It’s not easy to cook tasty pork chops, and that’s why many will avoid preparing them. But it also isn’t that difficult if you know what to pay attention to when it comes to the recipe. It would be a shame to avoid pork chop meat because you had a few bad experiences with dry and flavorless ones.
Pork chop sauté is the key to making the world’s juiciest and tastiest pork chops. And we will teach you how to do it. It’s a simple way of preparing chops, and it doesn’t require any ingredients that are hard to find.
Pork Chops Buying Guide
Sometimes, even with the best technique and the most delicate pork chop seasoning, your final dish can turn unappetizing. And why is that? One of the main reasons is the low-quality meat or meat that’s not fresh enough.
Tips for when you are buying pork chops:
- Always choose a good butcher with great recommendations
- The chops should be pinkish and red
- The chops should have some marbling fat in the meat
- Avoid the ones that have too much fat, and if the fat has dark spots
- Avoid pale chops
- Avoid the ones that have dark-colored bones
With these simple tips, you will always buy good pork chops essential for a tasty meal. It would be best to have a local butcher shop to buy meat. And there, you can always ask for recommendations for a good piece of meat.
How to Properly Prepare Pork Chops
Nobody wants to eat a dry pork chop and to chew tasteless meat. We will share the art of pork chop sauté and prepare a perfect pork chop every time. We are confident that after reading our advice, you will be able to prepare the best pork chop sauté you have ever had.
- The beauty of it is that you can adjust the pork chop seasoning to your liking, or you can use the spices that we recommended and are using in this recipe. We highly recommend preparing cast iron pork chops because they are superior in taste to those prepared in any other skillet.
- Take the meat out 30 minutes before you want to cook it. It’s essential to do this and never cook the meat straight from the fridge. The time you let the meat rest on your counter will help the it cook more evenly. You should also use this technique for any other meat cut, not just a pork chop.
- Salt the mean 30 minutes before cooking. When you take the chops out of the fridge, be sure to salt them first and let them soak up the salt. Please use good-quality salt for this.
- Rub the meat with your spice blend. Pork chop seasoning is essential for a tasty final meal. We’ve prepared a great spice blend that you can use, but if you have yours, you can use it as well, or change our mix to your liking. Once you rub the spice mix all over your pork chops, you’ll also want to rub a little bit of flour over them. It will help in forming a beautiful crust.
- Sear, flip, then cover technique is essential. If you want your dish to have a crispy outside and a juicy inside, you must use this technique. You need to sear the meat on one side, flip it, and cover the skillet with a lid. When you put the lid on, you’ll have to turn the heat down to low and wait for the magic to happen. The result is juicy, tender, and tasty meat.
- It would be best to let the pork chops rest after they are done. When preparing various meat cuts, it’s critical to let them rest for a bit, at least for five minutes. It will allow the juices to flow inside the meat and distribute evenly. Cover it with a bowl or foil when transferring the meat from the skillet to a plate.
The Trick Is in the Sauce
If you are craving juicy pork meat, you shouldn’t skip this sauce. You should prepare it once the chops are done, and you should use the residue juices left in the skillet.
You’ll just want to add chicken stock to the skillet, or vegetable, if you prefer, a bit of brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Simmer everything until it’s reduced by half. Move the skillet from the heat, add a bit of butter, and add the rested pork chops.
Can you imagine the taste of this sauce? We’ll just say that you shouldn’t skip this step.
The Best Pork Chops
Let us teach you our foolproof method of preparing cast iron pork chops with a juicy sauce.
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp butter
Preparation
Take the meat out of the fridge and season with salt and pepper. Let the meat rest for 30 minutes, after which you’ll rub it with the pork chop seasoning blend and a bit of flour.
Heat the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet, and add the meat once the oil is hot enough. Use the sear, flip, then cover technique on every piece of meat.
Use the instant-read thermometer to know when the meat is done; it should read 145F when you insert it in the thickest part of the cut. You’ll want to sir the one side for less than a minute and then cook them with the lid for up to 10 minutes. Check the meat after 6 minutes because not every chop is the same thickness, so some will cook faster while others slower.
Transfer the meat to a plate, and let it rest for a few minutes, covered with a lid or foil.
Use the skillet you cooked the meat in for the sauce and add the stock, vinegar, and brown sugar. Scrape the bottom of your cast iron so that you get all of the tasty bits. Simmer everything, and cook until it’s reduced by half.
Once it’s done, taste it, and add salt to your likening. Put the skillet away from the heat, stir in the butter, and add the rested meat.
How to Serve Pork Chops
This dish is a great dinner dish, and it’s even better when served with exciting sides.
We recommend you to pair it with:
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Charred Cauliflower
- Roasted Broccolini
- Fresh Cabbage and Apple Salad
If you crave an excellent pork dish and don’t have the patience to prepare it yourself, you should call us and book a reservation at Glass & Vine. We will gladly introduce you to the best and juiciest pork you’ll ever taste. We also apologize in advance because you’ll never go back to the dishes you’ve had before after tasting our pork.
