As the availability of good, fat-marbled pork has risen, so has my adoration of that stalwart favorite, the bone-in pork chop.
Things used to be different.
For
years, pigs were put on a diet, then served up lean and mean, without
much internal fat to lubricate and flavor their brawny flesh. (Remember “the other white meat” ad campaign”?) The result was often chewy, bland and dry. Not nearly as good as bacon and therefore, in my mind, not worth eating.
You
can still certainly find lean pork chops, and if you like them, feel
free to use them in this recipe. But the more succulent, dark pink meat
of thick-cut chops, most likely raised on small farms, is probably in
the supermarket refrigerator case right alongside the skinnier chops.
Look for a creamy layer of fat surrounding the meat and bone — this is a
sign of something good.
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For
the cook, the fat serves several purposes: It insulates the meat,
keeping it juicier for longer, giving you a larger margin of error when
it comes to cooking. Even if you overshoot your target temperature, the
fat protects the flesh, keeping it moist.
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Fat
also adds flavor, meaning you don’t need to do too much to your chops
beyond adding a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper to make them taste
fantastic.
This
said, marinating the chops can make them even better. Here, I smear
them with a paste of turmeric, tamarind, cumin, chile, garlic, ginger
and a touch of fish sauce. It’s not a flavor combination that’s
authentic to any one place, but the sour, pungent and salty notes all go
together beautifully.
