Description
Cut from the center of the loin on whole Berkshire cross carcasses we take in from a family farm outside Lockhart. We break the loin down every Tuesday and Friday and cut the chops at a full inch and a quarter, which is thicker than most people expect. Bone in keeps more juice in the meat and gives you something to hold. Boneless is easier to slice for a crowd and takes a marinade faster.
Salt them the night before if you can, uncovered in the fridge, and let them sit out for half an hour before they hit heat. Sear hard in a heavy pan, then drop the heat and finish with butter and thyme spooned over the top. Pull them at 140F and rest five minutes, they will carry to 145F on the board.
Specification
- Breed: Berkshire cross, Lockhart, Central Texas
- Feed: milled corn and barley, no growth promotants
- Cut: center loin, 1.25 in thick
- Trim: fat cap left at a quarter inch
- Sold by: the pound, cut to order
Cooking
Cast iron over medium high, three minutes a side, then finish in a 375F oven if the chop is over an inch and a half. Target 145F internal, rested.
Storage
Keep at the back of the fridge and use within three days. They freeze well for two months if you wrap them tight and get the air out, though the texture softens slightly on thaw.
Marissa T. (verified owner) –
Bought the two pound bone in for a Saturday dinner and got two chops that were genuinely an inch and a quarter. Salted them overnight like the page says. Best pork I have cooked at home in years.
Dana R. (verified owner) –
The counter guy told me to pull at 140 and rest. He was right and I have been overcooking pork my whole life. Ordered three pounds this time.
J. Okafor (verified owner) –
Good chops, real flavour, not the washed out supermarket thing. I would have liked a little more fat cap left on the boneless. Still coming back for the bone in.