Pork Chops..help!

[CBulla]

Always remember to let your meat rest for a while before you serve it-it continues to cook and the juices circulate.

One more thing - get some good tongs! I always cringe when I see cooks using a fork to turn and position meat on the grill-dont poke holes in it...all the juices come out making it DRY!

Two very excellent points!!

Next week.. fried okra!!

 

[aholsber]

actually buying some inexpensive meat to go with your thermometer is the best idea. remember each time you poke it to test temp, you are letting out all those great juices. that said, buy some cheap meat, and do the "poke-n-touch" until you learn about what each temp feels like to the touch. this way, you won't ever have to poke meat again until you are eating it.

Alan

fried okra? are we going fishing?

 

[glbirch]

If you (a) use salt in the ratio above and (b) wipe off the brine (or even lightly freshwater rinse - just like your dive gear ), you should never have too salty a taste. The brine forms a "toughened" layer on the outside of the meat - really forming a seal that prevents the internal juices from escaping during cooking (or too much salt from being absorbed). I've actually brined chops and whole turkeys overnight with no salty taste.

I've found that the thinner chops can absorb more than some people like if left too long. All depends on individual tastes. I will admit though that my last batch went into a brine that I made for salt pork so it was pretty saturated. Wiped them off and threw them in a ziplock with a couple of cups of apple juice to soften the bite a little. Went pretty well in the stir fry.

Mmmm... now I'm thinkin' that there's a chicken in the freezer that might be taking a little brine dip this weekend. Too bad I can't barbecue it.

 

[CBulla]

fried okra? are we going fishing?

properly battered in stone ground corn meal, fried okra is a fantastic.... snack! That was the first thing I learned to cook when I was a kid.. 6 years old standing at the stove on a chair frying the okra I picked in the back yard off the plants not 15 minutes before.

 

[Drewpy]

I was misleading in my last post-dont poke it with a fork ,but its ok to poke it with a thermometer...?
Touch is by far the best for people who know what to look for
and it does take a little experience and practice but it can be a learning experience and better than cooking it to death.
If they are bone in, sometimes you can sneak it betwwen the meat and the bone without poking the center of the meat to get an idea of the temp.

Sorry didnt mean to be contradictary.

 

[gj62]

OK, if you're poking the meat every 2 minutes, then maybe you'll run those juices out. But putting an instant read thermometer in (1 hole) 2 or 3 times is not going to cause your juices to run out...

The touch method is good - but it requires alot of practice and, well, touch. Someone who cooks alot can use this method reliably, but if you're cooking like this once or twice a month, stick with the instant read. Note that different cuts will "touch" differently too, so that makes it a bit more difficult....

 

[H2Andy]

must....resist....temptation....


must....not....be....naughty...


:spank:

 

[Natasha]

Wow! These are all incredable ideas! I can't believe the knowledge we have on this board.
Thank you everyone!

 

[SDAnderson]

I have some huge boring pork chops for dinner tonight. Anything I can do to spice 'em up a bit and surprise my dinner guests?

Thx!

I was just going to put them on the grill...

Finely chop and combine 2 TBSP fresh thyme, 2 TBSP fresh rosemary, 2 TBSP fresh sage and 2 cloves garlic, mix with a very little olive oil and 1 TBSP sea salt and coat the chops. You're looking for a thick paste, not a marinade. Let sit for as long as you can, a day is great but an hour or two will be okay, too.

Combine a bottle of decent red wine, 3 cups water, 2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup lemon juice and about 16 oz of dried pitted figs, de-stemmed and cut lengthwise. Simmer until reduced to about 4 cups total volume.

Roast or grill the chops over low heat and plate with the fig jam. This recipe works well with a couple of whole pork tenderloins, too and is one of my new favorites.

 

[neophytediver]

Ah pork. If there is a more perfect meat on the planet, I don't want to know about it.

If you are talking THICK porkchops then I suggest my much renowned "War Between the States Grilled, Stuffed Chops." Thick porkchop stuffed with a cornbread stuffing with Washington Granny Smiths and ALABAMA (not Georgia) Peaches. Served with Garlic Mashed Cheesey Potatoes and Grilled Sweet Corn, it'll make you slap your Grandma.