The Clever Trick To Prevent Curled Pork Chops

A pork chop is a rich, delicious cut that makes a quick meal. In fact, chops are the most popular cut of pork, according to Pork.org. Chops are cut from the loin, and you can buy several different varieties, from center cut to porterhouse to pork rib chop, per the Premiere Meat Company.

Whichever chop you choose, they are easy to cook. ll you have to do is pan-fry the chops in a bit of oil until they're brown and caramelized. The fat on the chop crisps and melts as the meat cooks, adding flavor and keeping it moist, notes Chef Works. Most chops are sold with about a 1/4-in to 1/2-inch layer of creamy, white fat on the outside. But that layer of fat can also cause a problem: Your chops may curl as they cook.

A curled pork chop is still good to eat, of course. But they won't be evenly browned and may not have as much flavor. Rather than settle for a less-than-perfect chop, there's something you can do about it.

The problem is that fat shrinks faster than meat when it's cooked, explains eHow. You've seen this happen when you fry bacon: the size of a rasher of bacon is cut in half as the fat cooks, or renders. Because the fat is attached to the meat on the pork chop, it pulls the meat into that strange position as it shrinks.

You could, of course, just cut the fat off altogether. But that would remove much of the flavor, and the risk of a dry and tough pork chop increases, notes Chef Works. You could flatten the chop as it cooks, forcing it into an unnatural position. But that presses out the juices and results in a tough, dry chop.

The solution is scoring the fat, according to America's Test Kitchen. Scoring means making small, perpendicular cuts through the edge of the fat, about every 1/2-inch to 2-inches, depending on the pork chop size. Now, you have smaller pieces of fat instead of one long strip, and those pieces won't pull the meat as they melt and fry.

Choose the pork chops you want, score the fat, marinate or brine them if you'd like, and get them into that pan. 

One tip: Don't move the chops at all for the first two to three minutes, suggests Today. Let the chops cook so they release easily from the pan; that's how you know you have a proper sear and a good caramelization. 

There are countless pork chop recipes out there, too. You could go with simple seared pork chops or a maple-glazed pork chop recipe, which adds a sweet note that complements the savory meat. For a special dinner, try a recipe for pecan-crusted pork chops with apple chutney, which are seared on the stovetop then baked in the oven. You could also make Greek pork chops with zucchini and feta, which adds lots of herbs and spices along with sharp lemon and creamy feta.