My family recently hosted my daughter’s softball team and their families for an end-of-season meal. These folks know what I do professionally, so there was some excitement about eating “Chad’s pork chops.”
Not to toot my own horn, but they did seem impressed and bragged on the chops.
Several of the dads were interested in my pork chop grilling SOPs. Data has shown that almost all modern U.S. pork loins will be tender and juicy if not overcooked, yet science does support that some loins are even better than others.
Here are a few suggestions I gave them:
1. Purchase whole boneless pork loins and cut them into 1- to 1.25-in.-thick chops to prevent over-cooking.
2. To select the best loin, turn the loin over in the case to look at the boned side. Select loins that have the most reddish-pink color and marbling along the boned side, hopefully at least a “3” on the NPPC color and marbling scale, respectively.
3. Select the firmer loins from the case, with the least purge or “meat juice” in the package. Many consumers naturally think the opposite about purge or firmness, thinking that a loin with more juice in the package will be juicier when cooked, which certainly is not true. If it cannot hold on to water when it is raw, it will be much more likely to be dry after cooking. Consumers often think a softer loin will be more tender; there is no evidence to suggest that is correct.
4. Season meat for the grill with seasoning salt, granulated garlic, and pepper. Seasonings such as garlic powder and pepper will only stay on the surface, but salt will enter the muscle. Salting a few hours prior to cooking will dry the surface and promote browning on the surface of the chop. Brown food tastes good.
5. The grill should be at least 450 degrees Fahrenheit to create good browning. And don’t you dare cook the chops past 145 degrees Fahrenheit using a meat thermometer!
A few folks mentioned that some of the chops had a pink to red cooked color. I assured them that they were all safe. I went on to explain how a few of the chops with a darker loin muscle or a larger spinalis muscle near the blade end will stay red due to the myoglobin from a darker red chop or darker muscle being harder to denature. This makes them stay “persistently pink.” Those chops toward the blade end are always my favorite.
We had a “ball” at dinner, and I was happy to share some of my favorite tips for selecting and preparing pork chops. My favorite way to celebrate those I care about is to share a good meal.
