How To Cook Pork Chops On The Stove. I’m showing you a delicious and super easy brine recipe and how to pan fry your pork chops.
It’s been fun to watch these food trends and viral food hacks go crazy on social media over this past year: Dalgona coffee, everyone and their brother baking bread and pizza, the tortilla hack trend and most recently this baked feta pasta.
This past year, we were all just surviving so I focused a lot on simple foods and basic recipes like: how to make a tuna melt, how to make creamy eggs, how to make steak in your oven and we simply must add how to pan fry pork chops to this list.
If there are any other “basics” you want to learn, let me know and we can make it happen.
LEARNING FROM THE BEST
When I lived in Madison, Wisconsin, my favorite restaurant was Heritage Tavern. Located just a block from Madison’s Capitol Square, it was in the perfect location, had a diverse menu with delicious food, some of the best craft cocktails in town and you always felt at home there. After acquainting myself with the culinary community, chefs in the area and like-minded foodies, I got to know the staff and the chef and owner of Heritage Tavern, Chef Daniel Fox, pretty well. He is one of the hardest working chefs ever.
Like most of the restaurants in Madison, Chef Dan Fox sourced all of his ingredients locally, but one thing he does that sets him apart: he raises his own purebred Berkshire hogs. Needless to say, all of the pork dishes at Heritage Tavern are incredible and it was there that I had the Heritage Pork Schnitzel with bacon braised red cabbage, sour cream spaetzle, pork demi-glaze and pickled Aronia berries. This quickly became my favorite dish on the menu.
HERITAGE PORK SCHNITZEL
One day, I got to be a part of a video with Chef Dan Fox where he showed how they make their Heritage Pork Schnitzel. It was then when I learned the importance of pounding the pork and using buttermilk to help tenderize it. When you pound the pork thin, that helps to break down the muscle tissue and will allow the buttermilk to soak in better. The buttermilk has good amount of acid, which also helps to break down the muscle tissue and tenderize the pork and bring some flavor.
Brined Bone-In Pork Chops
I recently got some Brined Bone-In Pork Chops from Fox Heritage Farms. They are a WI-based company that provides sustainably sourced, locally raised pork. Their pork is antibiotic & hormone-free, and they house the Willow Creek Farms brand. They also offer a meat CSA, where you can sign up for their products by the pound, or a 3 or 6 month subscription. I highly recommend all of their products, especially the bacon and these pork chops! So good!
How To Cook Pork Chops On The Stove
These pork chops came brined but you can easily throw together a simple brine at home. Water, salt brown sugar, chili flakes, onions and garlic. Brining pork chops before cooking is an easy way to make them extra juicy and tender! The brine helps the meat to draw in moisture (and salt) adding tons of flavor, especially to lean meats like pork.
How to Pan Fry Pork Chops
Equipment
- gallon sized zip top bag
- Cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1/3 cup kosher salt
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 1 tablespoon chili flakes or hot pepper flakes optional
- 1/2 small onion peeled and sliced
- 2 bone-in or boneless pork chops
- olive oil
- 2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Brine the pork chops. Place ingredients in a gallon zip-top bag and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. Carefully add the pork chops and seal the bag. For best results, lay the bag flat in your refrigerator on a plate or in a large dish, and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours, or up 8 hours, or overnight.
- Remove the pork chops from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Allow them to come to room temperature before cooking if you can.
- Add a little oil to your cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, until hot and just beginning to smoke. Carefully add the pork chops and let sit undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the butter to the skillet and flip the pork chops. Let the other side sit for a few minutes as well.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Continue to cook for 6 to 8 minutes more, flipping the pork chops every few minutes, until they register 145°F in the thickest part. Remove from the heat and let rest for a few minutes. Serve and enjoy!
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