Recipe #8 Moist Perfectly cooked Pork Chops

Pork chops

Ingredients: 

- 1 pork chop per person
- Olive oil for frying (just a splash)
- 2 cloves of garlic, skin on crushed
- small bunch of Thyme (fresh or powder, but fresh is always better)
- butter (1/4 cup) for basting
- salt & pepper for flavoring

Top top your pork chops

I personally like them plain, there is plenty of flavor with the above ingredients but my wife loves either apple sauce or salsa with cilantro or salsa with Chipotle flavor. You'l notice salsa with cilantro in the picture.

Sides:

Your choice, homemade salad, Caesar salad, steamed veggies, anything healthy.

Step #1

- using a sharp knife make cuts in the fat of the chop (about 5mm deep and about 3-4 cm apart.  DON'T CUT INTO THE MEAT, just the fat), this will keep the pork chop from curling.
- season pork chops with salt and pepper really well on both sides, pound the seasoning into the meat.

Step #2

- Place frying pan over high heat until hot and add a splash of oil.
- add the pork chops, garlic and thyme and fry for 2-3 minutes (until colored).
- turn and fry for another 2-3 minutes, push the thyme under the chops and break up the garlic a little.

Step #3

(this technique came from "Gordon Ramsay's" ultimate cooking course)
- towards the end of cooking time add the butter and baste the chops. (to baste you tip the frying pan towards you slightly creating a "pool" at the bottom of melted butter, garlic and thyme, take a large metal spoon and repeatedly pour over the melted butter and stuff over the chops) This will speed up the cooking time while keeping the pork chops moist. Place the garlic on top of the pork chops while you are doing this to let them soak in the flavor.

Do this for about 1-2 minutes.

Step #4 

- place the pork chops on a separate plate and let rest for 5 minutes (occasionally spooning over the basting butter now and again.)

Step #5

- place chops on serving plates and top with your choice of topping and eat with your choice of side.