What to do with pork chops instead of the usual cook methods?

[Chasdev]

So I ended up with 8 large boneless chops, which I pretty much can't stand fried or grilled because they dry out and get tough.
My wife wants to undercook them to retain some tenderness but I'm just not a fan of rare pork.
I'm thinking of cubing them up and using them in a slow cooker soup or stew but I would love to hear what ideas folks have.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

Depending on how thick they are, I run them through my LEM cuber (tenderizer) attachment for my grinder 3 times and then either bread and fry or just pan sear. Make gravy with the pan juices and add maybe a combination of onions, mushrooms, and peppers to top. After making the gravy, sometimes I put the meat back in, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or so...

 

[smokerjim]

Did you try putting them in a liquid salt brine for awhile before grilling, that helps.

 

[DRKsmoking]

So many choices, Charles and Jim have good ideas.

Mona does what you mentioned quite often. Cut up into pieces , brown and then into the slow cooker with all the veg.
You could do smothered chops like was posted the other day and I have posted a few time's

You could flatten and fill and roll up and into the smoker

I imagine what ever you pick will be a nice meal.

Post it up and let us know what you decided

David

ps: if real thick like you mentioned . You could slice a pocket in them fill with what you like
Here is one I did with mozza, cooked bacon and onions into a big loin chop ( because i thought they might be dry being loin chops ) and covered with a mashed potato crust and smoked

 

[bill ace 350]

Gepockelte.

1 Tbs Morton TQ per pound. Rub into meat, into the fridge for a few hours, or a few days.

Rinse and dry.

Quick sear on both sides, then into a baking dish on top of a layer of sauerkraut.

Cover with prepared stove top stuffing and bake at 350 for approx 75 minutes. Check temp with thermometer.

Tasty easy meal.

 

[Smokin Okie]

I cut my chops at least 1" thick from a pork loin. Then I reverse sear.

I use the Kettle and smoke them on the indirect side at 200* to 225* . That takes about 6 B&B briquettes and a big chunk of pecan.

When they reach around 130 to 135* IT, I dump a full chimney of coals in the SnS and sear to about 145*. Pull them off and let carryover take them over 150* +.

Sometimes we marinade or brine, sometimes not. But it does help keep them juicy.

 

[Chasdev]

Wow great ideas.
I’ll present them to the war dept and see if any of them stick.

 

[schlotz]

The concern over pork being done has been over emphasized stemming back from the days where trichinosis was prevalent. Fast forward to today and the current recommendation is 145º IT. Personally, a very slight hint of pink is actually ok. So, on to what alternatives there are. Try this one. Can be done with bone in or boneless. We prefer the Duroc boneless option.

Pan Seared Pork Chops with Gravy

Gravy, Main Dish, Pork
Difficulty: Easy Servings: 2

INGREDIENTS
Pork Chops:
2 each pork chops thick cut 3/4-1"
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter unsalted
8 ozs mushrooms sliced & fried
chopped parsley garnish

Gravy:
1-2 tablespoons butter unsalted
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3/4 cup half and half OR heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken broth low sodium or no sodium added
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 bulb shallot very thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic smashed well
1-2 tsp kitchen bouquet
1/4 tsp salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Season the chops on both sides w/salt & pepper and let sit on counter for at least 1 hour. Chops should be at room temp before frying. While chops are resting, slice up the mushrooms and fry until soft and lightly browned in some olive oil. Add a pinch of salt half way through.

Add butter and oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the chops and sear for 2 1/2 minutes on each side. Total of approximately 5 minutes depending on thickness (more for thicker cuts) but start the ladling around 3 minutes.

Ladling: When the chop IT reaches 130º (check IT at 3 min), slide pan off to a cold burner, add the aromantics, garlic, shallot slices and butter. Swirl them in the melted butter then tilt the pan and continually spoon the infused butter over the chops for a minute or so. Check the IT, when it reaches 138-140º, transfer the chops to a plate and rest in a warming oven set to 140º. The IT should continue to rise to 145º while the gravy is made.

Gravy: Remove the thyme, rosemary and garlic. Blot out most of the oily fat in the skillet leaving a tablespoon. Add the butter and flour and continually whisk to make a roux over medium heat for 2-3 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.

Whisk in the half & half (or heavy cream) and the chicken broth until smooth. Cook for a couple more minutes until the gravy thickens. Add a dash of kitchen bouquet to darken and enrich the gravy.

Add back the mushrooms, stir then the drippings from the plated chops. Stir in drippings. Taste and re-season with salt & pepper if necessary. It most likely will need a fair amount of salt so add some, stir, taste and repeat if necessary. Add the chops back to the pan.

Plate the chops, ladle on the gravy w/mushrooms, garnish with parsley and serve.

 

[Chasdev]

The wife perked her ears when I read that to her.
She’s from Memphis and says that’s more or less southern smothered pork chops like he mama used to ruin!

 

[chopsaw]

Sour cream and dill gravy is great on pan fried pork chops . easier to post the thread then rewrite it . The gravy info is at the bottom of the post .

November Throwdown Prize

@bmudd14474 and @TulsaJeff Just letting you know the prize for the Gravy show down just showed up . That sure is a great prize for a pork chop and some homemade gravy . I really appreciate both of your efforts . I've entered 2 of these really just to show support , and was lucky enough to...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[JIMSMOKES]

Butterfly them pound them out thin. Lite coat of dijon mustard, cuban seasoning, slice of ham, couple pickles. Roll them up hit them with seasoning again then wrap them with bacon and smoke to 145°. I like a bbq sauce glaze at the end.

