Tough as old boots - Advice on how to cook Pork Chops please!

[MartinRohdesBellybuttonFluff]

Cheap and cheerful dinner today including pork chops. No matter how I cook them whether on the pan, in the oven or under the grill, they always seem to be tough as leather.

Please can anyone suggest a way of making them juicier and more tender?

Thank you!

Gravy [unhelpful]...

We always grill ours. Is there a good bit of fat on the edge? That possibly helps.

This Elizabeth David recipe is amazing - but takes at least 3 hours.

somethingelsetoeat.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/rustic-pork.html

I've been doing it for years & would just say that I cut the spuds to the thickness of a pound coin, use streaky bacon & have often used apple juice instead of cider or wine.

When it says cover with kitchen paper - it means greaseproof paper.

I promise you that the chops fall off the bone & it can be eaten with a fork.

Do you buy the thick chops with bone or thin ones without bone?

I buy the thin ones, breadcrumb them and fry in butter for just 2/3
Mins on each side. Leave to rest and made a nice cream mustard sauce served with mash and greens.

Good recipe

give them a good bashing with a meat tenderiser/rolling pin/any heavy unbreakable item.. this will make them a lot less tough

I fry on each side for 3 mins then into a hot oven for another 15. That's for traditional thick chops on the bone. Loin chops would need a lot less.

Quick bash. Soak in milk/milk alternative. Shake off excess and dip in seasoned flour. Shallow fry in olive oil.

My mum always used to brown them, then make a sauce by softening a finely chopped onion or two in butter, then adding either skinned fresh or tinned tomatoes, simmering for a bit them popping the chops back in for the last while. Handful of chopped fresh sage for the last couple of minutes.

Lay on some chopped onions in a roasting dish, top with some chopped up Gerkins and olives, possibly throw on some capers and then pour on a tin of chopped tomatoes and put in the oven at 200 degrees for half an hour. My mother suggested this to my two lads when they were at Uni and they often do it. Very easy and they do not go hard and/or shrivel to nothing.

Brine them before cooking.

Supermarkets tend to trim off too much fat, and that makes them dry and hard. You don't need to eat all the fat, but pork does need it to stay moist during cooking.

You could try a differential cut like shoulder steaks, which has more fat running through the meat.

You could also leave the chops to stand for a bit after you cook them, as this lets the meat relax a bit and the juices to run back into the meat.

Thank you for all the suggestions. I wasn't well yesterday so only cooking them today. They are currently in the oven, on a bed of onions wrapped in parchment. They will be drowned in gravy once cooked as well

I have another lot of chops in the fridge for later in the week so will try another method then!

Even if they still come out tough they smell delicious

You can brine pork chops before baking or grilling, use a solution of 4 tbsp salt and 1 tbsp peppercorns to 1 litre of water and immerse the meat in it overnight. I find that it really helps to up the juiciness