Looking for advice on cooking pork chops

[murphymom]

The last few years I've been cutting back on meat consumption and haven't cooked pork all that much - kinda lost my taste for it. Last weekend my husband picked up a big Costco package of thick boneless pork chops. I cooked a couple and wasn't happy with how they turned out. I seared them in a skillet on both sides, then added some little pearl onions and a handful of raisins, then a little white wine. I covered the pan and braised them on low for a while then added most of a pint jar of pears (home canned in apple juice), then took off the cover and let the liquid reduce down. While I know I could probably spice it up, the flavor was actually very good, but the texture was awful - dry and tough, I think because the meat is so lean. Any suggestions on cooking techniques that would make this better? I was thinking crockpot, or long slow covered cooking in the oven to tenderize the meat?

There's only two of us and I've got a bunch more of those chops to go through!

[hippywife]

1. I usually do use

a crockpot but how about doing everything you did but then slow braising them in the oven in a dutch oven instead of on the stove top?

:hi:

[murphymom]

2. I think I might give the crockpot a try

I suppose I could pour off the cooking liquid into a frypan and reduce it down after the meat cooks.

Thanks!

[Stinky The Clown]

3. Brine them. I just had one of those thick, boneless center cut chops for supper.

For one chop ..... 2 Tblsp each of salt and brown sugar. Place the salt and sugar is a zip lock bag. Add a bit of water and dissolve them. Put the chop(s) in, press the air out, and let them soak for at least an hour, but no more than two.

Remove the chop(s) and pat it dry of all surface water with a paper towel.

Place some olive oil in a plate. Roll the chop(s) in the water. Now sprinkle them with your favorite dry rub and pat the rub into the oil.

Grill over high heat for 4 to 4-1/2 minutes on the first side. The chop(s) should release with only minor sticking. Flip it over and do the second side until it is done ...... another 3 to 4 minutes. Ideally, check the internal temp with a thermometer. Cook to less than well done; you want a hint of pink (pork these days is trichinosis free), maybe 150-155 deg.

As you know, grilling is the harshest and most desiccating cooking method. Brined chops stand up to it VERY well. You will be rewarded with a lovely puddle of meat juice as you cut your way through the chop.


Later, after you're used to it, you can experiment with some additional flavorings in the brine. The water and salt are essential. You could use any other flavorings you want. You could also substitute juice for the water. Apple or pineapple would be great.



edit to change 'cops' to 'chops' in the title

[murphymom]

4. That sounds good, too

Murphydad loves grilled food - we might try that this weekend.

Thanks!

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Geeze I did a terrible job describing this .......

Add enough water to the zip lock to cover the chop(s), then squeeze out the air.

Put olive oil in the plate and roll the dried chop in the oil (not water).

[flamin lib]

6. This is very lean meat and doesn't take well to slow, wet cooking.

Braising and slow cooker meats need a lot of connective tissue and marbled fat. Assuming they're close to an inch thick I'd suggest a quick sear on both sides over very high heat--say 2 minutes max--and transfer to a hot oven--400 F--for five minutes or so. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest at least 5 minutes. Interior temp should read 130 out of the oven and rise to 140. At 140 the parasites that once plagued pork are gone. The exterior should have a nice caramel sear and the texture will be similar to medium beef. The color should be pink and moist.

Without much fat content it doesn't have that much native flavor so a sauce, glaze or gravy is a nice addition after cooking. I wouldn't try to cook too much flavor in, add it later because the bland flavor makes a wonderful canvas for all sorts of things.

[japple]

7. Ditto what Stinky said, although I wouldn't even bother with

the spice rub.

Edit to add: I'd probably just serve with Carolina Red BBQ sauce if anyone wanted it.

