Pan Seared Pork Chops

I suddenly seem to find myself on a bit of a pork kick. Right in the thick of “The Stay Home, Stay Safe” order I find myself struggling for ideas……so I let the store decide. I limit my trips and stock up on what’s on sale. This gets me out of my food rut and saves money! Ok….back to the kitchen….

Here's What You'll Need:

• Pork Chops - (This recipe is for 3 pork chops)

• Coconut Aminos - 3 TBSP (For Marinade)

• Olive Oil - 4 TBSP

• Bacon Fat - 4 TBSP (or AIP lard of choice)

• Cilantro Garlic Sauce - 3 TBSP

Pork Chops can be extremely simple but VERY easy to overcook. The internal temp only needs to reach 145 degrees and anything beyond that just dries them out. So here's what you’ll do. I start off by marinating these in coconut aminos first thing in the morning. Throughout the day, I would give these a nice shake and turn over my glass container, but a sealed ziplock works too ( I just try to avoid plastic as much as possible, save the turtles! ) If you want to start the marinating the night before, even better!

Once you’re ready to cook. I grab a medium sized pan and start off with a combo of olive oil and fat. ( I use bacon fat saved from my morning breakfast, sugar free, no fillers, straight from the butcher!) If you don’t have an AIP fat or lard, just olive oil is fine. I have 3 pork chops in a medium sized pan and you want enough oil to give a small layer at the bottom. Get the oil going over a medium heat, you want the pork chops to give a nice sizzle when you place them in the pan. Now, here comes the secret sauce…remember my Cilantro Garlic Sauce go ahead and scoop two large spoonfuls into the pan. Give the pork chops a good wiggle in the pan so the sauce can coat everything. Next you’re going to scoot your pork chops to one side of the pan and tilt the pan ever so slightly so that all the sauce runs to one side, grab a spoon. This mix should be VERY hot and I make sure the pan is placed so the heat concentrates under the sauce. Take your spoon and start scooping the sauce over the pork chops. This technique, called arroser, is going to lock in flavor and moisture, no one wants dry chops! You’ll do this step for a few minutes. *** If you don’t have my Cilantro Garlic Sauce on hand you can do this with herbs, salt and olive oil too! ***

After a few minutes of basting the pork chops go ahead and place the pan flat, give a little wiggle to the pork chops and place a lid on at a slight angle to vent. Let your pork chops continue to cook for the next 5 minutes, now flip! You can do another round of basting and then again cover and cook for another 8 minutes. At this point, depending on how big your pork chops are, you can give a temperature check. You want internal temp to be 145 degrees to insure the pork is cooked through. (This is NOT like steak, medium rare pork is a NO)

Once you're ready to eat, serve with your favorite sides! Shown here are basic mashed Sweet Potatoes and a kale salad with my Caesar Dressing.

Enjoy!