Sharon, I've come to the conclusion that the quality of the pork combined with cooking only to 145 degrees maximum (temperature after resting) make the most difference between a good pork chop and shoe leather.

I don't brine 'cause we don't want the extra salt content. But, if I get my pork products from our local farm and watch the temp they are always yummy. If I can't get to the farm then I choose something else for dinner - the pork sold in our grocery stores is just awful. It's full of sodium water and dry as the Mojave regardless of method or recipe. The trade-off is that the heritage pork I get locally has a higher fat content. Oh well...some things, like cheese, are just not good in lower fat versions, IMO. The solution for us is to eat less.

/tricia

Sharon, sear to brown on the stove and then finish in the oven. They don't take long to cook and like Tricia, I take them out of the oven between 145ðF and 150ðF.

The seasoning for your rack of pork works well with thick pork chops too.

Ann

You can also bread them (flour, egg and finally crumbs) but be sure to keep the heat at medium so they don't burn.

Another trick is to start the chops in a cold pan and let it heat as it cooks.

Todays pork has gotten leaner than the boneless, skinless chicken breast so if you can find some chops with a bit of fat on them the better they will be. Bone in chops also do better than the boneless. Pork steaks and sirloin cuts will have some fat to them.

Pork chops are a staple in this house, it is my go to meal when I run out of ideas. Grilled, breaded, pan sauteed, baked. I just vary the seasoning and run. On the menu this week will be chops with an apple, onion and sage saute with a dash of Calvados at the end. Brown the chops, set aside and do the apples. Chops go back at the end to finish.

And since pork is done at 145, take them out at 140 and let them rest.

The chops need to be reasonably thick, at least 1 inch is desirable.

I brine them in the refrigerator if I have time, then pat the chop dry and cut off the fat border, or cut slits in it so the shrinking fat doesn't curl the chop.

Leave the chop in the refrigerator as long as you can - you want to start cooking with a cold chop. The cold interior will resist overcooking for longer than a 70 F chop.

(This trick also works when stir-frying small pieces of meat for Chinese dishes. Otherwise, because we do not have 30,000 BTU/hr wok burners, the small pieces will be overcooked long before their exterior is browned. You can even half-freeze the stir fry meat.)

Heat your pan with some oil to as hot as you dare - the oil should certainly be shimmering, and it is better if it is smoking.

Coat one side of the chop with plenty of butter. Place the chop buttered side down, with the fat edge touching the side (wall) of your pan, and then don't move or flip it. When a probe at the center of the chop reads 120F, flip it and when the probe reads 130F, hold the chop in tongs and brown the edges for a while - just enough so they don't look like blobby white fat. Since you cooked the chop with part of the fat touching the pan's wall, you got a head start on the edge browning. Then remove it from the pan and let carry-over bring the interior to 140F or so.

The butter helps brown the chop, and you concentrate almost all the searing on one side of the chop, and present the chop with that side facing up. Who cares if the face-down side is browned?

If your pan isn't very hot or if your chop is too thin or too warm, you may need other tricks to get one side crusty brown before the chop is overcooked. I have had luck mixing anchovy paste with honey and coating the "presentation" side of the chop with that. It is the same idea as butter, but is more effective in browning. Also, if you want to leave the full fat strip on and have it tasty and crusty, you can do that with a torch while the chop is resting, in that case pull the chop from the pan a little earlier and dab extra salt on the fat strip before going at it with the torch.

This post was edited by johnliu on Thu, Oct 31, 13 at 13:55

Come on, dcarch, say it - this time I'll agree with you!

Ok, short of "that" I've had success with thick chops by searing, resting, then finishing in a very low oven. But yeah, not overcooking is of course the key. 145 max for me.

Honestly, I was thinking what Ann said. They're probably much better oven roasted when they're thick. I get great results when they're thinner if fried or grilled. We love pork!

Thanks everyone.

I'll brine and then chill and then sear in smokin' oil and then rest and then finish in the oven until they reach 140... that ought to cover the bases!

And take a picture . . .

Sharon, rather than brine, try presalting. I never brine any more because presalting gives a much better result. And with pork chops, presalting for even a few hours will make a difference.

~Ann

"-------Come on, dcarch, say it - this time I'll agree with you!
Ok, short of "that" I've had success with thick chops by searing, resting, then finishing in a very low oven. But yeah, not overcooking is of course the key. 145 max for me.----"

There is no mystery to cooking meat, and the science is just pure common sense.

In general there are two conditions you are trying to accomplish, a nice crust on the exterior, and a uniform interior done-ness based on your preference, be it well-done, medium, or rare. Any other condition is not desirable.

If you want 145 F pork interior, start with very cold pork and blast it at the highest heat possible to get the crust establish in a few minutes, then immediately put the pork back in the freezer for a few minutes to minimize the migration of high heat to the interior. Then put the pork back in the oven at very low heat for a long time to get the interior to the desired temperature. The lower the heat, the less time will be needed for resting. How low? unfortunately, unlike with a sous vide cooker, which can have less than i degree F variance accuracy, a typical oven can be off by 40 F. You just have to check with a probe thermometer once in a while.

