we like thicker cc bone in. 1.5".
some say dry brine and rinse, some say don’t rinse. some say wet brine and rinse, some not rinse.
some overnight, some not.
started out with reverse sear, but had inconsistent results.
last few times I’ve steam seared them in a 90% covered cast iron grill pan with beer or wine.
seasoning, spray with EVOO, then into a screaming hot grill pan on the cooktop with whatever liquid.
flip once, maybe twice to 135-140º, then rest 5 mins.
that has been better, tastier, moister. But I’ve never brined as we really dislike salty.
So any successful suggestions on brining or …
This thread might be of interest
Dry brine overnight (I add berbere), no rinse, then reverse sear. I shared my exploits in the linked thread.
ETA @kaleokahu “dry brine, dry brine, dry brine”!
I’ve never brined pork chops, or any other meat. I’ve always thought of it as an American practice and, generally speaking, I almost never see it mentioned in recipes, cookbooks, TV cookery shows, etc.
I never brine pork chops.
I also dont really care for the really thick ones, so it’s overkill. I go for about 1" max.
My usual is to season then sear quickly in cast iron, then turn the heat down while I finish the sides. If theyre very thick, Ill sear and then pop the hot skillet into a 350F (160C) til it temps at about 130F/50C
thanks for the thread link. Been reading thru.
That’s interesting! I understand brining is one way to address the leanness of what has been our typical grocery store pork loin. I find it is less important with the increasingly available (but more expensive) “heritage breeds” marketed in the US. Maybe only the US has trended toward breeding leaner loins.
I’d say that’s without doubt in my experience - very rarely come across a decent rim of fat in the States… That said, I’ve always enjoyed American pork than American beef, flavour-wise.
I dry brine pork chops, then follow the Manago Hotel recipe; dust in flour and pan fry in butter in 350 pan. The flour and butter seem to keep they from drying out and gives a nice browning. Best to use chops that have some fat.
them is some nice looking chops
I follow the method from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything, which I can’t quite recall now. No brine.
If are going to do smothered pork chops, then I find no reason to brine. I make that from the Nathalie Dupree version.
And here’s the free range chops, I buy online. As you can see, a much thicker rim of fat thna on yours.
Nice! Your’s is bigger!
Personally I only want so much around the rim, and then some of it as marbling, or around muscle bundles. Either way, I think brining is less of an issue.
Do you also have chops like that available at local markets? We are starting to see some here.
Yours is also a different cut (tbone) and the fat cap appears to have been trimmed down.
I’m guessing the thought that people don’t want to pay for fat they’re going to trim off later factors into it on the part of the seller.
That was another interesting- to-me part of this Serious Eats article on pork chops.
It compares different cuts. I think I might prefer mostly rib chops.
This is a “CENTER-CUT DOUBLE PORK LOIN CHOP” from Heritage foods
…like military intelligence.
I was thinking Beetlejuice
Rarely free range in the supermarkets. One of the chains does usually have “higher welfare” pork . Unfortunately, that’s not a legal definition here, so doesnt really carry any weight. It’s why I generally buy pork (and most other meats) online from companies such as I mention.
We’re currently buying meat from this farmer and butcher in North Wales. The lamb & beef comes from their own farm. The pork doesnt but is “outdoor reared” - that’s a hazy legal definition. Not free range for its whole life but should have spent about half of its time outdoors. I like it because the butchery is good - not always a given when its online farmers without the butchery skills.
By the by, Mrs Harters doesnt like thick pork chops, much preferring the very thin ones you usually get in Spain. So she usually batts out her chop to make it thinner. No accounting for folks’ taste.