RECIPE: Pork chops make for speedy skillet dinner
Pork chops are an excellent choice for a 30-minute skillet supper, as long as you chose the right chop.
All four-legged animals have a muscle, called the loin, that runs along either side of the backbone from the neck to the hip. In a pig, this muscle represents itself as pork chop. The loin doesn’t get much exercise, so it’s tender and appropriate for shorter cooking times.
Your best bet for this quick skillet supper are bone-in rib chops. Where the chops are cut from in the loin makes a difference. The steaks cut from the shoulder closest to the neck are known as blade. They are tough and best for braising. Next up are the rib chops. Featuring one large eye of loin muscle, ribs chops are tender, flavorful, and a great choice for pan-searing. Further down the loin, closer to the hip, are the loin chops that often look like little T-bones. (The larger muscle is the loin and the smaller muscle is the tenderloin.) They have great flavor, but since the two muscles cook at different rates, these chops are trickier to cook. Last up is the sirloin chop, nearest the hip. Because of all the different muscles converging at the joint, sirloin chops should be cooked low and slow.
Blustery winter nights call for soul-warming comfort food. Tender pork chops married with the robust flavors of apple, cabbage and caraway fit the bill. Make the correct chop choice and you will have a satisfying supper on the table in minutes.
Virginia Willis is a Food Network Kitchen chef, James Beard Award-winning food writer, and cookbook author. Follow her at virginiawillis.com.
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 bone-in pork loin chops (¾ to 1 pound total)
- 1 onion sliced
- 1 apple, such as Honeycrisp, cored and sliced
- 6 cups loosely packed sliced cabbage (about ½ a head)
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
- Mustard, for serving (optional)
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the pork chops and sear until well browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
- To the same skillet, add onion, apples and cabbage. Season with salt and pepper. Add caraway seeds. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are wilted, about 5 minutes.
- Place the seared chops on top of the cabbage mixture. Transfer to oven and bake until the chops are cooked and the internal temperature registers 145 degrees when measured with an instant-read thermometer, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately with mustard, if desired. Serves 2.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 533 calories (percent of calories from fat, 47), 37 grams protein, 35 grams carbohydrates, 10 grams fiber, 28 grams total fat (8 grams saturated), 107 milligrams cholesterol, 234 milligrams sodium.
