How do you cook your pork chops?

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Breaded and baked but my favorite is
Lay them in a baking dish put in some baby carrots, cut up potatoes, chopped onion, and then cover with sauerkraut. salt and pepper. cover and bake till all is done , I sometimes add a small can of diced tomatoes.
 
My new favorite way is to sous vide them to 138F. Then sear in a screaming hot CI skillet on both side and the edges.
 
Pork chops should not be over cooked, unless it is your intention to cook them for a very long time. Pork is as safe as beef today and can be cooked medium, as it should be.

Your pork chops can be seasoned and fried in olive oil for just a few minutes per side depending on thickness.
Do not over cook. Allow the chops to rest as you would a steak. You could saute some onions and peppers in the same pan to top them with.
You can also make a quick sauce while they sit.
They will be tender and juicy if you do not over cook them and allow them to rest for a little bit before serving.
The parasite responsible for trichinosis lives in the muscle tissue. It is killed at 137F (58C). It is recommended that pork be cooked to at least 150-155F (66-68C). The last case of trichinosis in Canadian pork was in the 1990s and was not a commercially-raised pig. Wild game should also be cooked above 137F (58C) to kill the parasite as well. China has the highest number of trichinosis cases on an annual basis. Hmmm...does China export pork?
 
It used to be recommended to cook pork to the 150-160F mark. But in 2011, the USDA lowered the pork guidelines to 145F. They no longer tell you to overcook it.
 
It used to be recommended to cook pork to the 150-160F mark. But in 2011, the USDA lowered the pork guidelines to 145F. They no longer tell you to overcook it.
The Canadian Safe Food handling guidelines recommend higher temps than that. Canadian pork is considered to be the safest pork in the world.
 
The Canadian Safe Food handling guidelines recommend higher temps than that. Canadian pork is considered to be the safest pork in the world.

According to the CDC, between 2008 and 2010, the average number of trichinosis cases in the US averaged 20 per year. That's 20 cases in a population of 300+ million - and not all of those were from pork.

Frankly, I'm not terribly worried. :rolleyes:
 
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We have our pork chops cut to 1", which is thin enough that I don't worry much about temp. I worry more about overcooking. Plus our piggies are raised well by a friend and cut by a trusted and very clean butcher, so no worries about safety.

The shoulder chops I like to bury in sauerkraut and bake slow. Braised 'back-end' chops are my after work go-to. Sprinkled w/ granulated garlic, rosemary and S&P, browned and braised in the frying pan with a bit of the white wine of the day (gives me an excuse to pour a second glass ;)).
 
Ah... pork chops. I'm one dimensional, Shake 'N Bake. BTW, I only buy bone in loin pork chops. I've never found boneless chops as tasty, same with boneless chicken and turkey. I even buy bone in pork chops for pork strips (sweet 'n sour pork,etc).

I'm kinda lost not using Shake 'N Bake, so I'm reading over the posts here. I'd like to pan fry a chop one of these days. My mom's simple pork chop thing for 5 kids and a husband was chops baked in a pan, each covered with a round slice of onion and something else...lemon juice..something acidic. Nothing special as I recall. Pork chops can be hard to get excited over, my mom was a great cook tho. :sleep:
 
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Ah... pork chops. I'm one dimensional, Shake 'N Bake.

I'm kinda lost not using Shake 'N Bake, so I'm reading over the posts here. I'd like to pan fry a chop one of these days.

That makes me kind of sad :( What are you waiting for? There are dozens of ways to make pork chops. Here are a few of my favorites:

Pan-fried, for loin chops:
- crusted with Parmesan, bread crumbs and thyme
- glazed with maple syrup, cinnamon and cayenne
- marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and oregano
- with apple cider-Dijon mustard-chicken broth pan sauce

Braised, for shoulder and blade chops (brown first, then deglaze and simmer):
- in brown gravy with lots of onions
- in pizza sauce (alla pizzaiola)
- in barbecue sauce thinned with broth
- in a mixture of apple cider and chicken stock with onions and apples. When done, thicken sauce with cornstarch slurry.
- in a mixture of rice wine or dry sherry, brown sugar, soy sauce and red pepper flakes. When done, thicken sauce with cornstarch slurry.
 
