Thanks for the info.
I buy those because they’re cheap and tend to be gnarly - which we like. I’ve seen much thicker chops nearby but also the “fancy” ones in the fancy/specialty meat section and didn’t really know the differences. I’ve had Berkshire pork chops at restaurants but have yet to make them at home. It’s something on my list to try.
It’s honestly on my to-do list as well. Pork chops for me where always “shake and bake” with the Peter Brady side. That’s how my mother used to make them and that’s all pork chops ever really were to me growing up. However with their prominence on so many menu’s lately, I’ve found a renewed affection for them and want to do the exact same thing as you. The problem for me is my schedule is so day to day (night to night) it’s hard for me to meal plan, I want to brine those suckers for a day or two before I cook them and that’s been a bit challenging.
Good luck!! I’ll show you mine if you show me yours when we make them!!
We’ve had good luck with brining them and pan frying and making a gravy from the fat. Comes out very nice. Just have to watch the salt
I’m pretty sure my mother never made a pork chop in her life - though she did make a mean chopped liver.
Yeah - pork chops are everywhere. I’m always out to try new things. I’m not all that good about planning in advance and when I do more times than not something gets in the way. I’m gonna have to figure this one out. I can’t promise I’ll show you my first attempt…
I’m pretty sure only beef is graded (choice, prime, etc)…not pork…
You are correct, the USDA does not have any official pork grades. However as PP (pork popularity) has increased over the years, they have started issuing non-official grades to meat. As noted somewhere Shoprite sells a grade of pork in their butchers counter that they list as “prime”.
The best one I ever cooked myself was after Hurricane Sandy.
Our upstairs neighbor in Hoboken owned Trinity Restaurant in Hoboken and him and his wife rode their bikes to the restaurant and grabbed stuff out the freezer and the next night I grilled for everyone in our building.
They also grabbed many bottles of booze so it was great meal with drinks especially after a couple of days with no power and cleaning out the crawl space.
Those pork chops that night were the best I have ever made myself but I’m sure it also had to do with the circumstances
This thread needs more pics!
So who eats the rib first or last?
Funny you say this, you will never see me pick up a steak /prime rib bone to eat it. (I’ll carve the sh*t off a bone but never pick it up) However I am guilty of gnawing on a pork bone. (Or two or three…)
I usually save the bone for dessert. Speaking of desert, I met my mom for dinner last night at houlihans. That menu has calories listed for everything. You don’t think that one dessert, and a modest one at that, can easily be over 1000 calories.
My late father, who was a teenager during the depression, would chastise us to no end when we left even a scrap of meat on a pork chop bone. When he was done eating they looked like they had been boiled clean!
Here’s my favorite pork chop story. My father in law (first generation) came from Italy and grew up very poor, they wasted nothing and to this day although he led a nice life he is still very “frugal”. My mother in law grew up in an Italian (second generation) home where as more typical if you ran out of food you didn’t make enough, so every meal was excessive to say the least.
When they were first dating my mother in law wanted to cook for him and she made pork chops. She made 4 (2 a piece) and he finished his plate and hers too. Surprised the next time she made 6 and he finished his plate and hers too. (he was taught similar to your story to NEVER leave a morsel of food)
Eventually she got up to a dozen pork chops (which he finished) before she asked: “How much do you eat!?!?!?!” That’s when he explained he was taught to never leave any food on his plate !!!
Pet peeve…when you order a veal chop or a pork chop and you get the t-bone/porterhouse. Actually, perhaps more than a peeve.
I just picked up a 1.86 lb center cut Berkshire (double cut 2 rib bone in.) I asked the butcher to cut me off two specific bones as I saw the entire loin (sitting next to individual bone cut ones “presliced”
It is an impressive cut. I will take pics when I cook it tomorrow. 7.99 per pound at shoprite in Shrewsbury.
How do you guys think I should cook it? I’d like to pan sear it in cast iron and finish in oven I think. Any ideas would be helpful 
thanks all
$7.99 for Berkshire? That’s an excellent price IMO.
I would definitely sear and finish in oven, but do Murphy style with some hot peppers, onions, and potatoes!
I am dying to brine one for a day or two then cast iron pan, light coating of a maple bourbon bbq sauce finish in the oven. Served over sautéed red cabbage and mashed cauliflower!! (Dam I just made myself hungry)
Yikes… Absolutely dynamite preparation…
You made me hungry too.
Perfect size to stuff, with ground pork and some Asian spices. Pan sear and then into a 300 degree oven.
Sauce a reduction of apples, dry Chianti, butter and a splash of soy sauce and a small amount of sugar to taste…
Serve it along side some mashed cauliflower and diced zucchini.
IMO!
