In The Centre #2 | Perfect Pork Chops
(served with tarragon butter beans and rhubarb ... but you do you)
Some time ago — in the simple, calm, pre-Reels era — I documented on Instagram my preferred method for cooking pork chops. It’s not rocket science (these things rarely are), however it struck a chord and people enjoyed it.
Ever since then I’ve been meaning to recreate it in 45-60 second video format.
But you know what? An ephemeral, fast pace browse and scroll isn’t the right place for what should really be calm guidance about a timeless technique.
So I’ve sacked that idea off, and we’re going to dive into it over here. I have included a few instructional videos alongside the various written steps, but they’re gently paced and illustrative, and there’s not even a hint of trending music in the background.
A good, thick, rare breed pork chop is akin to a well-marbled sirloin or rib-eye steak, and should be viewed as reverentially as those two premium slabs of meat.
The dream end scenario is that the chop is cooked enough for the outside to be golden and encrusted; the edge puffed, crackled and crunchy; the thick strip of fat soft, juicy, and fully rendered (and so edible in its entirety); and the leanest part of the meat — that circle of loin in the middle — just beyond medium rare, so it’s pale with a slight blush and extremely succulent (not grey, dry and fibrous).
Which means the ideal is also the rub.
Because there’s a lot going with a chop: there’s the leathery rind; the hard white back fat; and a cross section of multiple muscles, some of which appear to have worked diligently for most of the pig’s life, while their immediate neighbours managed to chill out.
So it’s tricky to achieve perfection across the board, and I suspect many people’s experience of a pork chop is hard, inedible fat (to be cut off and left on the plate, and some stiff, joyless, barely bronzed and otherwise grey meat. Indifference abounds.
Such a shame when the alternative is fully rendered fat and à point meat, provided you’ve bought well and thought just a little about what’s going on in the pan. And to me this makes for a juicy and joyous eating experience — and a generous and adaptable centrepiece too.
A pork chop is happy next to potatoes in any form, rice, grains, beans and pulses, or simply a pile of wilted greens or a basic salad. It loves decadent, creamy and sumptuous sides, yet also fiery, fresh and raw ones (like the rainbow root som tam in the background of the image above (from my book Crave). It also enjoys an array of condiments, from browned butter and capers, through aromatic green and herby sauces, to fiery mustards or tart ketchups and green peppercorn sauces.
In short, a good pork chop is an absolute banger, and you should have it in your armoury.
Meaning you can go from this
to this
with a little bit of this for good measure
All is revealed below.
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