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Perfecting Pork

BBQ Pork Chop with Potatoes and Asparagus BBQ Pork Chop with Potatoes and Asparagus

If you've ever bought pork chops and hoped "Please, let me not mess them up this time!" this page is for you. If, like us, you don't have time to pursue a degree in pork, we're sharing our "Critical 5" tips that will truly make a difference this time around.

Pork Chops: The Top Five Tips

  1. Choose bone-in cuts. They'll cook slower but more evenly and will have more flavor.
     
  2. Make time to brine. Perhaps no protein benefits more from brining than pork. Even a quick brine (as brief as 30 min.) can have a big impact on the flavor and moisture of today's leaner pork products.
     
  3. Let chops rest both before and after cooking. Resting the pork for 20-30 min. beforehand allows for more even cooking, and 10 min. of rest after cooking gives the meat time to reabsorb all those flavorful juices.
     
  4. Don't skip searing. To avoid overcooking, sear pork quickly and finish over gentle, convective heat for the juiciest chops imaginable.
     
  5. Get out your thermometer. The internal temp of most chops will rise about 5° after they're removed from the heat (a process called carryover cooking), so pull them as soon as they reach 140°. The meat may still be pinkish, but at 145° your chops will be perfectly safe to consume.

Ready to try it?

Click here for our BBQ Grilled Pork Chops recipe.

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