Too-thin porkchops

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Well, cryoseared pork chops in my hands about as hard and dry as my last attempt.  At least no worse.*  What I am learning is not to read the NY Times.

 

 

*Though I had a bit better browning before, I must say.

 

 

 

[paulraphael]

7 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Well, cryoseared pork chops in my hands about as hard and dry as my last attempt.  At least no worse.*  What I am learning is not to read the NY Times.

 

 

*Though I had a bit better browning before, I must say.

 

 

 

 

In fairness to the Times, wasn't this my recommendation?

 

I made some pork chops last night, but had some thick-ish ones ... about 1-1/4". Cooked sv at 57C, then seared. Possibly because of leanness, these cuts seem to cook through unusually fast when searing. And these were relatively well-marbled as loin chops go. From a nice farm upstate.

 

What I saw in my finished chops wasn't so much an even, overcooked layer around the outside, but that they simply overcooked in the places where the chops were thinner, like under 1/2". They were pretty unevenly cut. In the thick parts, they cooked well, without much gradient. This is something I haven't noticed before.

 

One thing I do with a lot of proteins, but especially with pork and fish, is treat the outside with an alkali to get it to brown faster. My favorite secret sauce is a 1:5 blend of baking soda and dextrose. You can sprinkle it on or disperse in oil and brush it on. It helps you get a nice crust very quickly. But even with this help, I was surprised how quickly the thinner parts cooked through.

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

4 hours ago, paulraphael said:

 

In fairness to the Times, wasn't this my recommendation?

 

I made some pork chops last night, but had some thick-ish ones ... about 1-1/4". Cooked sv at 57C, then seared. Possibly because of leanness, these cuts seem to cook through unusually fast when searing. And these were relatively well-marbled as loin chops go. From a nice farm upstate.

 

What I saw in my finished chops wasn't so much an even, overcooked layer around the outside, but that they simply overcooked in the places where the chops were thinner, like under 1/2". They were pretty unevenly cut. In the thick parts, they cooked well, without much gradient. This is something I haven't noticed before.

 

One thing I do with a lot of proteins, but especially with pork and fish, is treat the outside with an alkali to get it to brown faster. My favorite secret sauce is a 1:5 blend of baking soda and dextrose. You can sprinkle it on or disperse in oil and brush it on. It helps you get a nice crust very quickly. But even with this help, I was surprised how quickly the thinner parts cooked through.

 

 

 

Buying and cooking thin pork chops was the recommendation of the times.  I have three more chops to test.

 

[Shalmanese]

Why would you ever SV thin pork chops? The goal is to have maximum time to develop a nice crust before the center overcooks. Since there's no possible way you can undercook a thin porkchop, all SV does is rob the porkchop of all the energy it would have otherwise absorbed performing all the chemical changes necessary to get the middle cooked. You need that energy sponge if you want to keep it on the heat as long as possible.

 

I stand by my original suggestion: Do everything you care to to make the outside sear well (in order of effort: pat well with a paper towel, leave uncovered in the fridge for a few hours, apply a browning solution of glucose/baking soda) and then sear hard on one side and then barely touch the other one to get rid of the pink. Serve seared side up and you get a decently brown crust and a decent amount of medium rare interior. It's never going to be completely perfect but you're fighting physics here.

[Tammy]

I would use them like a double chop with a pocket.  I use an apple bread stuffing with pork that is wonderful except for my waistline.  

 

Good luck with your chops.

[chromedome]

I cook them on one side only, like a crepe. When the side you're looking at reaches the doneness you want in the middle of a normal chop, flip them onto a plate. If you're serving someone who'd be aghast at not "cooking" the second side, flip it in the pan and let it sizzle for a nominal few seconds before sliding it out. 

[robirdstx]

I prefer my thin chops broiled, with no pink in the center.

 

 

[winedoc]

Could you cut the meat off the bone, cut it into slivers, and make a pork fajita or stir-fry? Both would allow for quick cooking along with the moisture of vegetables to keep the meat from drying out.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

6 hours ago, robirdstx said:

I prefer my thin chops broiled, with no pink in the center.

 

 

 

Unfortunately there is "thin", and then there is "too thin",  Lovely picture by the way.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

5 hours ago, winedoc said:

Could you cut the meat off the bone, cut it into slivers, and make a pork fajita or stir-fry? Both would allow for quick cooking along with the moisture of vegetables to keep the meat from drying out.

 

These (there are three left) are boneless but a stir fry might have worked.  Except they have now been cooked sous vide.  My plan is to give a briefer sear, and maybe take the suggestion to sear only one side.

 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

2 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

These (there are three left) are boneless but a stir fry might have worked.  Except they have now been cooked sous vide.  My plan is to give a briefer sear, and maybe take the suggestion to sear only one side.