If you put the meat in a 212 F or higher oven for a long time, it is not difficult to understand that part of the meat will be cooked at 212 F. And don't we all know what happens to meat cooked at 212 F?

dcarch

,

We need a chat with Bobby Flay. I used to eat at the MiracleGrill a couple times a month back in the day...his first dinner spot. He was a friend of a good friend. The best pork chops ever. I had them every time.
Our mutual friend has passed sadly but i know we will have a run in at some point so i will ask!
My best attempt is a quick brine, just an hour or two, not salty at all. Pat dry and pop in the freezer while prepping sides...usually potatoes and hearty greens like kale.
Hot cast iron 4 minutes a side to sear, then into a pre-heated oven. 375ish until 140 using a digital probe. Waiting is a sizzling hot fresh sage garlic herb butter, just a bit tbsp to the table.

Other than grilling or frying this is the way my DH loves them & it is a no fail recipe. It can use any pork chop out there.

Rinse & pat dry your chops, coat them in flour(any will do) Sear them in a skillet til just browned on all sides. Then place them in your crockpot (I am a faithful user of the crockpot liners) add 1 can of cream of mushroom soup (for 4 chops 2 cans for more) add a half of can of water, salt & pepper, garlic powder & onion powder. Slice an onion into rings & place on top of the pork chops. Put on the lid and cook on high half the day & then switcht to low & let them finish cooking. They will be moist & falling off the bone. Remove the chops & bones, add water & corn starch to thicken the "gravy" Return the chops & serve. The gravy is great on mashed potatoes which I usually fix with the pork chops...

Hope this idea works...I have also BBQed them in the crockpot with great success!!!!!!.

The pork chops were pretty good...much better than the pic! Actually much better than usual. The only thing I did differently was to start in a smoking hot pan and then finish in the oven.

The chops were a good size but you would never know that when compared to Clive's sweet potato...it was huge!!

Thanks again for the help...think I'll try breading next time sounds yummy!

I agree with those who sear and finish pork chops in the oven. To minimize splattering in the skillet and oven, I put olive oil directly on the pork chops and then add salt and pepper and a sprinkle of adobo. I sear them on both sides and finish in the oven at 400 degrees for up to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pork chops. It's best to use a thermometer. Sometimes I make a sauce in the skillet by letting balsamic vinegar, chicken stock and the juices that come off the resting pork chops reduce until the mixture thickens, and then add a tablespoon of butter.

This delicous recipe came from the Washington Post several years ago and is a treat for those who love black pepper. It was supposedly a specialty of the Willard Hotel. I give the onions a two or three minute head start on the apples.

Pork with Peppered Apples & Onion

4 thick, boneless pork chops
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
ü teaspoon minced garlic
ý cup Port (or medium dry sherry)
2 cups chick stock or broth
2 tablespoon unsalted butter (salted okay)

Apples and Onion Mixure:

2 tablespoons salted butter
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 tart (Granny Smith) apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 ý teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Season the pork and cook by preferred method. Set pork aside. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in Port or sherry, scraping up any browned particles. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the Port or sherry is reduced by about half. Add the stock or broth, raise the heat and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the unsalted butter. Strain the sauce, discarding the onion and garlic and keep warm.

For the apples and onions: In a sauté pan, heat the salted butter over medium heat until a light nutty brown. Add the onion, apple and pepper and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until the apples are lightly browned. Add the vinegar, scraping up any browned particles. Cook for 1 minute. Arrange the medallions on four dinner plates, spoon the sauce around them. Spoon the apples-onion mixture over the pork and serve.

590 calories per serving.

Looks like my kind of portion size, Sharon! I just remembered that a CI recipe has you sprinkle a bit of sugar to help with the caramelization... I'd have to look up the particulars.

Sharon, great job on the chop! That size is speaking to me.
I've never baked a sweet potato, but lately we've been buying them, and I add them to my white potatoes and mash them together.

I also like sweet and white roasted in chunks with lots of garlic cloves and olive oil. Delicious.

I like cooking browned boneless pork chops in a casserole with brown rice, onions and carrots and celery and beef/chicken broth and seasonings. The chops come out tender and everything is cooked in one dish. Broccoli, etc, on the side.

And what is this nonsense about you not being the greatest cook??? Sharon, Sharon, we all know better. :-)

Hey Sharon!

I think ATK heard you! Look what I found today....

Here is a link that might be useful: Crispy Pan-Fried Pork Chops

I like to cook pork chops the way the newer editions of Joy of Cooking suggest, brown quickly and the saute four minutes or so with some pink still. Be sure to serve the pork chops with a dollop of applesauce on the side for dipping.