SAME DAY PORK CHOPS

SAME DAY PORK CHOPS
Maynard Pittendreigh

While many pork chop recipes call for 1 to 3 days of brining or marinating, this recipe is for the last-minute planner.

1. Buy them bone-in and thick.
Bone-in gives better flavor.  Thin chops will be done simply with the searing process and are easily overcooked.


2. Get your skillet HOT.
The purpose of the searing is to get a crisp crust on your chop without cooking the center.  It is vital to have a hot skillet.  Let it cook for a couple of minutes, then peak at the bottom to see if it is a golden color.  Flip the chop and give it a chance to get golden on the other side.

3. Brush with butter.
While this is not required, it does help to get a delicious chop.  This is an  old restaurant trick—basting with butter while cooking.

4. Use a meat thermometer.
Your goal is to reach 140°-150° F. You want no pink! The meat should be completely white all the way through. Pork chops at this temperature will still have the potential to be juicy, just be sure to pull them from the oven on the lower end of this spectrum, as the chops will continue to cook even after they're out of the oven. Anything past 145° F is the danger (or dry) zone, so keep a close watch.

Ingredients

4 pork chops

kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon of rosemary

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup of butter, melted

 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°. 
2. Season pork chops generously with salt and pepper.
3. In a small bowl mix together butter, rosemary, and garlic. Set aside.
4. In an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil then add pork chops. Sear until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, flip and cook 3 to 4 minutes more. 
5. Brush pork chops generously with garlic butter.
6. Place skillet in oven and cook until cooked through (145° for medium), 10-12 minutes. 
7. Serve with more garlic butter.