pork chop challenged

[Graylynn]

I love pork chops, but every time I cook them (not in the crockpot) they come out tough! What am I doing wrong?

[CM]

Tough pork chops can be due to either cooking method, or maybe the selection of pork made the difference. When choosing pork chops, avoid chops which are large in size and are darker in color; choose the lighter pink ones and avoid pork with yellow or hard fat. You can press through the plastic to tell if the fat has hardened and is likely from an older animal, and will be less tender.

The idea is to brown the pork chops very quickly over high heat in a small amount of olive oil, butter, chopped salt pork or pork drippings (your preference - the pork drippings/salt pork yield the most flavor but you can combine a little of both drippings and olive oil for the best of both worlds). Don't leave the pork chops in the browning stage for too long - just a few minutes on highest heat on both sides. Preheat the pan before beginning. Use a heavy cast iron skillet for best results. Add sliced onions, whole garlic cloves (that way they won't brown as quickly and can be easily removed when they become too brown), and other seasonings, if you like.

Next, remove the pan from heat for a few minutes, until it cools down a bit. While the pan is still very hot, add a small amount of water, wine, broth, or other liquid (I've even used grape juice, the vinegar from vinegar peppers, apricot juice, and other fruit juices) and then simmer over the lowest heat until tender. Once the water/liquid has evaporated, add a pat of butter or a little olive oil, some herbs, and cover. You can leave them covered, off the heat for 10 minutes or so before serving, for best results.

One Italian method of cooking pork chops is to saute them, as above, but then add them to spaghetti sauce and serve them over pasta. The acidic quality of the tomato sauce helps to tenderize the pork, so tougher cuts of pork may be done this way to advantage.

Tough pork can also be marinated in a little wine vinegar, oil and soy sauce (use cheap olive oil, like pomace oil or vegetable oil for marinating) - or marinate in an Italian dressing or vinaigrette. Or you can try brining them for an hour, as you would brine a chicken using Kosher salt. (The brining instructions/recipe are on the Kosher salt box somewhere).

Another method of dealing with tougher pork cuts is to cut the pork from the bones, then slice thinly and cook quickly for a stir-fry. Then simmer in a stir-fry sauce. Don't toss the bones - they'll make a tasty stock!

The basic problem with tough pork is that they've been cooked for too long at too high a heat. Try one or two of these ideas and let us know your results!