There is poetry in a Pork Chop to a hungry man

Garlic rosemary grilled pork chops, flash fried broccoli, burnt garlic with a spice chipotle mayo

With it’s versatile cuts and marvelous marbling, the pork chop is my favorite cuts of pig. While this article applies to any type of chop, its curated to perfection for the bone-in.

Moving back to India was one of the hardest things in life, a lot because of this — Narendra Modi and RSS, but mostly this — Maharashtra bans beef, 5 years jail, Rs 10,000 fine for possession. Anyway lets not get political.

Bottom line, finding Joseph’s Cold Storage was a desperate man’s saving grace. This week I picked up some of their Bone-In Pork Chops, and here we are now.

But first… some science.

Pork chops in all their glory are nothing but a not-very-worked muscle in the pig.

Like every muscle, whether its on a steer, a yorkshire pig or your neighborhood gym bro, this too is just a bunch of tangled protein fibers that help move bones (food scientists, excuse that terrible oversimplification).

We need to cook this some-what-worked muscle (the chop) “fast” — First to get a nice brown sear and second to retain most of the moisture. That’s why I choose “bone-in” chops because the bone stops the meat from overcooking and gives a larger window to cook the chop exactly the way you want. Done right, you’re left with a chop which is juicy right though the center.

Brining is the name of game

Full disclosure, you don’t need to do this, hence it is often dismissed as “useless”, “a waste” or “Gaurav, stop ruining the kitchen”, but bear with me for a minute, I have more science (oh no…). Anyway.

Remember that thing from 7th Grade? Diffusion?

Well that’s exactly how Brining works! You add a high concentration of salt and water around the meat and eventually the concentration difference between the meat and the water starts reducing ie. The meat soaks up the salt and water.

While brining, the salt also breaks down the muscle fibers (it “untangles” those protein fibers we spoke about) and you’re left with a softer, juicier piece of meat.

Pork chops soaked in pepper, bayleaf and cinnamon brine

So how do you do it — For each cup of water, add a tablespoon of salt and then add whole spices (you can use cloves, cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, bayleaves, etc). Next submerge the meat in the liquid and keep covered and refrigerated for at least an hour (if possible overnight). Before you’re about to cook, dry the chops with paper towels.

All you need is ….seasoning

More accurately, all you need is salt and pepper. That’s it!

You just spent money and energy on this beautiful cut, you don’t want to kill it by adding so much “noise”, you barely taste the meat. The exception to this rule is pepper — It doesn’t cut into the taste, but rather complements it. Also you get the side benefit of pepper being a fantastic crust, ie. sear this and you’ve got that beautiful brown outside.

Gaurav, how much before cooking the chop do I season it?

Here’s the low down — Seasoning with salt pulls moisture out from the chop, then after a few mins the “liquid” is reabsorbed. Basically you have a “no-go” window 5–50 mins after you season. So, cook immediately after seasoning or wait an hour, any thing between the two and you’re left with a horrible sear. Read more — on J. Kenji López-Alt’s Serious eats.

Searing — burn or scorch the surface with a sudden, intense heat.

Your goal is to transfer as much heat as quickly as possible to the meat. So make sure you have a screaming hot, heavy bottom pan. Do not overload the pan, it will cool the surface down and reduce the sear you get.

Add a splash of a high smoke point oil (vegetable/canola), wait until it lightly smokes and you’re all set!

The Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick. Buy it here

I used my trusted Calphalon, it’s been one of the most powerful tools in my arsenal since day 1. It does a great job and cleaning it is a breeze

You can use cast iron or stainless steel too, just make sure it’s heavy bottomed so the surface remains hot enough after you put the chop in. (if it’s not, the pan cools down and that results in a “sub-par” sear)

One flip? Two flip? 100 Flips?

There is lot of debate on this and you’ll find extremists on either end of the spectrum. But again, taking a page from J. Kenji López-Alt’s Food Lab — Science says flip it every 30s. It gives you the same sear, but the chops cook faster and more evenly.

It’s all in the math?

There are too many variables in the home kitchen, so eventually you rely on the feel to check if the meat is cooked. I like mine medium rare and my rule of thumb for an inch thick cut is:

1. 2 mins — cook each face of the chop, flipping every 30s
2. 1 min — Sear the sides and the rind (line of fat along the side)
3. 2 mins — back to cooking each face
4. 1 min — Throw in some garlic (just chop the buds in half), rosemary (or thyme) and a spoon of butter and baste (basically chef’s way of saying — tilt pan, spoon melted butter in pan and pour on chop).

Go a minute less for rare, a minute more for medium, 2 minures more for medium well — You get the idea.

Give it some rest, dude!

For every minute of cooking, rest a minute. Basically here’s what happening. When you cook the chop, you’re evaporating some moisture from the surface, and pushing some towards the core of the cut. When the chop comes off the pan, you have an uneven moisture concentration — a juicy center and dry outeside. Resting the muscle (that tensed up from the searing), allows the moisture to spread back outward, resulting in an evenly juicy chop.

Rest the chops for as long as you cook them

Spoon some of the fat, butter and oil left in the pan and lightly pour it on top of the resting meat.

Just a minute in, you see results and they are truly extraordinary. Look at the juices flowing out!

Also that garlic you threw in? Squeeze it out of the skin and you can eat that! (arguably, the best part of this meal)

So in summary, here’s the recipe

Serves : 2

Active cooking time : 15 mins

Total time : 15 mins — 1 day (Depending on brining and seasoning)

Ingredients:

• 2 Bone-in Pork Chops
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 sprigs of Rosemary (optional)
• Salt
• 1 bay leaf, 4 peppercorns, 1 cinnamon stick (for brine, optional)
• Pepper (seasoning)
• Vegetable oil
• Side: Broccoli

Steps:

1. Make brine by adding 3 tablespoons salt, bayleaf , peppercorns and cinnamon stick to 3 cups of water. Mix until salt is dissolved.
2. Submerge pork chops in brine, keep covered and refrigerated. Keep for at-least 1 hour, overnight if possible.
3. Remove from Brine and pat dry
4. (Steps 1–3 are recommended but essential)
5. Season your chops with salt and pepper
6. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to a piping hot pan, then add chops when oil is hot
7. Sear 5 mins for medium rare, flipping every 30s (Sear both faces and sides)
8. Chop garlic cloves in half and add to the pan with rosemary and butter. Baste with melted butter in pan for 1 min
9. Remove chops from pan and rest for 6–8 minutes

Optional Side:

I think broccoli and pork is a match made in heaven. Throw some broccoli into the same pan and let it cook on high heat for 3–4 mins (or until it turns into a darker shade green). Season to taste.

About the Author

Gaurav Jagiasi, Author (Instagram — @gjagiasi)

Gaurav is a home chef and professional carnivore. He works for a San Francisco software start-up and lives in Bombay, his hometown. Love for food and a mission to eat something different every day encouraged him to step into the kitchen and learn everything about cooking from scratch. He aspires to learn something new every day and to show the world how great home cooked meals can look beautiful and taste delicious. Follow Gaurav’s Instagram here.