Posing a pork timing cooking question...

[Sandyj]

Darlings.....
I was so excited...I decided to be clever and brown 6 1/2" thick pork chops in my roasting pan (old fashioned black & white speckled porcelain over tin kind) on the stove, pan situated over two burners. You see, I cook for a lot of people usually, and have a hard time browning things quickly. I made a "sauce" of brown sugar and mustard (about 2 1/2 cups worth, 50/50) (any mustard I could find in the house). Poured sauce over pork chops and baked in the oven for 30 minutes at 425 F (turned chops once, after 15 minutes). They were very tasty and my judgemental nasty girls actually liked them. BUT.... to me, they obviously were overcooked. I SHOULD have done kadesma's sons favorites, silly me! How long are you supposed to cook a pork chop?

PS When pregnant with first daughter (now 21) was preparing pork chops to grill. The smell "got" to me, and since then, have NEVER touched raw pork......I've only recently gotten over this inability to face raw pork in my kitchen
So. Tell me. How long should I have cooked these chops?

 

[Andy M.]

Since they were only 1/2" thick, they were almost doen when you finished browning. After adding the sauce, I would have just simmered them on the stovetop for a few minutes. If they were boneless, maybe 5 mintues after adding the sauce. If they were bone-in, a couple of minutes longer.

 

[kadesma]

Hi Sandy,
I'm not going to be much help, but, When I do a thinner chop or even a tenderloin I brown in a skillet then put in the roasting pan,I use a lower heat and I do cover the pork for part of the cooking time..I really don't cook it all that time, but I do go cut into the thickest part to see how it's coming..Pork can be like old used cowboy boots if it gets dry and it's yukky..Yours sounded good like the idea of a mustardy brown sugar type sauce...Try it again sometime and cover it some, that might make it more moist..and tender for you...But promise not to throw a brick at me if it doesn't work
kadesma

 

[Sandyj]

Thanks, my friends. I will try the shorter cooking time. My mom made me paranoid about getting worms if they weren't cooked through and through, but I know that today's farming methods are so differetnt that the "trich...." whatever it was called parasite is not so much of a threat anymore, and the cooking times reflect this.... Thanks! (if I'd looked at a recipe in the first place, I probably would have figure this out but, like always, I cooked from "feel" - and sometimes my "feel" ain't what it should be.)

 

[Andy M.]

You have nothing to fear from trichinosis. As you said, today's farming methods eliminate the possibility of the problem.

First, hogs are fed clean feed. They're not raised in pig stys any more. Second, they are given anti-biotics to kill off any parasites that may be around. Third, all the parasites die instantly at 137 F. That's still very pink and undercooked. If you cook your pork to 145-155 F the meat will be triple safe and still juicy.

 

[Sandyj]

Thanks kadesma and Andym......by the way, American farming methods seem to produce a much milder tasting (and smelling) pork. I figure they must be corn fed. The pork from hogs that I've prepared in South Africa (whether from the butcher, supermarket or various family members' farms) have a waaaaaaaaay stronger smell and taste. Isn't that interesting?

 

[Andy M.]

Hogs sold in the US are bred to produce very lean meat to accommodate the US obsession with low fat. The feed is designed to feed them cheaply, not to produce flavorful meat.

 

[mudbug]

I made a "sauce" of brown sugar and mustard (about 2 1/2 cups worth, 50/50) (any mustard I could find in the house).

What a great idea, sandy! How come I've never thought of that? Many pigs die and render up their chops and other parts to feed the people in this house, so I must use this sauce soon.