[pipoman]

8. I also agree with Stinky and flamin

Pork requires some attention to perfect. Similar to poultry there is light and dark meat in pork, the dark meat is more moist but requires longer/more heat to bring to say medium well than the light meat does, thus (like poultry) cooking pork is a balancing act. A whole tenderloin often has a strip of the dark meat on one end. This is why a meat thermometer is the most important tool in your box for properly cooking meat, especially pork and poultry, so as not to over or under cook (over cook=dry, under cook=unappetizing amount of rareness. Pork (whether light or dark) is certainly safe to eat at 140 degrees, but many people have an aversion to blood type pinkness in pork. I cook center cut pork chops to 150 then let sit, they will go up to 155, then I serve them at around 140. Stinky's suggestion to marinate them is a great one. they can be marinated in anything from salt water to complex marinates, just never straight water (will make them smell like a dishrag)cheap cooking sherry works well. I sear them on a very hot flat top (or skillet), then put them in a roaster with a grate in the bottom, add a little of the marinate to the bottom of the pan, cover and cook at 400 (conventional oven, 350 convection) for maybe 10 minutes, then temp them. Center cut pork chops and tenderloin should have a texture much like med/med rare beef. If you are wanting fall apart moist pork, you will want dark meat (shoulders, pork steaks) as opposed to bone in chops (combo light/dark), tenderloin (center cut chops) or hams. Dark meat gets fall apart tender at 190.

[hippywife]

9. Good points, pips.

I usually get the cheaper, darker cuts and make them with sauerkraut in the crockpot so my method works well for that. I haven't bought actual chops or loin in a really long time. Don't really buy pork very much at all because Bill doesn't really like it much.

Hope all is well with you up there. :hi:

[Stinky The Clown]

10. In our groceries, boneless, center cut chops are very often cheaper than any other cuts

I have purchased them for as little as $2.99 recently. Considering that the yield is essentially 100%, that's very cheap.

Contrast that with spare ribs at $3.99. With the 40% yield, that takes the edible meat cost close to $10/lb.

Not sure what other pork costs. Since there are just two of us (usually ---- depends on where the kids are on any given day/week/month/year) and I am the only meat eater, I only buy meat that can be cooked in single portions.

[pipoman]

14. Pork is unbelievably affordable

I buy in large quantities so am not sure of grocery store pricing. I buy whole tenderloins for $2.20, whole shoulders for $1.16, I just bought a head-on whole hog for $1.85, even ham, a Farmland Silver Medal costs $2.75...great price for meat.

[eleny]

11. I start them in a fry pan on the stove top to brown and fiinish them in the oven

Thick chops always turn out great for me that way. I make them very plain with just a sprinkle of black pepper and garlic powder.

[troubleinwinter]

12. When they are lean and boneless

I cut up or slice to stir fry... marinate in ginger & garlic & a tad of soy and sesame oil, chili if you like it. Then dredge in a bit of cornstarch and stirfry. Set aside, and stirfry veggies & add the pork back in to heat, add a ginger/garlic/orange or whatever concocted sauce, heat & serve with green onions and rice.

Quicker cooking is best with the lean meat.

[pleah]

13. This is a recipe that my husband got out of the Men's Health magazine.

Two pork chops coated with jerk seasoning browned in olive oil.
Seasoning:
2 tablespoons Jerk spice of your choice (I make my own)
2 tablespoons flour
mix and coat chops
while chops are cooking mix
2 tablespoons brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar to the flour and jerk mix.
open one can of pineapple chunks w/juice
chop one red bell pepper
and one can of black beans, rinsed and drained
When chops are browned add the remainder of jerk seasoning mix and then the rest to the skillet and simmer until heated and peppers are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

It is delicious.

[murphymom]

15. Thanks everybody!

Lots of ideas to try - I'll let you know what works out.

[Syrinx]

16. take them off the heat when they reach 145 degrees

The temperature will rise a few more degrees. If pork chops are cooked to 160 degrees, as per the government recs, they will resemble pork chops, but won't much taste like anything.

Also, use a brine. Take as much water as necessary to cover them, and dissolve one tablespoon (ON EDIT: maybe that's "teaspoon" instead. I just did this the other night, but I don't remember for sure.) of salt per cup of water. Let the chops soak for at least one hour, though three or four hours is better. After that, rinse them in fresh water to get rid of excess salt, and pat dry with paper towels.

Season them however you like. I like to liberally apply Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning. Though I guess that's mostly just salt and red pepper, there are other things in there too.



Then heat up your broiler (or grill) and cook about four minutes, then flip and cook another four minutes. Take the chops' temp. If the center is 145 degrees, you're done. Otherwise, continue to flip and broil for a minute or two at a time, until you you hit 145. Then take them out, and let them rest for five or ten minutes.

Then, slice them thinly (two or three millimeters thick is great), across the grain.

Final step: Enjoy your juicy, juicy pork chops!