Berkshire Pork Chops

Never had them before but am giving it a go for a special occasion ... hope they are as good as I have heard!

I can now go on the record to recommend Berkshire Pork. It is a beautiful step back in time from today's hyper lean grocery store pork. Lovely fine marbling of fat makes for a tender, flavor packed treat that you won't soon forget.

I selected porterhouse cut chops - reasonable at $10.99/lb USD. As for preparation I pressed Kosher salt and cracked black pepper into both sides and then brushed on some extra virgin olive oil seasoned with rosemary, garlic and cayenne.

The chops were then placed on a heavy grill pan at med/high heat and seared for about 2 minutes per side. From there they went into a 350 F degree oven (grill pan included) for seven minutes per side. Remove from oven and rest under foil for about five minutes.

I sauteed some red and green bell peppers, poblano pepper , onion and garlic and finished with citrus, Kosher salt and fresh cilantro to dress the chops with. Also served fresh green beans, boiled tender with bacon and some fresh sweet corn. Apple sauce was available for those who wanted it.

We were celebrating a family occasion so I didn't really have time to find some beautiful light to showcase the plate (Tropical Storm Bill was overhead and spoiling my window light ... but it is only proper to post an after photo - right?

Lupo-Lobo wrote in post #17601504
it is only proper to post an after photo - right?

Right. I was waiting for one. Lovely photos for both the Before and the After.

Thank you OhLook!

I never thought I would salivate over a picture of pork chops while still drinking my morning coffee. Looks great!

Thanks Aaron, glad that it had an effect on you

Lupo-Lobo wrote in post #17601504
... but it is only proper to post an after photo - right?

yes, and I owe you a pic of my father's day ribs after cooking. I haven't even looked at them yet.

ever tried a reverse sear? into the oven or grill with indirect heat, i usually aim for 250°, real slow, use a cold pan if they are going into the oven. you are aiming to get them just to temp so you will need a good digital meat thermometer. When they get to your desired temp, pull them off and put them on a room temp sheet pan to cool off. I like to give them at least 15-20 minutes. Get a cast iron pan smoking hot and drop them into it for a minute on each side. Serve.

contrary to popular believe, the sear on the front end does nothing to hold in moisture. with the reverse sear, and done right, you will not lose one drop of moisture from the chops.

another thing I have been known to do is to stack up the raw chops with the bones lined up and put them in a med hot pan (standing up/no meat touching the pan). This gets the bone a bit warmer and will help with even cooking. Whereas I am okay with pork not being cooked through, my wife gets a little squeamish if the part near the bone isn't quite finished off. So basically, I either need to heat up the bone a bit before proceeding with the reverse sear, or carve off the loin for her and save the other parts for myself.

Thanks for the information on the reverse sear, I will need to look into that. Also, nice technique pre-warming the bone.

it works really well. I can't stress enough letting it fully cool before going to sear it.

my mom turned me off of pork chops when i was a kid and it took years for me to even try one again. I am a little obsessed with pork now actually. I do whole hogs from time to time and this got me to wondering why i didn't cook other cuts slow and low.

Sunday I did a brined loin in the oven. Started at 225 (with some paprika and smoked paprika for color) and then moved up to 250 about half way through, it cooked for 2 hours i think. Pulled it at internal 149°, tented it with foil, let internal temp rise to 155 and then begin falling back into the 140's before cutting and serving. No sear. 155 is a little more than i think pork should be cooked but like i said, the Mrs. likes it "done".