Food & Drink: Food Matters

Quick cooking is pork chops' juicy secret

By Donna Deane
LOS ANGELES TIMES
Wednesday, March 22, 2006

A frequent comment from friends is that they love pork chops in restaurants but can't seem to get the same juicy, tender results at home. Too often, even a favorite recipe turns out tough and dry.

With today's leaner pork, a new rule of thumb applies, but the change — shorter cooking time — is to the home cook's advantage. There's nothing easier to make for a snappy weeknight dinner than pork chops, and once you have the simple technique in mind, you'll be inspired to try all sorts of variations.

Just keep in mind four quick steps: Season the meat, sear it, make a sauce as you deglaze the pan and finish the meat in the sauce.

Lean pork chops should never be cooked to well done. Because they don't have generous fat and marbling, they're easily overcooked. The challenge is to turn out juicy chops with an appetizingly browned exterior and a slightly pink center.

First, select the right chops. Look for the lean, high-quality chops that are more widely available these days. Choose either medium (3/4 inch to 1 inch) or thick (1 1/2 inches to 2 inches) chops for recipes that call for pan-searing and finishing the chops in the sauce. Thin (less than 3/4 inch) chops will overcook before they brown. These are better simply seasoned and grilled fast on high heat.

Cooking time varies according to the cut of chop, whether it is boneless or bone-in, and the amount of fat along the outside edge. Fat takes longer to cook, so trim off excess fat. Bone-in pork chops will take a little longer than boneless chops.

If you are cooking meat that you've just purchased, it should be tempered and ready to cook by the time you're home. If the meat has been refrigerated, season it and let it stand for half an hour before cooking.

To sear pork chops, heat equal amounts butter and olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy skillet. The high heat is needed to get a good sear in a short amount of time. Combining butter and olive oil will help prevent the butter from burning. Cook the chops three to six minutes per side.

Don't worry if they're red in the center at this stage; they'll continue to cook after being removed to a plate and covered in foil.

Next, deglaze the pan with wine, broth or water, scraping up any nicely browned bits of meat. Add any additional sauce ingredients. Finishing the chops in the sauce means just that — a brief heating to marry the flavors of the sauce and the pork. Don't get distracted and walk away; the chops should only cook for one to eight minutes depending on the thickness of the chops. Even two or three additional minutes can dry out the chop.

To test for doneness, make a tiny cut. If the juices run clear or very light pink, the pork chop is done.

Pork Chops with Wine Sauce
4 medium rib or loin pork chops
1/2 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. minced shallots
2 Tbsp. minced carrots
2 Tbsp. minced celery
1/3 cup white wine
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp. cold butter, cut up

Pat any moisture from the surface of the chops. Season with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil and butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add the pork chops to the skillet and sear until both sides are nicely browned, about 3 to 4 minutes each side. Remove the chops from the skillet to a plate; cover and keep warm. Reduce the heat to low. Pour out all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet. Add the shallots, carrots and celery and quickly sauté for about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the white wine and stir to deglaze the pan, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom. Stir in the chicken broth. Bring the sauce to a simmer; cook until reduced by half.

Add the pork chops back into the skillet along with any drippings and simmer, spooning the juices over the chops as they cook, 1 to 2 minutes or until the chops are firm and just pink in the center. Remove the chops from the skillet.

Add the butter, tilting the pan and swirling the butter until the sauce is slightly thickened. Serve each chop with a little sauce spooned over the top. Makes 4 servings.

Pork Chops with Tomato Sauce
2 thick center-cut loin pork chops
1 clove garlic, cut in half
1/2 tsp. sea salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 tsp. butter
2 tsp. olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 cup seeded diced Roma tomatoes
1/3 cup chicken broth
Sprig of thyme
3-inch strip orange peel
12 small green olives

Pat any moisture from the surface of the pork chops. Rub both sides of each chop with cut clove of garlic. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat the butter and oil in a heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and brown both sides of the pork, about 5 to 6 minutes on each side. During the last minute of cooking, turn the pork chops on end to sear the edges. Remove the chops from the skillet to a plate, cover and keep warm.

Add the minced garlic to the skillet and sauté about 10 seconds. Add the tomatoes, stirring to scrape up the browned bits in the bottom of the pan.

Stir in the chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Add the thyme, orange peel and olives. Bring to a simmer and cook 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the browned pork chops with any drippings back into the pan. Simmer 5 to 8 minutes, stirring the sauce occasionally, until the pork chops are still pink in the center. Makes 2 servings.