You wouldn’t believe it but the majority of people who cook pork chops get it wrong nearly every time, by overcooking them. Not only that but they take them right out of the fridge and into the pan which is a big no! You should always let your pork chops sit on the side for a good half an hour before beginning to cook them. The simple reason being is that the pork chops will overcook on the outside if it’s too cold.
So you first tip to cooking pork chops correctly is to let them rest on the counter, this will reduce the chances of you cremating the outside.
However, there are more top tips that we would like to offer you when it comes to cooking pork chops.
The biggest problem we face when cooking pork chops is that they dry out fast and you are left with a pretty woeful looking bit of meat. What you want is a nice and juicy pork chop that surprises your taste buds and leaves you with a great experience.
Cooking on a medium heat is the best way to do this, or start on a high heat to get that moorish golden crust, but then bring the temperature down as soon as the crust starts to golden up. Keeping a medium heat right the way through the cooking process will allow the outer part of the chop become tender while the centre gets to the correct temperature for the perfect pork chop.
What you also need to take into account is after the chop has been cooked, because far too many people cut right in and start eating. Don’t!
Just like you left the pork chop on the counter for a half an hour before cooking it, you want to leave the chop a good ten minutes after it has been cooked. What this does is allow all those juices inside to redistribute across the pork chop to give it that fantastic taste. If you cut right into the pork chop as soon as it comes out of the pan then you are going to let the juices run onto the chopping board and those beautiful tastes will run away with the juices.
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Like most meats, there are a variety of different ways to cook them. Some of the ways are fast, some are slow and nearly all leave the pork chop with a different taste. One of the best ways is to skillet cook them and then transfer them to a preheated oven to finish the job off.
Get your pork chops and rub both sides with a little olive oil and then season with salt and pepper. Now lay the pork chops on an already preheated skillet on the oventop, and turn the heat up high to give that golden crust. You will only need to do this for 30 seconds before bringing the heat down to medium.
Usually a good 3 minutes each side is all you need here before we transfer them to the oven. You want to see a golden finish to each side of the pork chops, and if you get a bit of smoke don’t worry that’s fine but turn the heat down if the smoke becomes too much.
You are now ready to transfer them to the oven for the final part of cooking. Now, cooking time varies depending on the thickness but if you have a thermometer then you are looking at a temperature of 145F at the thickest part of the pork chop. Usually an additional 6 – 10 minutes of cooking time in the oven is all you need here, so it’s worth checking the temperature at the 6 minute mark and then rechecking each minute until you hit the 145F mark.
As soon as they are cooked take them out and let them rest for the magical ten minute period before you get stuck in, we know its tempting but that ten minutes will make all the difference to the taste.
Once cooked you can now serve up the pork chops.
Before you even begin cooking them there are optional things you can do to experiment with tastes, one of those is to let the chops rest in a brine water with flavourings. Usually cold water, 3 tablespoons of sea salt and some crushed garlic cloves will enhance the flavour of your pork chops and provide a wonderful taste. You can also chuck in some black peppercorns and a bay leaf, or anything else that you think will compliment your pork chops. The choice really is yours here, and then you can begin the cooking process.
Last update on 2024-04-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API