Pork Chop

Know this

The USDA lowered the safe temperature for whole-muscle pork to 145°F with a three minute rest, and that was fifteen years ago. Almost nobody updated. People are still taking pork to 165 because of a trichinosis risk that has effectively not existed in commercial American pork for decades, and they are eating dry grey chops as a result. At 145 a pork chop is faintly pink in the center and still juicy, and that is not undercooked, that is correct. Buy them thick, an inch and a half minimum, bone in. A thin chop cannot be cooked well by anybody, including you. Chef secret: salt them the night before, uncovered on a rack in the fridge. Dry brining seasons the whole chop instead of the surface, and it dries the outside so it browns properly.

Cook

Sear hard on both faces, then finish over low heat or in a 350°F oven. Pull at 140, rest five minutes, it carries to 145 on its own.

Season

Any time. It belongs to fall the way apples and cider do.

Best pairings

apple · sage · mustard · fennel · cider · thyme

Also worth trying: garlic, brown sugar, cabbage, onion, rosemary, black pepper, maple, shallot, polenta, greens.

Recommended wine