I Spent 30 Years Cooking Pork Chops Wrong Until I Tried THESE Techniques

When it's cooked right, there is nothing like a bone-in, double-thick cut pork chop. And for four to six bucks a pound, you just can't beat them. Most of the time, though, folks tend to overcook them and they end up dry, and I was right there with them for years. Well, I'm gonna show you how to make sure they're extremely tender, juicy, and flavorful every single time using a few chef techniques, and I'm gonna finish it with a sauce you'll wanna put on everything. First, though, let's start with the pork. Sound good? Let's cook. I've got four bone-in, double-thick cut pork chops that weigh about 12 to 14 ounces each. They're solid. These are specifically rib chops, which come from the rib end and have usually one or two curb rib bones in it. There's a reason I'm explaining all of this, because there are also center-cut chops, which sort of resemble a T-bone. These are closer to the shoulder and have more of the pork tenderloin in it, and you can see the color variation. Either of these are great to use. Sometimes that's all the butcher has on hand, or you can ask for the specific cut that you'd like. Now, if you wanna get a little fancy with the rib chops, like we used to do in my restaurant days, you can French it by cutting around the bone and scraping it so that it's fully exposed. It looks cool, and it's a bit more elegant way to present it. Whatever you wanna do and whatever cut you choose is good with me, as long as it's a thick pork chop. Okay, let's transfer the chops to a rack over a sheet tray lined with, you know me, parchment paper. 15 years in professional kitchens will make you put parchment on everything. Using some paper towels, I'm gonna pat the pork chops down on all sides to remove as much surface moisture as possible. As I keep telling you, moisture is always the enemy of a good sear. You've got this, my friends. At this stage, I'm gonna season the pork chops on both sides with salt. And I pretty much only use diamond crystal kosher these days just as an FYI. Just as a good rule of thumb, season with 1 1⁄4 to 1 1⁄2 teaspoons of salt per pound. It'll ensure it's properly seasoned. Okay, time for the fridge. But first, once both sides are seasoned up, I usually set the rack to the side and mop up any salt on the fat cap end that didn't make it onto the pork. Now, we're gonna dry brine the pork in the fridge uncovered for as little as four hours and up to 24 hours. During that process, moisture will draw to the surface then go back in so that every bite is crazy juicy and delicious. Little techniques like this always make meals worth remembering. Now, could you finish seasoning these and cook them right away and they'd be delicious? Absolutely you could. But if you just do a little bit more planning and give yourself just a bit more time, that's when good food goes to great food. That's it, that's all it is, time. Okay, when you're ready to cook the pork, let's pull it out of the fridge and set it at room temperature just for a few to take the chill off. You should notice they have a sticky shiny film on them and this is known as a pellicle and it's a good thing. It'll help us get a beautiful brown maillard crust on it. In the meantime, we're just gonna preheat the oven to 250 degrees F, no fan. At this point, let's go back over to the pork. Give them a really good season with pepper on both sides. And then just like with the salt, mop up any on the parchment with that fat cap. Now, we've added a few techniques already to ensure these pork chops are juicy, but the most common mistake still is overcooking. Let's just eliminate any guesswork with a thermometer. It's foolproof and works every time. I'll put a few links below to the ones I commonly use. So because I'm gonna slice the pork before serving it, I wanna make sure I add the thermometer in parallel to the way that I do slice it. If I go straight in, then I'm gonna have a wormhole looking thing when I slice it. It's no good. Okay, the chops are going in the oven on a middle rack at 250 degrees F until they reach about 115 to 118 degrees F internal. And so much about being a good cook is being a good steward of your time. We've got about 45 minutes or so. Let's knock out the sauce mise. I'm going to thinly slice six to eight garlic cloves. And look, I'm sure you're already cringing because I'm doing this on a mandolin, but honestly, I had to do this pretty much every day of my life for years back in my restaurant days. So I guess I'm just sort of used to it at this point. When I get nervous, I just let go and stop. And of course, you can absolutely thinly slice these using a chef knife. Think Goodfellas consistency here or a hair thicker. Next, I've got one mildish hot, dry Thai chili that I'm just gonna roughly mince up. It'll break apart when doing this, which is what I want. However, feel free to sub in with some crushed red pepper flakes or even a fresh Fresno if you have it. Next up, two green onions. I'm gonna slice it in half, then I'm gonna thinly slice it. Okay, let's go check out the pork. But first, I also like to measure out everything like my vinegar, soy sauce, and honey. Alrighty, miso's done. Let's have a look at those chops. And they're done, 115, perfect. Let's pull them out and let them sit for a minute or two. And as they do, they'll carry over cook a few degrees, which will get us closer to what we want internally. Okay, from here on out, it's gonna move pretty quickly. So you wanna ensure you're completely miced up so