There’s nothing wild happening today—just some classic flavors: pork, apple, mustard, all piled into a delicious heap. There are a couple of tips to make a good weeknight pork chop—one, which I think I’ve stolen from Jamie Oliver, and a fresh apple salad that’s a fun alternative to apple sauce.
Delicious served with something mashed, like parsnip, celeriac, or the good ol’ potato. (Note: My brother makes THE BEST mashed potatoes ever, the golden ratio is equal parts potato, butter, and cream. Beware, you’ll hate how good it is.)
Pork chop tips:
A pork loin chop can, if you haven’t cooked it before, be a little intimidating.
The meat near the bone needs enough heat and time so that it’s not raw. Meanwhile, the lean loin section requires a quick, hot sear so it doesn’t overcook and dry out. And then there’s the fat and skin, which if not rendered, gets all flabby.
So, what we want to achieve is a juicy pork chop that’s cooked all the way through (I personally don’t mind medium-rare pork, but not here), with caramelised fat and crispy crackling skin.
Try to get a pork chop that’s around 2cm thick. Of course, the best ones come from a butcher but the ones below were just from my local supermarket. Buy what you can afford and what’s available to you.
Next, you’ll have to do some minor butchery. Pick your sharpest knife and make sure to call everyone in the vicinity ‘love’ while you’re at it. Slice off the outer layer of fat and skin from the chop, lay it skin-side down on the cutting board, and score the fat—more on that below. You’ll start these pieces in a cold pan and bring them up to temperature slowly, rendering out the fat and starting the crackling process. Bonus: the rendered fat is perfect for frying the chops.
The chops are then fried using the 6-3-3 method, six minutes on one side, 3 minutes on the other, and 3 minutes resting time. This gives you juicy pork with a caramelised outside.
Pork chops with fresh apple salad
Ingredients
2 pork loin chops (around 200g each)
1 Tablespoon cooking oil
Salt
Fresh apple salad
½ lemon, finely grated zest and juice
1 Tablespoon wholegrain mustard
1 Tablespoon of good olive oil
5 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
1 crunchy tart apple (like a granny smith or Braeburn - I used half of each cause I had them and why not?)
Handful of parsley, leaves picked
Salt and pepper




Start by making your apple salad to give it time to ‘mingle’. In a medium bowl, mix the lemon zest, juice, mustard, olive oil, thyme, and a pinch of salt and pepper. This is your dressing.
Slice the apples thinly into rounds, then stack and slice into matchsticks. Immediately toss the apple into the lemon dressing to keep it from browning. Don’t mix in the parsley yet—save that for the last minute to keep it fresh.


Place your pork chops onto a chopping board. Using a sharp knife, remove the skin and some of the excess fat from your chop. Cut each piece in half and place skin side down on your board. Make a cross hatch pattern with your knife into the fat. This will help render the fat out for frying the pork chops in and making super crispy crackling strips.
Season the pork chops generously with salt on both sides.


Add 1 Tablespoon of oil to a cold pan, big enough to fit both pork chops, and place your pork fat into the pan, cross-hatch side down.
Turn your pan onto medium heat. Once the oil is hot and the pork fat is starting to brown, flip them to the skin side and move to the outside of the pan (be careful, they may crack and spit a little).
Add your pork chops and press down so the pork is in direct contact with the pan. Leave them here, don’t touch, for six minutes.
Keep an eye on the pork fat, flipping and moving it around as needed. Once it’s crisp, brown, and looks like crackling, remove it from the pan.
Flip the pork chops and cook for another 3 minutes. If you’re feeling brave, tilt the pan and, using a spoon, scoop up the rendered pork fat and pour over the pork chop to baste it a couple of times.
Once done, transfer them to a plate and let them rest for 3 minutes.




To serve, place the pork chops onto a plate with any of their resting juices. Toss the parsley into the apple salad, give it a final mix, and spoon it over the pork. Add your pieces of crackling and a wedge of lemon.
Here are two more examples of a simple pork chop with starch and a salad, plated in a fun way. Interestingly both with puntarelle which I haven’t seen in NZ. Endive is a good substitute. This pork chop, puntarelle and polenta or this pork chop, puntarelle and potato.
The actual BEST way to ensure your pork isn’t dry is to brine it. This does take some forethought and prior prep but if you have the time, it’s totally worth it. This recipe is a simple all-purpose starter brine. It makes heaps (3L!) so half the recipe at a minimum.
Phew, I think I’m at my pork chat limit, so I guess…
That’s it, that’s all.
Rosie