Pork is the world’s most widely
eaten meat. It accounts for 38 percent
of meat production worldwide. You’ll
have trouble finding it in the Middle East and most of the Muslim world because
both Jewish kosher and Islamic halal diets ban it outright. But almost everywhere else on earth including
Asia, Europe, and the Americas, pork is in recipes and on menus
everywhere. Nowhere comes close to China
which, at any given moment, has 1 billion pigs on its farms.
In the mid 80s, in the US, the
successful I wish I’d written it myself:
87 percent of consumers identified pork with the slogan. And still do, despite the fact that it hasn’t
been used since 2011. It might come as a
bit of a surprise to know first, that the USDA considers pork a red meat and
second, that the only real reason the Pork Board jumped on the white meat
bandwagon was the public’s perception that chicken and turkey were healthier
than red meat. It is true that Pork,
with its fat trimmed, is leaner than most meats but certainly not chicken or
turkey. And even the ‘new’ leaner pork
is still high in cholesterol and saturated fat. And as any good cook will tell
you, fat is a flavor carrier that’s hard to replace. But chefs have found a way to amp up pork’s
flavor. They brine their pork. But I had never tried it until recently. And I am here to say, I am a convert. I recently brined what we jokingly referred
to as ‘a side of pork’, chops so enormous they must have been almost three
inches thick. And the results were spectacular.
The
brine brought flavors to the pork that I’d never tasted before. I should likely add that I don’t often use
the spices called for here. I can’t
remember the last time I used Juniper Berries and Fennel seeds don’t get much
of a workout in our kitchen. The chops were
exquisitely seasoned, the garlic came through along with a hint of Rosemary but
the excitement was the juniper and fennel.
The original recipe called for pan frying alone but I’d had such success
with Melissa Clark’s admonishment to finish chops in the oven (see http://www.chewingthefat.us.com/2014/02/cooking-school-melissa-clark-and-alex.html), that I
switched cooking methods and ended up with a beautifully roasted chop—tender as
can be, not dried out in the least. The
accompanying Roasted Garlic Butter was the icing on this particular cake. With this sizeable piece of meat, we served a
simple stir fry of asparagus and mushrooms. Adapted from a Martha Stewart
recipe, this couldn’t be a simpler side to prepare. The only time involved here is the overnight
marinade the chops underwent. Making the
brine was easy. I roasted the garlic for the butter in the toaster oven. And here was a company-worthy dinner, a
really manly one, if I do say so myself.
These double chops are easy to cut yourself from a bone in pork
loin. I got mine at Costco. But any good
butcher should be happy to provide you with what you need. Here are the
recipes:
Recipe for Double Cut Pork Chops with Roasted Garlic Butter
20 minutes Prep and Cooking for the
Brine. Overnight Resting.
For
the pork chops and brine:
1
refrigerate overnight.
2.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the roasted garlic butter: Cut off the top
1/4 inch of the garlic head and set it on a piece of foil. Drizzle with olive
oil, then wrap in the foil and place in the oven. Cook until the garlic is
softened, about 30 minutes; let cool.
3.
Meanwhile, remove the pork from the brine and pat dry with paper towels; set
aside.
4.
Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from the skins into a food processor. Add the
butter, rosemary, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pulse until smooth.
Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
5. Prepare
the pork: Grind the remaining 1 teaspoon juniper berries and 2 tablespoons
fennel seeds in a spice grinder or finely chop. Season the pork with the ground
spices and salt and pepper. Heat a cast iron skillet until it is hot. Put the chops in the skillet and brown for 8
minutes. Remove the skillet from the
stove. Flip the chops over and place them in the oven cooking until an
instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the pork registers 145
degrees F. (about 15 minutes depending on thickness of the chops.
Remove
the pork chops from the grill and spread the roasted garlic butter on top. Let
rest at least 10 minutes.
While
the Pork is in the oven, prepare the side dish.
Recipe for Asparagus and Mushroom
Stir Fry adapted from Martha Stewart Prep Time 15 mins.
Total Time 25 mins. Serves 4
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
splash of Soy Sauce
1 bunch medium or thick asparagus, tough ends trimmed, stalks sliced
into 1 1/2-inch lengths
8 ounces fresh baby bella mushrooms, trimmed and sliced into
1/2-inch-thick pieces
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add
asparagus and mushrooms, splash on the soy sauce and saute just until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove
from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