that the process is incredibly smooth. I'm gonna bring the pork chops back over to the cooktop and I've got a big old cast iron skillet. Let's turn the heat up to medium high, high-ish. Then I'm adding in two tablespoons of lard. But please feel free to use a higher smoke point oil like avocado oil, or honestly, ghee would work pretty well here also. Once the oil begins to lightly smoke like this, I'm gonna grab two pork chops and get them lined up in these tongs and put them fat cap side down. I wanna start to render some of the fat out of the gate and also a brown crispy fat cap just makes things better. Let it sit for about 90 seconds to two minutes or until they start to look brown, just like this. Excellent. Now, lay the pork flat and let them sit untouched for one minute. Then come back and using your tongs, move the pork chops in a circular motion, bouncing back and forth. You'll do this for a total of one minute. And I know it seems a little clunky, which is why I only cook two chops at a time, but it's a really solid technique I picked up from a chef years ago that will almost always render an end-to-end Maillard brown crust that'll look just like this. Yep, works every time. You can absolutely pull this off, I promise. Flip the chops over, do the exact same process. One minute untouched and one performing little circles. Wax on, wax off, Daniel's son, if you will. Let's check the temp in beautiful, 135 degrees F. For the juiciest pork you're ever going to eat, pull at this temp because as it sits and rests, it'll bump up to that perfect 140 degrees internally, which is what pork should be served at. This is the main technique for perfect pork every single time, cooking it to the proper temp. Set them to the side on a rack to rest for a few minutes and repeat the exact same process with the remaining two chops. Okay, at this point, it's sauce time. Drain off the fat in the pan because it's just too hot for the next step. Now turn the heat down to low and let that pan sit for about two to three minutes. All right, then add in one to two tablespoons of unsalted butter, and once it's melted, let's add in the garlic slices. And then follow it up with the dried chiles and begin to bloom those and marry up those flavors. This will only cook for maybe 30 to 45 seconds. I was always taught that once you can smell garlic, it's done. Okay, at this stage, I'm going to deglaze with three tablespoons of seasoned rice wine vinegar. White wine vinegar will also work. And at this point, let's boost up the heat to low medium. The goal here is to cook down all those delicious acidy flavors to brighten up everything until maybe one to two tablespoons remain. This is known as au sec, or almost gone. Now, I'm adding in a half cup of chicken stock, and I've got a great homemade recipe if you wanna check that out, along with two tablespoons of soy sauce. I'm gonna reduce this for about a minute or two over medium heat and start to get all those flavors working together. Then I'm adding in a half cup of honey, and I'm gonna reduce for another minute or two or until it starts to thicken up a bit before nappe, which means it'll coat the back of a spoon. I know it seems like a lot of honey, but I promise this sauce is extremely balanced. Okay, it is done. But first, a little tip to cut some more of that sweetness. Mix in one teaspoon of Dijon mustard over low heat. It'll stop the honey from tasting overly syrupy. Is that a word? Then let's cut the heat completely, and I'm gonna mount it with three tablespoons of unsalted butter. This'll just give the sauce some more richness and give it that beautiful sheen. Gosh, does this smell so good. Then to finish it, squeeze in about two to three teaspoons of fresh lemon juice for a little clean acid. Then add in the sliced green onions. Of course, we have to give this a taste. You are gonna wanna drink this. It's that good. And I can never say it enough. Taste your food and at as many stages as possible throughout the entire cooking process. This is how you become a better cook, and, well, it makes cooking a lot more enjoyable. And it's never about being able to do a bunch of different things. It's about doing the simple things really well. All right, it's time to plate up. But first, if you're looking for some sides to pair this up with, I'm always a fan of butter-glazed green beans and creamy mashed potatoes. Can't lose. And if you're looking for maybe something a little different, I've got an entire section on my website at BillyPresa.com completely dedicated to side dishes. I'll share a link for you to check it out. Now, just to make sure it's cooked perfectly, let's take a few slices, shall we? Yes. Should have some pink in there. And just look at how dang juicy they are. This is the way. Okay, let's add the pork chops back in just to heat them back up. And then you can definitely serve this right in the pan, which is what I like to do. Spoon on some of the sauce. And for a few optional garnishes here, hit it with some sliced Fresnos or even some crushed red pepper flakes, or heck, even both. Then for a little punch of green, and some more thinly sliced green onions. I seriously cannot wait for you to try this foolproof juicy pork chop method in this sauce. You are gonna love it. And hands down, the perfect way to finish this off would be with my skillet brownie recipe. It's so good, it's so easy. I've got a great recipe on my website, BillyParesi.com. I'll see you there. It's immediate deliciousness, juicy, tender, little spice, little sweet. Make it. Mm.