Don’t Worry! Two Recipes Are Better Than One.
The next time I bake bone-in pork chops, I will definitely use the same two recipes in conjunction! Not only did the meat come out tender, the main recipe also included alternative seasonings and preparation methods to allow for customization.
Below are some links to more details, including photos:
My Story
When I saw at a supermarket that bone-in pork chops were on sale for $2.99 per pound, about 70% off, I had to buy some! Since I never cooked pork chops before, I had to find a recipe because the last thing I wanted to do was overcook them.
Inspiring Recipe
I found two recipes, How to Cook Bone-in Pork Chops from the Half-Scratched website, and Oven Baked Bone-in Pork Chops from the Recipe Teacher website. Both of them have the same ingredients for the basic recipe, but there were some differences in preparation and cooking methods, so I merged the two of them together!
First Try
With the pork chops already purchased, all I had to do was look in my kitchen for the rest of the ingredients.
Ingredients to Use
Referencing the article from the Half-Scratched website, I ended up using the following ingredients:
- 2 bone-in pork chops
- 2 teaspoons of brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
Steps to Prepare
Of the six steps in the instructions for the How to Cook Bone-in Pork Chops recipe, I swapped the order of Steps 1 and 2, slightly modified Step 2, and inserted a step after Step 5. Below are the results from combining ideas from both articles:
Step 2
- Patted the pork chops dry
- Mixed the spices and olive oil in a bag
- Added the pork chops in the bag and coated them with the mixed spices
- Placed the bag in the refrigerator for a little over 3 hours
After Step 5
- Broiled pork chops for 5 minutes after baking them for 25 minutes
Time to Eat
Here are the pork chops ready for tasting:
Recipe Rating
Below were the results of the recipe after the first try:
| Number of Ingredients | Effort (Low🤏, Medium🤏🤏, High🤏🤏🤏) | Cost per Serving (<$2💰, $2-5💰💰, >$5💰💰💰) | Taste (Not for me🤔, Trying Again🙂, Eating Regularly😋) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6️⃣ | 🤏 | 💰 | 🙂 |
The pork chops had a hint of sweetness from the sugar and paprika. The best part was that they were cooked, but not overcooked or tough.
Second Try
With so many spices to choose from, I wanted to add something that would give the pork chops a little kick.
Ingredients to Use
What I decided to add were two different kinds of chili powder, totaling 2 teaspoons, because there wasn’t enough in the first bottle.
Steps to Prepare
My goal was to repeat the process that I had taken in the first try. However, since I was trying to finish dinner earlier that evening, I marinated the pork chops for 1/2 an hour less than before, for a total of 2 1/2 hours. In addition, the meat required 30 minutes of baking time before it reached the desired temperature, an extra 5 minutes as compared to the previous attempt.
Time to Eat
With the addition of chili powder, I couldn’t wait to taste the pork chops!
Recipe Rating
Below are the results of the recipe from the second attempt:
| Number of Ingredients | Effort (Low🤏, Medium🤏🤏, High🤏🤏🤏) | Cost per Serving (<$2💰, $2-5💰💰, >$5💰💰💰) | Taste (Not for me🤔, Trying Again🙂, Eating Regularly😋) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7️⃣ | 🤏 | 💰 | 🙂 |
The pork chops came out with more flavor and spiciness, but less sweetness than before. Also, it was more tender than the first try.
On a side note, my husband enjoyed this dish with a spicy mayonnaise sauce that I served with an eggplant omelette. (More on that in a future post!)
Though I enjoyed the additional flavor of the chili powder, I missed the taste from the sugar that came through when I didn’t use it. Next time, I’ll try the following to see if it increases the sweetness level:
Continuous Improvement
- Replace the brown sugar with honey.
I had some hesitancy in purchasing pork chops before because all I could think of was them being overcooked, but luckily the price was so good that I had to take advantage of it. What this experience taught me was the following:
Lesson for Dumber Self
- Don’t be afraid to try something new!
What will you do now?
Next Step for You
- Try the recipe, How to Cook Bone-in Pork Chops, from the Half-Scratched website?
- Share your favorite recipe for bone-in pork chops?
- Read another post on this site? (Go to the menu at the top of the page.)