As much as I cook, I stayed away from cooking pork chops for a long time — way longer than I should have. I just couldn't seem to cook them without ending up with completely dry pork chops that were dry and tough and not all appetizing to me or anyone sitting around my table.
But I now have a little more experience and have experimented with different ways of cooking pork chops that make them succulent, juicy and leaving everyone begging for seconds.
Do you, too, suffer from serving dry tasteless pork chops? Have you veered away from this cut of meat for the simple reason that you don't think you can make them tasty?
Worry no more. Below are five tried and tested ways to tenderize pork and keep all the juices inside where they belong. Cook a lot of them because I guarantee all the pork-lovers around your table are going to keep coming back for more.
Pound the pork. One way to tenderize pork, or any meat for that matter, is to pound it with a mallet. Cooktop Cove. Pounding the meat will break up the tiny fibers of protein that can really bind together during the cooking process and cause that pork to also tighten up and become tough.
Score the pork. Marinate the pork. Marinating is effective because it not only tenderizes the pork and actually adds moistness and flavor to the pork. Instead, choose a gentler acidic ingredient such as yogurt or buttermilk. Repeat with ground pepper, and then turn the meat, repeating until all sides—fat cap and bone included—are evenly coated with salt and pepper.
Raising your hand high over the meat isn't just for those Salt BAE aesthetics—it helps distribute the seasonings evenly across the pork's surface.
Leave the seasoned meat at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to two hours to give the seasoning time to work its way into the meat, and to let the meat come to room temperature, which will allow it to cook more evenly. Once the resting is complete, blot the chops on both sides with a paper towel to wick away any excess moisture. Heat a skillet preferably cast-iron , though stainless steel works too over a medium-high burner.
Our own Anna Stockwell likes to start her pork chops by searing the fat cap , which you can certainly do—other recipes may suggest doing this step last. Either way, make sure there is enough oil or pork fat in your pan just to coat the bottom surface. When that fat starts to shimmer you may see wisps of smoke place the chops in the pan in a single layer, without touching.
Sear for one minute, then flip and sear on the second side. Inserting the thermometer from the side, away from the bone, gives the most accurate reading. Why the constant flip-flop? However, unlike chicken, which is naturally tender, and beef, which can be kept tender by cooking to rare or medium rare, pork can be quite tough and, according to conventional wisdom, must be cooked through though this has recently come into question.
See Step 1 below to start cooking! To tenderize pork before cooking it, try breaking up the tough muscle by hitting it with a meat mallet evenly across the surface of the meat. Then, if you want your pork to be extra tender, you can marinate it in a tenderizing marinade made with acids, like citrus juices, vinegar, or wine. For easier tenderizing, use a commercial meat tenderizer by wetting the surface of the meat, and then sprinkling the tenderizer over the meat.
For tips on preparing tender pork by baking, braising, or grilling, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue. No account yet? Create an account. Edit this Article. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy.
Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article methods. Tips and Warnings. Things You'll Need. Related Articles. Article Summary. Method 1. Use a meat mallet. Cuts of pork are at their toughest when the muscle fibers making up the meat are long and intact.
To begin tenderizing the pork before seasoning or cooking it, try breaking up the muscle fibers using a meat mallet sometimes called a "meat tenderizer". These usually take the form of either a heavy hammer or mallet with a spiked surface used for beating the meat or a sharp-pronged tool used for stabbing into the meat.
The goal is similar with either — simply bash or stab the meat to break up its muscle fibers. If you don't have one of these specialty tools, don't sweat it.
You can also use an ordinary fork or even your bare hands to get the same effect if you don't have a mallet handy.
Stab, pummel, or mash the meat to break up the muscle fibers and make a more tender dish. Use a tenderizing marinade. Marinades are a great way to both add flavor to meat and make it more tender. However, not all marinades are created equal — to tenderize pork, your marinade needs to contain either an acid or a tenderizing enzyme.
Both of these types of chemicals break down the tightly coiled proteins in meat on the molecular level. However, using too much of either of these substances is a bad idea — too much acid can actually make meat tougher by denaturing its proteins and too much tenderizing enzyme can make meat mushy. For instance, it's not uncommon to see red wine paired with soy sauce and other ingredients like brown sugar as a pork marinade. Tenderizing enzymes can be found in the juices of several fruits.
For instance, pineapple, which contains the enzyme bromelain, and papaya, which contains the enzyme papain, are both excellent tenderizing ingredients. Brine the pork. Brining is a technique similar to marinating that is especially well-suited to lean cuts of pork like loin chops. Brining involves soaking your meat in salt water to increase the tenderness and moistness of the final dish. Brines always contain salt and water, but can also include other ingredients for added flavor like apple cider, brown sugar, rosemary, and thyme.
Because brining can give the pork a salty taste, generally, you'll want to avoid applying too much salt when eating your pork or applying a salty dry rub after brining. For a great brine recipe, combine 1 gallon 3. Add your pork to the bowl, cover, and refrigerate until you begin cooking.
Depending on the type of pork you're cooking, optimal brining times will vary. For instance, pork chops usually require about 12 hours to a full day, whole pork loin roasts can require several days of brining, and tenderloin can be ready in as few as six hours. Use a commercial meat tenderizer. Another option for tenderizing your pork is to use an artificial meat tenderizer.
These meat-tenderizing substances usually come in the form of a powder but are also sometimes available as liquids. Often, the active ingredient in these tenderizers is papain, the natural meat-softening chemical found in papayas. As with papaya, it's important to remember not to over-use meat tenderizer or it's possible to get a piece of meat with an unpleasantly soft texture.
Always apply meat tenderizer sparingly. Lightly dampen the surface of your pork with water just before cooking, then sprinkle evenly with about 1 teaspoon of meat tenderizer per pound of meat. If your meat tenderizer is labeled as "seasoned", it will usually contain salt — in this case, don't season with extra salt before cooking.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a review. Method 2. Sear the pork, then bake it. When it comes to cooking pork, a wide variety of cooking methods can give juicy, tender results as long as they're carried out properly. For instance, with thin cuts of pork like pork chops or sirloin cutlets, you may want to quickly cook the meat with high surface heat to give it a crisp, savory exterior, then transfer the pork to less-intense dry heat to finish cooking it.
For instance, you might sear your pork in a hot pan on the stove or on the grill , then transfer your pork to the oven or move it to a cooler area of the grill and close the lid for the rest of its cooking time. The indirect heat is vital to keeping your pork tender and juicy. While searing is great for giving your pork a delicious exterior "crust", using direct heat to cook your pork completely can easily lead to a tough, over-cooked piece of meat.
Indirect heat from an oven or a closed grill, however, gradually cooks the entire piece of meat, leading to a tender, evenly-cooked final product. Since direct heat like a hot pan cooks the outside of your meat much quicker than it cooks the inside, you'll generally only need to cook for a minute or two per side to give your entire piece of meat a good searing.
However, indirect heat like from an oven will take a longer time to cook your pork — usually about 20 minutes per pound. Braise the pork. One sure-fire way to get a moist, tender piece of pork is to braise it. Braising is a slow, high-moisture cooking method that involves placing the meat in a mixture of liquid and sometimes solid ingredients and allowing it to simmer in the mixture for hours. Braising produces extremely moist, tender, and flavorful meat, so it's often the preferred method for cooking somewhat tougher cuts of pork, like shoulder cuts and country-style ribs.
In addition, the liquid used for braising can be used as a sauce or gravy, which is handy for pork dishes served with rice or a similar side dish.
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