 

[RoadRunner18]

SMOKED AND SEARED THICK-CUT
TOMAHAWK PORK CHOPS​

HARDWOOD: Hickory, Oak, Mesquite, Cherry or Apple

COOK TIME: Approximately 4 hours
* 2-1/2 hours at 225 grill temp or until internal meat temperature reaches 130 degrees.
* Set your cooker for 450 degrees
* Sear each side for 4 minutes (until internal meat temp reaches 140-145)


EQUIPMENT:
* Meat injector
* Aluminum Pan
* HD Aluminum Foil
* Meat Rack
* GRILL GRATES for searing
* Spray or “Spritz” bottle

INGREDIENTS:
* Bone-in thick cut Tomahawk Pork Chops (one for each guest)
* 1 – Cup of your favorite fruit juice injection (apple, peach, apricot, pineapple)
* Your favorite pork rub
* 1 – Cup of your favorite fruit juice injection mixed with water for Spritzing in a spray bottle
* Olive Oil or yellow mustard to act as a binder for the rub.
* Fruit Preserves (Optional)

PREPARATION:

The Night before your cook:
* Inject each tomahawk pork chop and allow to marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

The Day of your Cook:
* Baste each chop with a light coating of olive oil or yellow mustard as a binder for your rub, .
* Apply a generous coating of your favorite pork rub.

YOUR COOK:

1. Set your cooker for 225 degrees.

2. Set your meat probe for 130 degrees.

3. Place the GRILL GRATES on the bottom grill grate level of your cooker.

4. Place the chops and meat rack directly on the level above the GRILL GRATES and smoke until internal meat temp reaches 130 degrees.

5. Once internal meat temp reaches 130, remove the chops and meat rack from the smoker.

6. Wrap the tomahawk pork chops tightly in aluminum foil.

7. Spray the GRILL GRATES with Pam, and increase the cooking temperature in your smoker to 425 degrees .

8. Spritz both sides of the Chops and place the Tomahawk Pork Chops on the aluminum GRILL GRATES for 3 to 4-minutes each side to get the proper sear and professional grill marks. Probe each chop with a meat thermometer to ensure internal meat temperature is 140-145 degrees.

9. Once internal meat temperature reaches 140=145 degrees, remove the Chops from the cooker and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.


NOTES:

1. For additional flavor, baste the Chops with a fruit glaze (Pineapple, Peach, Apricot, or Apple Preserves) before removing from the smoker.

2. You can order a set of GRILL GRATES made specifically for your cooker at www.grillgrate.com They are a must for searing Steaks, Chicken, or Pork.

 

[Lonzinomaker]

Try Kassler ripchen.

 

[mike243]

Well I missed this but next time you want something different this is great

 

[crazymoon]

CD, I do nothing but pork schnitzel in my air fryer now. IMHO it's the only way to have a chop ! P.S. Don't forget a squeeze on lemon on the finished product. :)

 

[jcam222]

Everyone has you covered. I'm curious though what finish temp you shoot for when grilled. Once I started doing chops, pork steaks and loin to 145 they are always super juicy.

 

[DougE]

I pretty much always do chops in Sous vide at 145° for a couple hours, then sear.

I find tenderness to be hit or miss with conventional cooking methods, but the SV always delivers tender chops.

 

[ajbert]

Guess I'm old school, I always do them on the grill with Tony's. I agree going to long will make them dry and tough. The hard part is knowing when they are ready to come off the grill. I also grill them on low heat after the grill is heated up. Done right, they are the best way to cook them. Second for me is pan fried.

 

[indaswamp]

So I ended up with 8 large boneless chops, which I pretty much can't stand fried or grilled because they dry out and get tough.
My wife wants to undercook them to retain some tenderness but I'm just not a fan of rare pork.
I'm thinking of cubing them up and using them in a slow cooker soup or stew but I would love to hear what ideas folks have.

Stuff with spreadable Nduja salami, basil, and Mozzarella. truss tightly, season then fry in a pan to get a good crust on them. Finish in a 350*F oven to internal of 145*F......

 

[schlotz]

Here is one more that we make regularly. Done right, it's a great dish served with a good kicked up Italian dressing salad that includes chopped salami & green olives, and small diced aged white cheddar cheese.

Pork Milanesa

INGREDIENTS

12 ozs pork loin thinly sliced then pounded to 1/4"
2 Tbs light olive oil this portion for nutrition
1 whole lemon sliced into wedges

1st bowl:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2nd bowl:
2 large eggs, lightly beaten ROOM TEMP

3rd bowl:
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs: Progresso-Italian
1/4 cup parmesan reggiano freshly grated
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon corn starch

DIRECTIONS

Bowl Setup:
#1: ap flour,
#2: 2 eggs lightly beaten,
#3: throughly mix the breadcrumbs, 1-tbs of Italian seasoning, parmesan & cornstarch.

Trim any excess fat from whole thin pork loin cutlets. Place each between wax paper, saran wrap or in an open zip-lock bag and pound until approx 1/4” thick.

Lightly season the pork with salt & pepper on both sides. Dip cutlets 1 at a time, first in the flour, followed by the eggs, then the bread crumbs. Place on a plate making sure not layer on top of each other.

Warm 1-2 tbs (no more) of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot (shimmering) place the breaded cutlets in the pan. Do not crowd the pan and keep the temp down (under medium) so not to burn. If you see any smoke it's TOO HOT. Cook until somewhat golden brown w/out burnt drippings, about 1.5-2 minutes per side maximum. Transfer to a serving platter lined with paper towels and put in a warming oven. Wipe out the pan then add new oil and repeat. Each finished piece should only be golden brown, not dark.

If you are using thicker pork increase cook time to 2-3 minutes per side. Best to use a timer for this step to help ensure the meat is not over cooked.

Serve with sliced wedges of lemon. Squeezing fresh lemon juice on right before you eat a piece is the way to go.