MY BEST PICTURE
STORY
Seldom do I walk into a Wegman’s. I prefer grocery stores that do not require me to take out a small business loan just to pay for a weeks worth of groceries. That being said, when I walked through the “meat” section and laid eyes on some beautiful individually wrapped pork chops I grabbed them without hesitation.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 Two inch thick pork chops (no bone)
- 1 Broccoli head
- 1 Pack of pre-sliced mushrooms
- 1 Rolling Rock
- 4 Tablespoons of butter
- 3 Rosemary Sprigs
- 3 Garlic cloves
- Olive oil
- Vegetable oil
- Garlic powder and Onion powder
- Salt and pepper
HOW I COOKED IT
Similar to how I treat steak, I removed the pork chops from the fridge and let them sit out at room temperature for over an hour. I removed them from their packages and rested them on a paper towel, then I patted dry any visible moisture on the pork chop. I turned the oven on and pre-heated it to 250 degrees. My objective here was to par cook the chops in the oven then sear them like I would do to a nice steak. After heavily salting and peppering the chops individually, I scored the fat caps so they would cook evenly and not curl up on me in the oven.
After the oven was preheated I placed my seasoned chunks of meat on a wire baking rack. I used this so there would be minimal moisture build-up on the pork chop. (Less moisture equals a more amazing and even sear.) I placed the pork chops in the oven and set a timer for 22 minutes. I used a meat thermometer to see where the temperature was, since my intention was to cook them a little more than half way. After 22 minutes the temp was 100 degrees, which was not enough so I let them go for another 10 minutes. At the 32 minute mark they were 118 degrees which was damn near perfect in my opinion. I took the chops out of the oven and put them aside.
I put a pot on the stove and began boiling some water in it. With this, I quickly blanched the broccoli that I chopped up into manageable bite-size pieces. I only let them boil for about 3 minutes, took them out, and drained. In a regular non-stick sauce pan, which I heated up on high, I poured in the olive oil. I threw in my already chopped mushrooms and seasoned them with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. I did not use a utensil, since I was working on my pan handling skills, and flipped the shrooms over via the handy pan flick/shake I see real chefs do. I did this for about 6 minutes, and when they were about half the size they once were I threw in my blanched broccoli, a little more salt and pepper, and then 1 tablespoon of butter. I let this go on high with no flipping for a minute then turned off the pan and covered it. The side dish was completed.
I took my favorite cast iron skillet, which is roughly 14 inches in diameter, and threw that on the heat on high. In this case, it was on the biggest burner with “super boil” capabilities. Oh yeah. I let that heat up for 8 minutes and then added vegetable oil. Only enough to hardly coat the entire bottom of the skillet. Right when I saw the first bit of smoke coming from the pan, I turned the heat just to “regular high” and put all four of my chops in there. With each placement, I pressed on them and gave them a little wiggle to improve the sear and ensure it wouldn’t just stick to the skillet. I seared the first side for 3 minutes, and turned the heat down to medium-high so the oil would stop splattering everywhere. Before turning them over, I held the meat up so that the layer of fat was directly on the skillet. This greatly reduced the fat cap size.
I turned each chunk over, and threw in 3 tablespoons of butter, the rosemary, and the hand crushed garlic cloves. I basted the little sauce over the chops while leaning the heavy ass pan towards me for about 3 minutes. I took out the pork chops and let them rest for 5 minutes before cutting. Wow. Oh yeah, I finished my Rolling Rock that I mentioned in the ingredient list, it was just for casual drinking.
MY HONEST OPINION
These chops were out of this world good. I have seen the whole butter, rosemary, garlic basting method used with steaks so many times, I figured it had to go well with the pork. The sear was great, the meat was cooked to a perfect medium-well, and the veggies were just right. I like pairing mushroom sides with pork because the earthiness of the mushrooms bring out more of that pork flavor. You know, the flavor the hogs get from eating absolute slop their entire lives.
WHAT I WOULD TRY NEXT TIME
Next time I would like to try a little more of a sauce. Maybe utilizing a white wine reduction with those basting juices and a little shallot action. It also may benefit the flavor if I salt and pepper the meat just a little heavier next time.