"Pork Chops Taste Gooooood"

MMMmmmm pork chops.  They're so delicious - if they're cooked right.  Many people I know don't really like pork chops and I don't think it's because Jules says they're "filthy animals."  I think it's more likely because they've had dry dry dry pork chops hailing from the days of E.Coli scares where everyone overcooked their pork to make sure they were "safe".  Well turn the heat down and take the pan off because pork chops CAN be succulent and tender!

I love these Asian-style pork chops.  I make them all the time because with a few simple ingredients and some marinating time, these pork chops are yummy!  Want to add a bit of a Vietnamese flair?  Throw in some lemongrass - either way, you will find these pork chops very savoury and flavourful.  Saute the onions and garlic from the marinade and pour it over top of the cooked pork chops and yum!  Perfect with steamed rice.

For this dish, I usually use pork loin chops - in fact, I will usually buy a large pork loin (think Costco) and then slice the individual chops.  Whatever I don't use, I portion a chunk and freeze for another time.  It's a little more cost effective this way.  But also, this way you can choose how thick or thin you want your chops.  Since I'm usually in a hurry when I'm making dinner, I cut the chops to about half inch slices and then I pound them to quarter-inch thickness using a mallet (or the bottom of a frying pan works too!) while placing the chops between plastic wrap or wax paper.  I like them thin so they cook fast.  Either way though, it's worth giving them a little bit of a beating if for no other reason but to make your chop an even thickness throughout.  This will help when you're cooking so you don't have part of your pork chop thin and another part thick, making the overall cooking uneven (you'll have to leave the thick part on to make sure it gets cooked and then the thin part becomes overcooked and dry).

Speaking of dry pork chops, how do you cook your pork chops so that they don't become dry?  First, close your mind to overcooking them to be "safe".  Pork is actually quite safe these days - not that I'm saying that you should eat them rare or anything, but you need to monitor them and take them off the heat when they're done - not leave them on for an extra 5 minutes "just in case."  When you're cooking pork chops, you want to watch for a couple of things.  First, when you put them down on a grill or frying pan, use medium to medium-high heat.  Blasting them at too high a heat will just burn the outside and the inside will never get cooked fully.  Two, watch for the sides of the pork to start turning white until it is almost halfway white up the sides - then flip to cook the other side.  Three, poke, poke poke!  Do a poke test - and by this, I mean use your finger to give the meat a poke (do not puncture it with a knife or cut into it to see if it's cooked - you will lose all the juices).  What you're looking for is for the meat to be just firm.  If it feels hard - it's too dry.  If it feels soft and squishy, still undercooked.  Another trick to tell how done your meat is, is to touch all your fingers to your thumb, then with your other hand, poke the meaty part of your palm, just under your thumb.  That's how your pork should feel when it's done.  (By the way, if you touch only your index finger to your thumb and poke your palm, that's "medium rare", index and middle finger, "medium" etc.).  So you need to keep your eye (and your finger!) on your pork to make sure you don't cross the threshold from "just firm" to hard.  Last, don't forget to tent your chops!  Once you take them off the heat and put them on a dish, cover with aluminum foil.  This allows the meat time to rest and keep its juices.  If you cut into it too soon, you will have a wet mess and your pork will be dry!  Do all these things, and you won't have dry, sand paper chops!  Enjoy!

ASIAN-STYLE PORK CHOPS

Ingredients

7-8 pork loin chops, 1/4-1/2 inch thickness

Marinade

3 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp dried red chile flakes (optional)
1/2 medium onion sliced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 stalk lemongrass, sliced (optional)

Instructions:

1. Place the pork chops and marinade ingredients in a plastic bag.  Marinate at least 1 hour (overnight is even better)
2. Grill or pan-fry pork chops on medium high heat.
3. Once pork chops are done, place on dish and cover with aluminum foil for 5-7 min.
4. Take onions and garlic from marinade bag and saute in a pan with oil.  Pour over pork chops and serve.