Crispy Cornmeal Pork Chops with some Carolina-style vinegar slaw and sea island red peas from Anson Mills. Be sure to have some pepper sauce handy.
Crispy Cornmeal Pork Chops is our simplification of a recipe in Sean Brock’s Heritage cookbook. The acid and bacteria in the buttermilk help to tenderize the pork and its fat binds the cornmeal coating to the meat. Use a good quality pasture raised pork for this recipe; factory pork will dry out due to the stress hormones in the flesh. Serves 4.
Ingredients:
4 good sized pork loin chops, with or without bone
1 c buttermilk, full fat preferred
1/2 c stone ground cornmeal*
3/4 t Kosher salt
1/4 t ground black pepper
Generous pinch of cayenne
Bacon fat and/or neutral oil for frying
Method: marinate the pork chops overnight in the buttermilk. Mix the cornmeal with spices, and *multiply the recipe if you need more for additional pork chops or if you run out. Heat a cast iron pan to sizzling with bacon fat, neutral oil or a mixture (I used half and half bacon fat and canola oil). Dredge the pork chops on all sides in the cornmeal mixture and transfer to the cast iron pan, without crowding. (You may need to cook in multiple batches.) Lower heat to medium-high so cornmeal doesn’t burn. Using a spatula to protect the coating, flip over the pork chops after 4 minutes (the cornmeal on the underside will be dark, but not black) and continue cooking.
I use a (tightly sealed) zip loc baggie to marinate the pork chops because it takes less room in the refrigerator.
The pork chops should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees, at which point the meat will no longer be pink but is still juicy. For thin chops, complete cooking in the pan. If the chops are thick, transfer to a 350 degree oven after frying and continue to cook 15-25 minutes until done. Serve with beans or black-eye peas, vinegar slaw and maybe some cornbread.