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No. They just bought Smithfield Foods here in Virginia. Some think it's so they can import the pork and leave the waste here.

GG, are the same folks (Americans or residents of America) still employed there and handling our food supply? I hope the USDA is stepping up their inspections and letting China know we have food laws that have to be followed to the law. I keep think about the baby formula scandal and other scandals they have had in China. I hope they know that we do not commit our food handlers to death. Just long prison terms. :angel:
 
I like to dredge average thick pork chops in seasoned flour and cook low and slow. It keeps the juices in and seasons at the same time.

Or I will buy a really thick 2" chop per person, slice a pocket in the side and stuff it. Either way I bake them. Scrape up the fond and make gravy with it.

I very rarely buy the thick ones as it can be very expensive. Only when I have one or two folks for supper.

For myself, I am not to fond of pork chops. But I will eat them if they are not too dry. And I will always take the smallest one. Since I really don't like chicken breast, and pork is considered "the other white meat" there may be a connection there. :angel:
 
GG, are the same folks (Americans or residents of America) still employed there and handling our food supply? I hope the USDA is stepping up their inspections and letting China know we have food laws that have to be followed to the law. I keep think about the baby formula scandal and other scandals they have had in China. I hope they know that we do not commit our food handlers to death. Just long prison terms. :angel:

They want our pork because Chinese consumers are tired of their own country's food safety problems. It actually became a national security issue (Smithfield produces 25% of the pork produced in the U.S. and it's sold under several different names, including Armour) and the federal government had to approve the sale. Here's more info:

Chinese get OK to buy American pork producer - NBC News

Who’s behind the Chinese takeover of world’s biggest pork producer? | PBS NewsHour

As far as I know, the employees are pretty much the same. Only the ownership has changed.
 
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Ah... pork chops. I'm one dimensional, Shake 'N Bake. BTW, I only buy bone in loin pork chops. I've never found boneless chops as tasty, same with boneless chicken and turkey. I even buy bone in pork chops for pork strips (sweet 'n sour pork,etc).

I'm kinda lost not using Shake 'N Bake, so I'm reading over the posts here. I'd like to pan fry a chop one of these days. My mom's simple pork chop thing for 5 kids and a husband was chops baked in a pan, each covered with a round slice of onion and something else...lemon juice..something acidic. Nothing special as I recall. Pork chops can be hard to get excited over, my mom was a great cook tho. :sleep:

I know exactly what you're talking about Caslon. My kids loved that dish.
Lay pork steaks, (fatty,thin and cheap with the bone) in a pan and top with thin sliced onion rings, thin sliced lemon, some brown sugar and squirt some ketchup over the whole thing. Bake til done. Delicious and smells wonderful.
 
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Wife fries them in water or shake and bake. I like to put them in the crock pot with cream of mushroom soup.


She fries them in water. I thought it was weird too. Shes from Kentucky and that's how her mother did it and her mother before her. You put an inch of water in the frying pan, put on medium heat. After a while the water will disappear and it will sizzle. Thats when you add more water. She keeps a regular sized drinking glass next to the stove for adding water. They cook slow and are nice and tender. I thought it looks more like boiling pork chops but I am not about to argue with a southern girl.
 
She fries them in water. I thought it was weird too. Shes from Kentucky and that's how her mother did it and her mother before her. You put an inch of water in the frying pan, put on medium heat. After a while the water will disappear and it will sizzle. Thats when you add more water. She keeps a regular sized drinking glass next to the stove for adding water. They cook slow and are nice and tender. I thought it looks more like boiling pork chops but I am not about to argue with a southern girl.

They use that method up north too!

The water/steam helps to render some of the fat from the chops so they can begin to fry, the second or even third shot of water helps to deglaze the pan so the chops pickup a nice "syrupy" shine from the rendered fat and fond. If you get it right the chops are fantastic and if you get it wrong they come out like shoe leather! :ermm::ohmy::LOL:
 
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