Pork chop recipes are a great lunch or dinner option as they are somewhat simple to prepare.
They are also pretty versatile: you can easily change pork chop recipes up with a different sauce or an exciting side dish.
However, the biggest pitfall when cooking pork chops is overcooking them which can make the meat tough.
No matter how you decide to prepare them, you want your pork chops to come out tender and full of flavour.
These pork chop recipes will not only provide tips on how to avoid the typical pitfalls of cooking pork chops, but they will also offer fun serving ideas and a variety of ways to prepare this delicious meat.
Have you got the chops for perfect pork chops?
You may feel intimidated by these slabs of meat, but you don’t really need a huge cooking guide to cook these. All it takes is knowing just a couple of tricks.
Pork chops come from a pig’s loin area and they often come with a smaller piece of bone left in. They almost always come with a layer of fat on one side.
You might feel moved to trim the fat before cooking, but most pork chop recipes say it’s actually better to leave it on as it can help make your pork chops particularly flavorful.
So, if you decide on using pork chop recipes that require grilling, use your knife to make slits along the layer of fat to prevent it from curling while it’s cooking.
If you are frying the meat, in order to keep all the flavours in and your meat tender, make sure to cook the outside fat at a very high temperature over a short amount of time.
After you have done this, you can choose a different method to let the meat rest. Whether you choose to cool down the pan by adding a cool liquid for the sauce or you just decide to rest the meat, make sure you do it so your pork chops don’t come out dry.
As for a preferable method of cooking, it may depend on how many servings you need. If you are cooking for yourself or you and your partner, the quickest way for you is probably frying.
If you are throwing a dinner party, you might want to consider some baked pork chops recipes or even grilling them.
You don’t want to overcook the pork chops but you also want to cook them well. Always check if the meat is really done before serving.
Your best bet is to check as close to the bone as that is the hardest part to get to. Otherwise, just follow the instructions to your pork chop recipes and you’re good to go.
Honey Glazed Pork Chops
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
2 pork chops
olive oil for frying
salt and pepper
2 tbsp. honey
Method:
- Before frying the pork chops, make incisions along the sides to help the fat cook more easily. This will make it turn crisp while cooking.
- Rub a mixture of olive oil, salt and pepper on both sides of the pork chops.
- Carefully place the pork chops in a pan on high heat and fry for about 5 minutes on each side. It would be a good idea to turn them every minute to get them more evenly.
- Once they reach a nice golden colour, pour a tablespoon of honey over each pork chop by slowly pouring and turning the pork chop to get it evenly on all sides. Don’t be afraid to continue cooking the pork chops until they turn a deeper, reddish gold.
- You can squeeze a bit of lemon juice over each pork chop, in the end, to offset the sweetness of the glaze a little bit.
Tip: This easy glazed pork chops recipe is very versatile when it comes to the side dishes that could go with it. A salad, grilled vegetables or mashed potatoes would all compliment it very well.
Pork Chops with Mustard Sauce
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
4 pork chops
1 cup white wine
½ cup heavy cream
1 ½ tbsp. mustard seeds, ground
salt and pepper
olive oil for frying
Method:
- If your pork chops are on the thicker side, pound them a little bit before frying to make them slimmer and easier to cook.
- Season the pork chops with salt before frying.
- Heat the oil in a pan and carefully fry the pork chops on high heat (about 5 minutes for each side). Once they’re fried, let them rest in a warm plate while you prepare the sauce.
- Pour the wine in the same pan over medium heat and let it reduce a little.
- Make sure you scrape any brown bit from the bottom of the pan as that will pack in extra flavour for your sauce.
- Add the heavy cream and ground mustard and stir it while it heats up.
- Pour the mustard sauce on the pork chops before you serve the dish.
Tip: Serve some roast potatoes alongside.
Baked Pork Chops with Sauerkraut
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
2.2 lbs. sauerkraut, shredded
1 cup bacon, cut into small cubes
5 pork chops
1 ½ cup minced pork
1 ½ cup sausage, cut into small round pieces
2 cups sour cream
4 eggs
3 yolks
1 onion, finely chopped
water
oil
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
- Use water to cook sauerkraut with the bacon cut into small cubes.
- Put a little bit of oil into the pan and slowly fry half of the chopped onion. Drain the cabbage and bacon and add it to the pan. Leave the mixture to cook on low heat.
- In a separate pan, fry the pork chops.
- Next, fry the other half of the onion with the minced meat in a yet another pan.
- Use a deep casserole to layer the dish. Put one layer of cabbage, one layer of minced meat, another layer of cabbage, then the pork chops, another layer of cabbage, sausage and finally the last layer of cabbage.
- Whisk sour cream, yolks and eggs in a bowl. Pour over the casserole and put into the oven to roast for 45 minutes.
Tip: Serve warm with hot bread.
