Pan Seared Pork Chops

Supplies

• Frying or Sautee Pan of medium size
• Spatula
• Plastic Resealable Sandwich Bag

Ingredients

• 4 pork chops from the store, or two thick chops from a butcher’s shop
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon Sage (substitute 1/4 teaspoon ground sage)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground Tumeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground White Pepper

Preperation

• The pork chops need time to marinate, at least two hours. This isn’t a traditional marinade as there are no acids to help break down the meat and help it absorb the herbs. So don’t cut back below two hours marinade time!
• If you found thick pork chops, don’t cut them in half until after you cook them.

Take pork chops and tenderize. If chops come from a butcher’s shop this step is most likely not needed.

Pork chops can be tenderized two ways, seasoning or pounding. I personally recommend staying away from prepared tenderizer seasonings. Those are almost pure salt, generally taste awful, and are a huge waste of money. I never tenderize meat with seasonings because of the sheer amount of salt needed to soften the meat. If a cut of meat is tough, then the best way to soften it is with pounding.

How to tenderize: Take one pork chop (depending on your work area you may use as many as you can fit side by side) and place between two piece of cellophane. There is a tool for this called a tenderizer, if you don’t have one you can use any tool or utensil with a broad flat heavy head. Like a broad headed hammer. Do not use a conventional hammer, the head is too small for what you are attempting.

As always, make sure your tools are clean, clean, clean! Make sure there is enough plastic wrap that in case the pork slides a little bit it won’t get on your counter tops.

After placing the pork chop(s) between the sheets of cellophane begin pounding on them with your tenderizer (or applicable tool). Use a good amount of force for this, but not enough to break your counter top!

There is no set time to tenderize any meat. It all depends on the age of the animal, the cut of meat, if its been previously frozen or not, and most grocery store meats are going to be tough. Tender meat is also a personal preference, so pound out the meat until it feels just tender enough for your taste, or to the taste of those you’re cooking for.

Marinade: Combine all the ingredients into your sandwich bag, close bag, shake thoroughly, so that the herbs mix evenly through the oil. (If you want to marinate the pork chops seperately, divide the ingredients in the appropriate amount. Half for two bags, a quarter for four bags.) Place the now tenderized pork chops in the bag with the marinade. Carefully (making sure not to poke or squeeze holes into the bag) shake the bag with the pork chops. Check after a few good shakes to see if the chops are well coated in the marinade. Keep shaking until all the chops are coated evenly.

Place the pork chops, in the marinade, in the refridgerator for two hours. The longer the chops sit, the more flavor the ground herbs will impart. The whole herbs are to give flavor during the cooking process.
Cooking Instructions

There are many ways pork can be served. These chops are ready to be pan seared. I don’t recommend cooking them any other way, since there is again no acid (vinegar, wine, lemon or lime juice, etc.) in the marinade.