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How Do You Make That: Tender Pork Chops
I love pork chops, but I really dislike pork chops the consistency of shoe leather. Fortunately, I did not have to eat leathery pork chops while Janet was alive, and I learned her technique for cooking them before she died. Pork chops have become one of my go-to meals when I have company over, and they all marvel over their tenderness. Yet making them is ridiculously easy. Here is how.
You will need:
- An oven
- A cooking sheet or casserole large enough for one layer of pork chops. Make sure there is at least a 1″ rim.
- Pork chops. (With large chops, one to a customer is fine, but throw in a few extra.)
- Non-stick oil spray
- Olive oil
- Seasonings (I use pepper. garlic powder, and Mrs. Dash’s Garlic and Herb or Onion and Herb. Pick whatever tastes good to you.)
- One whole onion
- Grated Parmesan cheese.
Do the following:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. (Yes, 425)
- Peel a whole onion and slice into thin slices. Set aside.
- Spray the baking sheet with nonstick spray.
- Rinse off the pork chops and pat them dry with paper towels.
- Coat each pork chop with olive oil. Cover both sides and the edges with olive oil, and place each chop on the baking sheet.
- Season the chops by sprinkling your favorite herbs and spices. I cover each chop with coarse pepper, garlic powder, and Mrs. Dash’s Onion and Herb or Garlic and Herb (or both). If you prefer something else go for it.
- After seasoning one side, flip the chops and cover the other sided with seasoning.
- Take the sliced onions and put a layer on the top of the chops.
- Sprinkle grated Parmesan on top of the pork chops over the sliced onions.
- When the oven reaches 425, put the tray with the pork chops into the oven. Cook 40 minutes.
- Pull the chops out of the oven and serve.
The secret is the olive oil. It seals in the natural moisture of the meat, so the chops do not dry out. The result is tender, moist pork chops despite the high heat.
You will need to experiment with the time because it does vary from oven to oven. Forty minutes works in my oven, but it can vary from 35 to 40 minutes.
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One word: Foodsaver
Oh how I wish we had Costco or Sam’s in Germany. The nearest equivalents aren’t all that equivalent.
Use a Pressure Cooker
Hi, Guruji!
I would add that, when grilling the poke chops, brining them for a couple hours before you put them on the grill makes them exceptionally moist and tender.
OTOH, Pork is Germany’s national bird.
Nah. That’s the Elster, the magpie. You are quite right that it is a pork culture. A Messianic Jewish friend of mine here once told me how grateful he was for the triumph of beef and chicken-based U.S. culinary culture in Germany. We apparently made it much easier to navigate the restaurant scene as a koscher-keeper in Germany than it had been.
Made the chops tonight for daughter and boyfriend. Daughter, who dislikes pork chops, was skeptical. I stuck to the recipe and they came out slightly overcooked, due to our ancient oven which doesn’t regulate as well as it should. Daughter reaction: “When are we having this again?” Big hit.
Pro tip: serve with cider, especially some of the stuff they press around here from old English apple varieties.
I would be glad to express appreciation by sending you a couple bottles. Message me with your shipping address, please.
You are the second person to report overcooking. I suspect the problem may lie in my oven. Perhaps 35 minutes should be the starting point.