Pepper Pork Chop

It's been quite a while since I last featured a recipe in my blog. Today I share with you on how to do an awesome pepper pork chop.

We start with some nice pork steaks. I think best part of the pig for chops is the shoulder. The pork shoulder steaks pictured below were from Jaya Grocer (non-halal section). They were fresh, nicely cut and reasonably priced.

First, we brine the meat. Brining is soaking the meat in salt water. It is an important process in my recipe and unless we do it properly, the chops will not turn out as juicy and delicious. We prepare the brine solution with 3 tablespoons of salt in 3 cups of water. You can use any kind of salt - cooking salt, table salt or coarse sea salt. Immerse the meat in the salt water and keep it in the fridge for about 4 hours. It is important to keep the meat refrigerated during the entire brining process.

At the end of the 4 hours, remove the meat from the brine. After the brining, the meat is redder in colour and firmer in texture.

Do not wash the meat. Sprinkle ground black pepper on both sides of the meat. Then return the meat  into the fridge for another hour. This seasons the meat and allows it to dry.

After an hour, the meat is ready to cook. Pre-heat the oven to a temperature of 200 degrees Celsius.

In the mean time, heat up a wok or pan at medium flame. Put in a scoop of butter.

Lightly fry the meat in butter for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

Until it is like so.

The meat is then cooked in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.

The outcome is a gorgeous juicy chop.

This is a bottle of peppercorn sauce that Alan bought for me from Australia. It is fabulous and suitable for all kinds of meats and fish. We probably won't find it in Malaysia. You could use any other black pepper sauce to your liking.

We have the chops with some salads and fries. My wife loved the meal. It was the first time I had seen her finish such a big piece of meat.

The "secret" in this recipe is the brining. It provides the necessary moisture to the meat to make it juicy and succulent. The salt made it so flavourful, yet not the least salty. The recipe is simple and the reward is absolutely delicious. Enjoy.