or well established “heritage” brands, which care for their pigs well before they become pork. If the meat is from a reputable source, the pigs were probably better fed and better cared for, and this will reflect in the flavor of the finished dish.
If you cannot or choose not to seek out local meat, America’s Test Kitchen offers a simple tip for shopping: simply choose the pinkest pork chops from the grocery case. They’re likely to be more flavorful.
- Let your pork breathe. Some recipes, mostly from cookbooks with technicolor photos, will urge you to transfer the chops right from the fridge to the frying surface. However, this can result in faulty cooking: by the time the interior reaches a “safe” temperature, the exterior has likely become too crispy. By letting the pork chops sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes at cool room temperature before cooking, you’ll ensure even and proper cooking which doesn’t sacrifice texture or moisture.
Photo via Flickr member stuart_spivak
- No bones about it, bone-in is the way to go. Let me make a case for cooking your chops with the bone in. The bone in pork chops is fairly clean and easy to remove at the table while maintaining good manners. And what you get in return far outweighs the annoyance of some extra cutting: the bone imparts a ton of added flavor to the finished chops. As a bonus, the bones also help the cooking process: slow down the cooking process, which can be a good thing: it gives you a little extra leeway with your cooking time, and keeps the chops from drying out, and at the same time, adds a little moisture to the chops, which helps them from drying out.
- Not all fat is created equal. What fat should you use to cook your pork chops? Well, that depends on what you’re looking for. And remember to monitor the temperature while you cook: different fats will have different smoke points.
- Butter will yield a decadent result, full of rich flavor. If you add salted butter, though, keep in mind that your chops may need less salt added when you season the meat.
- Olive oil imparts a great flavor, but it will slightly dull during cooking, so don’t use your most expensive stuff here. Instead go for a middle of the road olive oil, then finish with a drizzle of the good stuff.
- Vegetable oil may be tempting, since it can take a lot of heat, but it won’t impart much flavor on your finished chops.
- Lard is an option, too, if you want to go down that road. It’s flavorful, it works in sweet harmony with the chops, and it’s downright, deliciously naughty.
Photo via Flickr member pengrin
- Spice is nice. My mom made pork chops with a pinch of salt and not much else, and bless her heart, but they were just about the blandest pork chops I’ve ever tasted. Salt, pepper, and season your chops more than you think you should: some of it will burn off in the cooking process, but what is absorbed will impart a beautiful flavor. Keep spices, salt, and pepper on hand, and don’t be offended if anyone wants more of anything.
- Not so hot, please. Personally, I love the satisfaction of putting meat on a hot pan and hearing it sizzle. But time has taught me that while it’s awesome to put the meat on a very hot pan to get an initial sear, to fully cook the meat on the inside without letting that sear turn to char, you need to turn down the heat. Today, I like to start out very hot, and after a few seconds reduce the heat to medium, to ensure even cooking
- Monitor your meat’s temperature. You’ve cooked your chops to 145 degrees F (The USDA suggests that pork chops be heated or safe eating). But after five minutes, your chops have dried out and register 155 degrees. What happened? Even after you remove your pork chop from the heat, it will continue cooking on the inside. So if you want your chops to finish at 145 degrees F, remove them from heat after they reach around 140–they’ll heat up more in the residual heat.
Photo via Flickr member lamerie
- Leave a little junk in the trunk. If you want to remove the fat from your pork chops, do yourself a favor and wait until AFTER it has cooked. That fat imparts a ton of flavor on the finished dish, and it also protects the tender portions of the meat from becoming too tough. So go ahead, leave a little junk on the trunk–you can always slice it off once served.
Photo via Flickr member stuart_spivak
- Use multiple heat sources to cook your pork chops. I don’t know about you, but I can get paranoid about overcooking pork chops and sometimes underdo it. Happily, I have a trick up my sleeve to ensure cooking success: I sear the chops in the pan, then finish them in the oven. This is incredibly easy if you are cooking in a cast iron pan which can easily transfer from stovetop to oven.
Curious about oven-finished pork chops? In a nutshell, here’s how to do it: preheat the oven to 400 degrees before you start cooking. Sear your chops in the pan. Then transfer to the preheated oven and roast until it reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F or so.
- Let the meat rest. I know, I know: you’re hungry. Still, by giving the meat a resting period between cooking and serving, you’ll reap many benefits. For one, the temperature can even out. But texture is another thing entirely: by letting your meat sit for a few minutes, all of the juices contained therein will have a chance to “seal” inside. If you slice right away, all of that moisture could seep out. And nobody wants dry chops!
See? Far from fussy, these “rules” really amount to simple common sense. You want to cook your pork chops evenly, completely, and with the best flavor, and these simple tips will definitely take you in the right direction.
What is your favorite way to make pork chops?