For the slaw recipe, click here!
Have you ever soaked your pork chops in a quick brine before cooking them? I used to think that brining was something you did to turkeys, whole chickens or large cuts of meat, but even small cuts of pork benefit hugely from the salty water bath.
Now I throw my chops into a simple quick brine for an hour or two every time I make them. It’s so easy and makes a HUGE difference!
Submerge the pork in a quick brine with some seasonings and you’ll never get dried out chops again!
Brining is especially useful when breading the pork chops, which makes it more difficult to tell when they are done. Overcooking chops often results in dried out, chewy bites; but if you brine first, even if you overcook them slightly, they will turn out melt-in-your-mouth tender. Combine that with a golden, crunchy, super flavorful crust and you just made perfect pork chops!
A perfectly crunchy well seasoned crust + a tender, moist interior = the perfect pork chop!
The coating is a pretty standard flour / egg / breadcrumb method, that once you learn, you will use all the time. The seasonings are what can be varied…you can use your favorite dried herbs, paprika, or even grated cheeses. But if you try fennel pollen (see Foodstory for an explanation of what it is), nothing will compare to the unique, but subtle flavor. Your dinner guests will just keep asking you “what did you do to these pork chops?!?”
I usually serve these fennel pollen crusted pork chops with a refreshing salad, like my Radicchio Pear Slaw with Fennel and Manchego Cheese, just click on the slaw name to get the recipe.
These pork chops are delicious with my Radicchio, Pear and Manchego Cheese Slaw!
The combination of this refreshing and flavorful slaw paired with crunchy, golden chops tastes like you’re eating at the hottest gastropub in town
If you have some slaw and chops leftover the next day, just slice the pork and throw into a bowl over the slaw, for a quick and satisfying lunch.
Fair Cooking! 🙂
Fennel Pollen: the magical fairy dust chef’s use
The fennel stalk grows pretty yellow flowers from which the pollen is harvested
Native to the Tuscany region of Italy, fennel is one of the most common vegetables used in Italian cooking and fennel pollen is a staple spice used to liven many dishes such as Italian pastas, soups and roasts. The bright, rich and buttery flavor of fennel pollen quickly gained popularity among top chefs around the world and the spice is now available to purchase online or at specialty food shops.
Fennel pollen is exactly what the name suggests: it’s the pollen collected from the flowers of the fennel plant. Most of us are used to
Fennel pollen is expensive because hundreds of fennel flowers must be harvested to fill a small jar
seeing the fennel bulb, with a few frond covered stalks attached, but fennel also grows beautiful yellow flowers. Each little floret yields only a tiny amount of pollen, so hundreds of flowers must be harvested (usually by hand) in order to fill just a small jar, which is why fennel pollen is one of the priciest spices out there. But, a little of the spice goes a long way, so it will last quite a while if used sparingly. If fennel pollen is not available or just too pricey, ground fennel seed can be substituted, though it will lack the unique flavor of pollen. I highly recommend the splurge, at least once, just to have it on hand to throw a pinch over a finished roast or soup. Fennel pollen adds an incredible depth of flavor that elevates dishes to restaurant quality, probably because it is used in restaurants as a secret ingredient to add that “magic” finishing touch.
Well, the secret is out 😉
Ingredients
- 2 bone in pork chops (if using 4 to 6, just double all other ingredients)
- 2 tbs kosher salt
- 2 cups of water
- a few sprigs of thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- a few juniper berries
- 5 to 8 whole black peppercorns
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
- 1 garlic clove
- 3/4 tsp fennel pollen, divided (or 1 tbs ground fennel seeds)
- 1/8 tsp salt + 1/4 tsp salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1/4 tsp Piment D’Espelette, divided (or cayenne pepper - see note)
- 2 tbs Canola oil
- 2 tbs butter
Instructions
1) Lightly pound the pork chops (I just use the paper they came in or a plastic bag) avoiding the bone, just to flatten them slightly and make them more tender.
