Pork chops are not something I eat very often now that I am on my own. I used to cook them more when I had a man around the house. Men like chops.
Now I am just one, I mostly eat chicken or fish, or no meat at all. I was in the grocery store earlier today and they had some lovely looking chops marked down as they needed to be cooked and eaten today, so I could not resist.
I often buy my meat when it is marked down like that. There is nothing wrong with it. You simply need to either cook it on the day or freeze it today and cook it on the day when you do thaw it out.
Today I bought a package of chops with four in it (I froze half), a strip loin steak and a prime rib steak, all marked down 30%. That was considerable savings for me. I consider that a win! Of course I froze most of it!
This recipe today is for deliciously tender pork chops with pepper gravy, a creamy pepper gravy. The same type of cream gravy that you might enjoy on biscuits with sausage.
The chops are perfectly cooked, well flavored and spiced. The cream gravy is rich and the perfect accompaniment. Together they are excellent eating!
Long gone are the days when pork needs to be cooked to death. When I was a child my mother whenever my mother was cooking pork chops she would cook them until they were almost inedible.
For what seems like forever, people overcooked and ate dry, tough pork. They did so for good reasons.
Trichanella spiralis is the culprit for the previous believed need for higher temperature requirements for cooking pork. Trichanella spiralis is a parasite that was historically found in pigs.
The parasite invaded the muscle and was transferred through eating under cooked meat. The good news is it has been virtually eliminated from modern pig populations.
The other good news is that it is killed when cooked to 137*F/58.33*C. The new cooking guidelines for pork chops allow for juicier pork, resulting in a much more enjoyable eating experience.
Seriously you could have shingled roofs with my mother's chops!
Most people buy boneless loin chops when they buy pork chops. Mostly because they are lean and people are into lower fat food these days.
I don't eat pork chops very often and so I prefer to buy and cook bone in chops. They taste much better, have the perfect ration of fat to lean and as a result taste better, cook up nicer and have much more flavor. They are also far less likely to be dry than the boneless chops.
WHAT YOU NEED TO COOK PORK CHOPS WITH CREAM GRAVY
You will be surprised at just how simple this list of ingredients is!
- butter
- flour
- dried basil
- montreal steak spice
- salt and pepper
- bone in pork rib cut loin chops
- milk
I like to use Center Cut Loin Chops most of the time. They are generally a bit larger than other chops and contain most times, a nice little nugget of the tenderloin.
When I can't get them, I use the next best thing, the Pork Loin End Chop. They are basically the same thing, but that little nugget of tenderloin is missing.
Both are excellent cuts and, when properly cooked, give you a chop that is tender and delicious.
I also like to slash the fatty edge of my chops before I cook them. If there is a lot of fat I will trim most of it off, but you do want to leave some.
I then use a pair of sharp kitchen scissors to slash the fatty edge of the chops at 1/3 inch intervals. This helps to prevent the chops from curling up when you cook them.
If you always do this, your chops will lay flat for cooking on both sides, giving you even browning surfaces.
HOW TO COOK PORK CHOPS WITH CREAM GRAVY
I think these are some of the easiest chops to cook. You begin by making an herb and flour mixture which will be used to make the gravy.
Simply whisk the ingredients for that together in a small bowl and set aside.
The chops are rubbed all over with Montreal Steak Spice. You can adjust how much of that you choose to use if you don't like spicy food.
I quite like Montreal Steak Spice and find it imparts a lovely flavor onto most meats you cook with it.
A bit of butter is melted over moderate heat and once it begins to foam you add the chops. Cook first one side and then on the other.
About 7 to 8 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of your chops). At that time they should be golden brown all over and cooked through with just a small amount of pinkness in the centre.
That is when they are perfectly cooked. Take them out of the pan and set aside to rest and keep warm. They will continue to cook upon sitting and be perfection by the time you go to eat.
To make the cream gravy, add some more butter to the drippings in the pan and an amount of black pepper. You heat this to impart that lovely pepperiness to the butter. Once you have done that, whisk in the flour mixture.
You need to cook out the flour taste, so continue to cook and stir this mixture until the flour begins to brown slightly. This only takes a couple of minutes.
Milk is then slowly whisked into the browned flour/butter mixture. Cook and whisk constantly over moderate heat until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Cook for a minute or two longer and your cream gravy is done.
It should be smooth and nicely thick, without being over thick. If you think it is too thick, you can whisk in a bit more milk, whisking it in thoroughly and heating it through.
And that's it, its time to serve your chops with the pepper cream gravy spooned over top!
Today I enjoyed mine with some fluffy mashed potatoes and a nice tossed salad on the side. How will you enjoy yours?
I really want to know!
Pork Chops with Cream Gravy
Yield: 2
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 40 Min
Tender, perfectly cooked chops with a lush black pepper cream gravy. These are quite simply delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp all purpose plain flour
- 3/4 tsp dried basil
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 TBS butter
- 2 (i-inch thick) bone in pork loin chops, fatty edge slashed
- 1/2 tsp Montreal steak seasoning
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk
- parsley flakes to garnish
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, basil and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
- Rub the steak seasoning onto the chops on both sides. Melt half the butter in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Add the chops. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through but still slightly pink in the center. (A meat thermometer should read 145*F/63*C.)
- Remove the chops from the pan and keep warm.
- Add the remaining butter to the pan, along with the black pepper. Cook and stir for a minutes, scraping up any meat juices, etc. Add the flour mixture to the pan and cook for a few minutes until it begins to lightly brown.
- Slowly whisk in the milk. Cook, whisking constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Cook at a slow simmer for at least two minutes.
- Serve the chops hot with some of the gravy spooned over top. Delicious!
These look delicious, Marie. We do like pork chops. My mom used to cook pork chops till they were like leather back in the day. They were pretty tough. I'll certainly make them. Love and hugs, Elaine, PS I didn't see any ads.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I hope you and Larry enjoy these Elaine. I don't know why a few people complain about the ads. They are in no way intrusive. I made sure of that and they don't pop up. I hate pop up ads. I have tried to make them the best option possible. Love and hugs, xoxo
DeleteWhat a great "old fashioned" recipe! My Mom used to cook our pork chops this way and always made milk gravy just as you did...sooo good! I learned from her so still cook mine this way also. Sometimes I cook 2 chops in an oven safe skillet, then make the gravy, then put them (covered) in the oven at 300 degrees for 20 min. ....So tender, so yummy!
ReplyDelete