Tender Baked Pork Chops

Do you ever get a bit nostalgic thinking about food as a child. Maybe some of your favorite meals shared with family. Or maybe even the food you had to choke down before you could leave the dinner table.

For a long time, I wouldn’t be caught dead with pork chops in my grocery cart. Not one thing was appealing to me about them. This is one of the not so great, nostalgic memories I have about food. I always remember my dad heading out to the grill to throw on some pork chops.

Bless his heart, but they were the worst. And if you know my dad, you know he’s generally a pretty bomb cook. Just not when it came to pork chops. I remember them as super tough, dry and tasteless. There was not enough barbeque or ketchup in the world to make them juicy.

So for many years, I avoided pork chops. When it came to pork, I opted for tenderloin or roasts, versions I liked as a kid.  Just don’t get me started on the ham steak. Ugghhh.

Well anyways, the hubby is a meat guy. Mostly a red meat guy, but a meat guy nonetheless. Shortly after we got married, he requested pork chops. You can imagine the eye roll I gave him.

NOT THE DREADED PORK CHOPS!!

But the guy doesn’t ask for much. I could at least give the pork chops a try, right?! Not like I couldn’t heat myself up something separate should they backfire. So there I was. Giving pork chops a second chance.

I did pick up a few cooking skills in college. Believe it or not, you have to take cooking classes in college to become a dietitian. So I did learn some of the science behind cooking, which I needed for these chops. I knew I would need to brine these babies to make them tolerable. Brining meat actually changes the cell structure of the meat. But I’m not hear to get into the science. Just know that bringing will help make the meat tender and juicy.  How else can you make Tender Baked Pork Chops?

So I was off to a pretty promising start. Another way to help lock in the juices, is to sear the meat. It doesn’t take much, just a couple of minutes per side. Furthermore, it provides a really nice color to the meat, which you don’t get from the baking piece of it. Without the searing, the pork looks kind of pale and unappetizing.

After searing, the chops can be transferred to a baking dish for the final step. I’d say this is close to the most important step. Cook them low and slow. Most times, when we cook pork, we cook it at high temps. Pork, and pork chops in particular, cook up pretty fast. However, pork only needs an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Typically, when we cook at high temperature, we over cook the pork. This leaves it dry and tough. As with my dad’s pork chops, grilling is a high temperature cooking method.

While I recommend cooking low and slow, I emphasize the word slow. This will not be a fast cooking process, so try it when you aren’t rushed.  I put them in the oven, covered on the lowest bake setting, which happens to be 170 degrees. As they bake, periodically check the internal temperature. It should take about 1 1/2-2 hours to get up to temperature. Just be patient.  They are worth the wait!  You don’t want your Tender Bake Pork Chops to turn into Tough Dry Pork Chops!

When they finally temp out, allow them to rest for 5-10 minutes. Then, serve them with your favorite sides. I like cauliflowered mashed potatoes, potato wedges or  mac and cheese.

So as per usual, get baking! Throwing this together for your family this week? Be sure to let me know by tagging a photo #stephanieleenutrition on Instagram. I’d love to see what you all bake up. .Happy eating!

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