How do you cook pork chops so they stay tender and juicy? Mine are always tough and dry.?

Question

How do you cook pork chops so they stay tender and juicy? Mine are always tough and dry.?

Answer 1

I cook them longer at a lower temp.

Answer 2

I bake them and cover tightly with foil, at 350-375 for about 35-45 min (depending on thickness); and uncover for another 10-15 min.  I use Lawry's marinades and my favorite is Baja Chipolte, but mesquite & hickory are also really good.   ...  If you have extra thick chops, you can make some Stovetop stuffing; cut a pocket into the side of each chop, and put stuffing inside of them....

Answer 3

ok first you don't leave them too much time on grill and always put the salt at the end

Answer 4

SMOTHERED IN GRAVY!!!  Fattening and delicious, and never a dry piece of meat.

Answer 5

slowly - wrapped in foil - the longer the better - open the foil and brown them off if you want to before serving under a hot grill - then pour the juices from the foil back onto them, cover and leave to rest for ten minutes before serving.

Answer 6

I cook mine in the oven.  Put them on a tray that has silver foil on and cover with silver foil, I sprinkle garlic powder on the top to flavor them.  I serve it with a very easy home made sauce - just heat up sour cream and whole grain mustard.  Good Luck!

Answer 7

Bake 'em or broil 'em.  I do that, and when they're halfway done, I place a tablespoonful of apple butter atop each one.  When they're done, I serve 'em up with the apple butter, and more apple butter on the side.  A serving of steamed broccoli and a serving of mashed potatoes with garlic and butter - kings and emperors don't eat no better, hon!

Answer 8

I sear mine in a hot pan on both of the sides for about 2-3 min each. then finish in the oven

Answer 9

There are a lot of good suggestions here, but I have some general info and one more suggestion:

First of all, pork is not like chicken.  Since trich has virtually disappeared in the Western world, you do not need to cook pork all the way through.  A pork chop should have some pink in the middle, which will keep it from drying out.

One suggestion is to cook it in an acidic liquid.  For instance, vinegar mixed with flavorings (chili oil, honey, brown sugar, Worcesteshire sauce, broth, etc.)  An easy techinique is to cook a pork chop in a skillet with an inch or so of orange juice in it, until the orange juice thickens.

Sincerely,

Gabriel

www.lamorindawinesociety.com

Gabriel at lamorindawinesociety.com

Answer 10

I baked mine..I put a little olive oil on the foil, on the bottom of the pan and some olive oil on top of the pork chops, covered them with foil and they were very moist. I seasoned them with old bay seasoning and onions..it was really good.

Answer 11

Brine them 1st.  Just use table salt and water until water tastes salty.  Place chops in brine for 2 hrs.  Rinse and flour with your fav seasonings mixed with the flour.  The salt is absorbed by the capillaries of the pork, not allowing them to collapse upon frying, baking, or grilling.  Although the salt does not impart a real salty taste in the chop, don't add more salt to the flour mix.  I do the same for chicken.  All white meats.

Answer 12

This is a common problem with pork because the fat that used to be so prevalent in pork has been bred out.

There are a few things you can do to keep pork juicy.

First and foremost, make sure it's completely thawed so the meat doesn't have to finish thawing in the pan or the oven before it can actually start cooking.

If you've thawed it completely in the refrigerator, leave it out of the fridge about 20 minutes to get the refrigerator chill off of it so the heat can do its work more efficiently. It will NOT go bad in 20 minutes or pose a food poisoning risk.

Now you have some options:

1. Brine it for at least 4 hours in a mixture of water, salt and sugar (you can also add any herbs or spices that you like). (We brine our turkeys overnight).

2. Marinate it.  A French/Vietnamese fusion restaurant I used to work in had a wonderful marinade of mustard seed, soy sauce, garlic, green onion, toasted sesame oil and brown sugar that they used on center cut pork chops.  You can marinate yours in anything from italian dressing to soy sauce to store bought marinades or citrus juice, etc.

3. A little trick I learned recently (and you'd never think it would work but it does) is leave the pork in a very low preheated oven (225 to 250) for 20 minutes if you're using a small cut like a chop or for 30 minutes for a roast or a whole loin.  This simulates the dry aging process used on fine steaks and it works on steak too. Then cook the pork as you would normally.

4. If cooking chops in a skillet or on a grill, I honestly can't recommend the searing process that chefs hold so dear.  It just cooks the outside a lot faster than the inside and removes moisture.  It's fine if you're working with meat with a higher fat content.  Instead, go with a medium high heat and leave the chop on the cooking surface until you can see the color change from raw to cooked about 1/3 of the way up the side of the chop.  Then turn it over and do the same.  The middle is now hot from when you cooked it on the first side and it will cook all the way through once turned.

5. Rest the chops.  Take them off the heat and put them onto a plate or platter and tent them with foil and leave them undisturbed for 20 minutes.  The residual heat will finish cooking the chops and the foil will keep them warm while the meat juices redistribute through the meat.

Answer 13

You are overcooking them.  Yes you can brine them, brined meats are delicious,  and you can marinate them also, you can bread them, etc.. but if you over cook them, they will always be tough and dry.  Go by internal temperature and that is 145-150 degrees, its not 170 degrees that's for shoe leather.  Remove the meat to a plate and cover, let set before serving for juicy meat rather than a juicy plate. I like to dredge boneless chops in flour after seasoning with salt and pepper, I fry until golden brown on each side, remove the chops, add 1 cup chicken broth, 1 tbsp of dijon mustard and 1 tsp dried tarragon, cook at high temperature until reduced by half, return the chops to the pan and turn in the sauce.  It's really good and I usually serve it with risotto and a green veggie.