For my first foray into a newsletter recipe, I “bravely” (see: not brave) attempt to venture into the If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it category of cooking. I’m not claiming to be reinventing the wheel or to be bringing the next viral version of a classic to the table, here. I can, however, show you how to prepare a beautiful fried pork chop that will maybe inspire you to do the same sometime in the near future. I also have one sneaky pro-chef addition at the end of the recipe that one of my team turned me onto very recently…click bait at its finest! At any rate, let’s get on with it.
With regards to the pork itself, I happen to love a loin chop for this. Bone-in is ideal, but not a dealbreaker should boneless turn out to be your only option. After all, it’s getting fried to crispy perfection down the line. Worse travesties have been committed in the culinary world (I’m looking at you Donkey Sauce). One thing I will recommend though, is to try and source some pork from happy pigs. What does that mean? Well, the usual suspects apply here; non-gmo, pasture raised, no growth hormones, etc. Happy pigs, happy lives, happy food…I’ll go hug a tree now. But seriously, it’s worth it not just for your mouth and stomach, but also for peace of mind. The farmers market is generally a great resource for locally, sustainably and humanely raised meat, should you have one nearby. Otherwise the internet is a great place to find some quality cuts that will taste far superior to most supermarket “butchers.”
Once you have your pork locked in, the breading process is another moment I see some home cooks (and even some professional ones!) struggle with. For me, it’s all about EVEN COATING throughout each step. This helps to avoid both clumps and a spotty crust. I also like to season my flour lightly with a bit of salt and pepper. I mix a few drops of water into my eggs to loosen them up a bit. And lastly, I like to really press the meat into the crumbs multiple times. Not a step to gloss over.
From there, a careful frying is really all you need to take this thing home. I use olive oil so that breading soaks up the beautiful flavor of the oil. I also throw a knob of butter in at the end to add an extra bit of richness and to help with the browning. A couple of smashed garlic cloves in the foaming butter help to seal the deal.
Since these bad boys are generally large and in charge, it’s next to impossible to fit 2 in a pan. The crucial move here is to have a sheet tray with a cooling rack on it and an oven set to very low, maybe 200F or so. After the first chop is fried, place it on the sheet tray with the cooling rack, then put the chop the low oven while you cook the second one.
My one addition I mentioned earlier comes via one of my cooks at The Four Horsemen, who reminisced to me recently about a trip she had to Paris in which they served a Milanese (pounded, breaded and fried meat hailing from Lombardy, Italy) inspired dish with brown butter, arugula and truffles. I gave it a shot here (the brown butter, that is) and I can say without a doubt that it will be my go to move going forward.
Ingredients:
