Pork Chop

Jose Bengoa, Yolanda Bolivar, and Gabriel Antunez, the BBQ Freaks of San Juan, Puerto Rico developed this easy method for infusing a sweet clove and nutmeg accent into your next back of pork chops. Finished with a tamarind glaze, these chops will likely be unlike any your guests have tried before. You can buy tamarind pulp at health food stores and in Asian, Hispanic, and Indian food stores. We advise throwing in a few extra chops for guests who will want seconds. For a variation, try grilling the brined chops over charcoal or gas, followed by smoking at 250°F for 25 to 30 minutes.

Sautéing is another fast way to make a meal, especially when the pan juices are turned into a sweet and savory sauce, as they are here. This comforting dish features an array of autumn ingredients—apples, fennel, and sweet potatoes—roasted in the oven to caramelize lightly and bring their sugars to the forefront. The sauce, which mingles apple cider with the meaty browned bits in the skillet, is sharpened with a bit of Dijon mustard to balance the sweetness.

November weeknights are for simple pan-seared pork chops and roasted squash.

"Pineapple is great for marinades; it lends amazing sweet-and-sour flavor and contains enzymes that help tenderize the meat." —Alison Roman, assistant food editor

This flavorful lemongrass marinade is pretty common in Vietnam, where it's used on thin pork chops that are quickly grilled over a hot fire. Because the marinade has a lot of sugar, grilling the meat is the only way to go. If you try to pan-fry the pork chops, the sugar will burn before the meat is cooked through. These chops are best grilled over a two-zone fire. Start the meat on the hot side of the grill, which will sear the meat and begin to caramelize the sugar in the marinade, then move them to the cooler side to cook them through. The combination of salty and sweet is pretty irresistible, and the hand-chopped lemongrass adds fragrance and texture. I like to serve the pork with bowls of rice or vermicelli noodles. Use the best pork you can get, and don't trim off all of the fat. It helps baste the chops as they cook.

Toss the season's first ripe peaches into a tangy relish to spoon over smoky grilled pork chops for the first official day of summer.

Who says pigs can't fly? Take a few boneless pork chops, add some bacon and a little creativity, and Pig Wings are on the menu! The bacon adds great flavor and keeps the loin meat from getting dry. These look delicious and are a little unusual, so they make a fabulous smoked appetizer with barbecue sauce for dipping. The kids will love them.

A quick Dijon-herb mixture serves as both a marinade for the grilled pork and a tart dressing for the bean salad.

When orzo, rice-shaped pasta, is cooked like risotto, it becomes soft and creamy. It’s a wonderful foil for pork, as well as chicken or seafood, and you can change the seasonings to match the protein. A drizzle of herby vinaigrette over the pork and orzo gives an extra zing of flavor.

This is a simple, straightforward secondo whose flavor is 100 percent dependent on the quality of the pork you use. We use pork from heritage pigs, such as Berkshire and Red Wattle, which are the most moist and more flavorful than the pork you find at a conventional grocery store. Berkshire, also known as Kurobuta pork, is the variety most available to the consumer. You can get such pork at some butchers, at high-end grocery stores, and also by mail order from online sources. I guarantee you will find the difference in flavor worth the effort it takes to get it.

An Old World comfort dish without the work, these pork chops pair nicely with whole-grain noodles and steamed brussels sprouts.

Enjoy a delicious island meal by making your own fragrant jerk seasoning to flavor grilled or broiled pork chops.

No more dry pork chops! Just “sandwich” the chops between layers of dressing and bake, leaving them tender and moist. Serve with green beans tossed with lemon zest.

Marjoram, an aromatic herb that tastes like a mild version of oregano, is the key ingredient in the rub that makes these grilled pork chops so tasty.

Do you suffer the old internal temperature anxiety around pork chops? When is pork really done? Is it safe? The other white meat should really be the pale pink meat because once it goes white, it’s too late for anything but lots of gravy. The pork guys say 160°F (and that’s a lot lower than they used to say). The restaurant guys say pull pork out of the heat at 135°F. We tend to go with 140°F, and it seems to work. To tame the chewy chops, you should brine first. Then be bold enough to stay in the pink. Once out of the brine, the chops must be patted dry or you won’t get any crust. Wet chops look steamed. For the restaurant hot salamander sear, give lean pork chops a little oil massage to encourage browning under a hot broiler.

In my opinion there is no better accompaniment to pork than pork. I’m shamelessly infatuated with this versatile meat and use it often, not only as the key player but also as a seasoning. In this dish it’s both—the chop is the star and the bacon supports it, echoing the great pork flavor. Brining adds an additional layer of flavor, both sweet and salty, while also tenderizing the meat, making for an extra-juicy chop. Catalan romesco is one of my favorite condiments. Made from roasted tomatoes, ancho chiles, nuts, garlic, olive oil, and fried bread, this spicy sauce is delicious on grilled fish, fried tetilla cheese, roasted leeks and onions—I don’t know where to stop. . . .

Cherries and mustard may sound like an unusual pairing, but they taste great together. Sweet, tart, and hot, this sauce goes well with chicken and veal as well as pork.