 

 

Yeah, I bought my ultra thin ones for the the first time ever to avoid leftovers, which I have come to despise. Even with the large footprint of the T-bone center cut, they are under four oz. raw. They broil up fine to me, but they are thinner than @robirdstx's. (She is an excellent photographer, isn't she!)

 

I still have two raw frozen ones left, and I will buy these again, once I get my oven fixed. They work for me with broiling. Crunchity, crispity pork fat! What could be better?

 

Another idea for next time, maybe for others, because I think Jo has sworn off this cut: Debone and cut into smaller pieces for "veal" Marsala. Veal is expensive here now, and this is done a lot. I remember reading a link to an interview here where Marcella Hazan calls out "veal" Marsala as not veal, but declares it superior with pork, at least with the kind of veal lately available in the US. I can't find it now with my best mad search skilz.  

 

[kayb]

11 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

These (there are three left) are boneless but a stir fry might have worked.  Except they have now been cooked sous vide.  My plan is to give a briefer sear, and maybe take the suggestion to sear only one side.

 

Maybe sear from frozen, to keep from overcooking the inside? Not a problem for me, as, like @robirdstx, I like my pork with no pink showing.

[Paul Fink]

In the end you will have what you started with, a thin, rather uninteresting pork chop.

No matter how you cook it its not going to be a thick juicy chop

We ate these when I was a kid because we didn't have much money.

As I posted before my mother would season them caraway seed, sear, and finish in the oven.

She was after a fully cooked chop because in those days you had to fully cook your pork.

 

Throw the dang thing in a hot pan for a couple of minutes. Flip for 30sec

Next time get a nice thick, bone in chop.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 hours ago, kayb said:

Maybe sear from frozen, to keep from overcooking the inside? Not a problem for me, as, like @robirdstx, I like my pork with no pink showing.

 

I was searing from frozen.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Another try:  from frozen about thirty seconds per side with smoke detector off...well maybe more like forty 'cause one stuck.  Best so far, though that's not saying much.  The lesson is that chops that cost 28 cents a piece are not worth hours of research and exposition.  And they still get stuck between my teeth.

 

One chop left.

 

[Paul Fink]

What's the point of all this?

A 28 cent chop ain't going to be anything else.

[paulraphael]

16 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

One chop left.

 

 

Searzall?

[Paul Fink]

35 minutes ago, paulraphael said:

 

Searzall?

Need video for that.

[tomishungry]

Try this recipe for vietnamese caramelized pork chops.

 

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/vietnamese-pork-chops

 

The marinade has enough sugar and salt in it to act as a brine to keep moisture in. The fast sear (or charcoal in the original recipe) cooks the meat quickly enough it won't dry out.

 

I tried this recipe once with regular pork chops and it didn't work. It relies on having super thin pork chops or slices to get the proper sear and taste.

[Paul Fink]

15 hours ago, tomishungry said:

Try this recipe for vietnamese caramelized pork chops.

 

 

Wow this is great! Years ago I walked into a local Vietnamese restaurant. I was undecided what to order

when a senior gentleman asked if I wanted him to cook a  Vietnamese meal for me. I said sure!

He made a caramelized pork chop dish that was great. Unfortunately they went out of business shortly after that.

And I never been able to find the dish again. So, thanks.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Yes, I have bookmarked that recipe as well for when I use up my ultra thin pork chops now that I can't broil them with a broken oven. It sounds intriguing. The website is annoying, though. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

The last chop I sliced against the grain still slightly frozen.

 

 

 

As with any of my ramen, too much salt, too much shichimi togarashi.  Nothing another Balaklava #1 can't fix.  The broccoli rabe was a particularly nice addition.

 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

I made split pea soup tonight and threw the second to last one of my super-thin pork chops, still frozen, into it. By the time the peas were falling apart, like I like them, the chop could be cut with the edge of the stirring/serving spoon and later with the soup spoon I was eating it with. It came off the bone cleanly, but was not falling off. The pork fat was the only fat introduced, but I also added onions, jalapeno, and grated carrot. Usually I like celery in there too, but was out, and it was still very satisfying without it.

 

The traditional meat to cook with split pea soup is smoked ham, and my favorite meat to throw into a pot of legumes is pork spareribs, but the thin T-Bone chop worked quite satisfactorily. Oh, and I like to add a very small amount of ground cloves to split pea soup.

[andiesenji]

I get the boneless thin chops, pound them a bit thinner, roll them around long wedges of sweet potato (or sometimes russets) 

put them in the oven and bake, topped with maple mustard sauce.

I serve them on wide, homemade fresh noodles.