2) Mix the salt and water, add the rest of the brining ingredients and submerge the pork chops. Place in the fridge and brine for 45 minutes put to 2 hours. (Make the radicchio & pear slaw while you brine)
3) Remove pork chops from the brine, rinse with cold water (to remove salt) and pat dry thoroughly.
4) Set up 3 bowls, one with the eggs, one with the flour and another with the breadcrumbs. Add 1/8 tsp of salt, 1/8 tsp of Piment D'Espelette (or substitute) and 1/4 tsp black pepper to the flour. Add 1/4 tsp salt and rest of Piment d'Espelette and pepper to the breadcrumbs. Divide the fennel pollen between the flour and breadcrumbs. Mix flour and breadcrumbs with spices and beat the eggs.
5) Take a pork chop and dip it into the flour, making sure to coat all of it. Then dip in eggs and then coat well with the breadcrumbs. Repeat with the other pork chop (or others if cooking more) and then dip all the coated chops in into the eggs one more time and coat again with the breadcrumbs.
6) Preheat oven to 325 if you chops are on the thick side. Heat the butter and oil in a skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium low heat. It's best to keep the heat on the lower side so the breadcrumbs don't brown too quickly. When the butter is melted and oil is hot, add the chops, 2 at a time, and cook without moving for 4 to 5 minutes. You want the crust to be golden, NOT dark brown.
7) Turn chops over and cook other side, again for about 5 minutes. Chops are done when they register 145. If the crust is nice and golden, but chops are not done yet, cover the pan with foil and let them finish in the 325 oven for 5 to 8 minutes.
8) let the chops rest, loosely covered for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
*You can substitute ground fennel seeds for the fennel pollen, use 1 tbs total.
*If cooking 4 to 6 pork chops, just double the flour, breadcrumb and spice amounts. 1 tsp of fennel pollen, divided, will still be enough.
Instructions with Photos
Just click on a picture to view the slideshow!
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- First, pound the pork chops slightly
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- I usually just use a plastic grocery bag or even the paper they were wrapped in. Pound to flatten a bit, avoiding the bone
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- Mix 2 tbs kosher salt with 2 cups of water
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- Add all the other brining ingredients and submerge the chops. Brine for 45 minutes to 2 hours. Try not to brine longer
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- Set up 3 bowls: one with eggs, one with flour and one with breadcrumbs
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- Mix the spices into the flour and breadcrumbs. For spice amounts see the recipe
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- Note: it is easier to place the flour first and the egg in the center. I wasn’t thinking when I took these pics 🙂
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- Now dip one pork chop in the flour
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- Coat both sides
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- Make sure to really get that flour all over
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- Then coat the pork in the egg
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- Again, coating as evenly as possible
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- Then dip the chop in the breadcrumbs
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- Set aside, you will re-dip this one at the end. I just like to dip all the chops first so the breadcrumbs don’t get in the eggs
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- Repeat with the other chop / or chops but then re-dip in the egg
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- and then again into the breadcrumbs, to get a nice and thick layer
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- That will create lots of crunch
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- Heat butter and oil in a pan, preferably cast iron, over medium low heat (not too hot or the breadcrumbs will burn!)
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- Place chops in the pan and cook until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes, but no more than 5
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- Turn over and cook another 3 to 5.
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- You’ll get better at knowing the right amount of heat and time to get the perfect, golden crust. Just watch closely so they don’t burn! You can even turn the heat down to low
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- Or flip them again if they are browning too much on one side. Depending on the thickness of your chops, you may have to finish them in the oven.
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- Just cover with a pice of foil and place in a 325 oven until they register 145 in the center with a meat thermometer. For one inch thick chops, this should take another 6 minutes. Let the chops rest out of the oven, loosely covered with foil for 5 minutes before serving
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- Look how juicy they turn out in the center!
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- And enjoy every bite of this perfectly crunch and moist pork chop!
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- These pork chops are so good with my refreshing Radicchio, Pear and Manchego Cheese Slaw!
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- Find both recipes for the Fennel Pollen Crusted Pork Chops and the Radicchio Pear slaw with Manchego Cheese on BlueGalley.com
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