Pork Chops

Asked by vijaymahendra. Answered on 19th August 2013

Full question

Hi Team Nigella, I have a query on pork chops as I am finding them difficult to cook. Every time I cook them, they become very dry and tough. Which is the ideal cooking method for pork chops - pan or oven? And for how long?Many thanks. With regards, Vijay Mahendra

Our answer

First it depends on what cut of pork you are cooking. Pork chops can come from the loin or from the shoulder. Shoulder chops can be flavourful but a but tough as the contain some connective tissue and you have to be very careful when cooking them. Loin chops are much more popular and tend to be easier to cook, but nowadays they are quite lean and can become dry very quickly if they are overcooked.

Pan frying tends to be the best way to cook pork chops as you can develop a nice brown crust on the outside and it is easier to control the cooking and stop as soon as the chops are cooked. Timings will vary according to the thickness of the chop, but one of the easiest ways to cook this type of meat is to make it into a thin escalope which gives a quick cooking time. We would suggest trying Nigella's Mustard Pork Chops from Nigella Express (and also on Nigella.com). This chops are pounded into thin escalopes and then pan fried and served with a piquant mustard sauce.