Brown Sugar & Thyme Pork Chops

What flavor does the grapeseed oil give the dish? Can I substitute with olive or vegetable oil?

We usually use grapeseed oil because it is neutral in flavor and has a high smoking point. Other neutral-tasting oils or olive oil can be used, if desired. Cheers!

Thank you for answering! What difference does it make to sear something in oil versus butter?

Just curious, have you watched the pan frying lesson? Some of this information is covered in that lesson. Cheers!

I watched it a while ago. I guess it's time for a review.... :)

Ah yes, it's funny how we all (including myself) need a refresher sometimes :-) Sometimes it's not until we watch a lesson a few times that we pick up all of the different things that were talked about. Cheers!

I guess that goes to prove the axiom that you never stop learning until you die, and even then it's questionable!

This was my first Rouxbe recipe to practice my pan frying and I am amazed at how good it was. The chops were perfectly cooked, juicy with a nice brown crust. With a heaping side of the Creamy Mashed Potatoes - to die for.

Can pork chops be tempered before cooking? I know you recommend this for premium steaks, but advise against it for chicken because it's a health issue. I haven't been able to find anything on the site about what you recommend for pork chops.

Indeed, tempering pork chops for a half an hour or so is a good idea. Cheers!

Is there some trick to telling if a package of pork chops will likely turn out tougher or more tender? I've been making pork chops using the pan frying technique. The first times were great. I marinated the pork chops both times before cooking, the first time using this marinade. This time I brined the pork chops. They were super tasty, but they were tough. I cooked them till they were still just a little pink inside. Not sure I would want to cook them much less. What should I keep in mind when I am shopping for pork? I'm pretty proud of myself though, tough pork notwithstanding. I made a brine based on 30 grams of salt to a quart of apple juice, added garlic, onion, a cinnamon stick, whole allspice berries, clove, and a few cardamom pods as well as peppercorns and a bay leaf. I boiled the brine and let it steep to infuse the flavors. Later, I brined the chops for 30 minutes. After panfrying, I made a pan sauce of shallot, white dry vermouth, homemade chicken stock, all reduced and mounted with butter to finish. The flavors were delicious. I was going to post this under the ingredients category of the forum, but was unable to start a new discussion. Maybe a glitch? Thanks!

Your brine and pan sauce sounds delicious Jeanne. My personal experience has been that I used to buy loin chops or double loin thinking I was buying the best because they were the most expensive. Now I only buy rib chops as they have lots more fat and flavour . I have some slow roasting in the oven right now after browning them, then browning onions, carrots and garlic, adding some flour and deglazing with white wine and homemade chicken stock. My husband fast fries them and also barbecues them with great success.

Thanks, Liz, it was good. I'm going to take a closer look at the pork chops in the market and see what's available. These were called center cut loin pork chops, boneless, like in the video, regular thickness, not super thin, but not thick cut either.

I can't seem to find a grocery store that carries cumin seeds. Can I use a little ground cumin for the marinade, or will that mess up the recipe? Thanks, Michelle

You could use a bit of cumin powder. But next time you see cumin seeds be sure to pick some up as using the whole seed rather than powdered does make a difference, especially when cooking certain dishes. Cheers!

I picked up a whole pork loin yesterday at my local grocery store. I was hoping watch a Rouxbe video on how to break down that cut of meat, however had to restort to youtube. After breaking it down, I dove into this recipe, and it turned out amazing. I really enjoyed this dish, full of flavor, the shops were nice and moist, and it was amazing simply to make

Looking forward to trying this recipe tonight and saw the recommendation for a pan sauce at the end. I'd like to try that too, but am looking for some suggestions on a good, complimentary sauce.. ...was thinking similar to that used in the chicken marsala, but with white wine instead of marsala? What do ya'll think??

Sounds like you are/were on the right track. For more recommendations, you may want to check out the lesson on Pan Sauces. Experimenting with different acids and flavor combinations is where cooking becomes fun. Cheers!

My second recipe made and another big hit. They came out great, so juicy and flavorful. This is going on my favorites list.

I tried this recipe last night and the chops turned out great! The marinade worked perfectly and they were tasty and moist. I noticed that the Medium-High to Medium heat ended up burning the sucs in the bottom of the pan. Could this be because I didn't wipe off enough of the marinade when I patted the chops dry? I cook chicken in the same pan, the same way (with grapeseed oil), and the sucs normally turn out perfect. I ended up making a pan sauce with the juices from the chops after they rested and it turned out wonderful. Just wondering what I could do next time to use the sucs for the sauce.

Hello- First, great news on the chops! I'm glad they worked out for you. Your description does seem to indicate that there may have been a bit of excess marinade. The brown sugar is sure to burn if too hot, so the combination of a bit too much sugar and the heat may have caused this. Next time, consider patting the chops dry and even let them sit on paper towel for a few minutes. If you see the coloration going from golden to brown to black (i.e. burnt) then reduce the heat and keep a close eye. If that doesn't work then try to finish the chops in a hot oven for a few minutes in a clean pan and then combine the contents of both pans to make the sauce (hopefully you'll have nice sucs in the initial pan if it didn't get too hot). I hope this helps! Enjoy.

I have not thought once about paying the dues once I really got into this site. The recipes here are elevated higher than what you find on the random cooking website or TV show's website. These pork chops were a delight! They were sweet, moist and quite tender! Usually when I sauté pork chops, they're dry, this definitely wasn't the case! I didn't have cumin seeds, so I did use cumin powder. I am going to try the seeds the next time--I'm sure it'll give a pinch more depth. Thanks again!

Hi Jesse- Thank you for the kind words about Rouxbe. Cumin seeds are very inexpensive and they will certainly add more depth than ground seed, especially if the ground seeds were not ground fresh in the first place. Let us know when you try the recipe again, we look forward to hearing about another success. Enjoy!

I will pick up cumin seeds in future. due to severe weather conditions I need to use what I have in pantry today. how much cumin powder could I use . also how much dried thyme could I use as I do not have any fresh thyme today? would these substitutes make a drastic difference?

Hi Liliane- Use slightly less ground cumin and about half as much dried thyme. That is a good starting point- but the only way to really know is to prepare the dish. Add a bit more of each if you feel it needs it.... but anytime you change a recipe you have to use your best judgement and rely on a bit of trial and error. Good luck!

Should I be checking internal temperature of pork chop when done? and if so what would ideal internal temperature be?

No, you do not need to check the internal temperature. For most folks, they prefer their pork chops a bit pink on the inside; however this is really up to you. To test—once you think they are done, or close to being done—make a small cut into the thickest chop too see how it looks. Hope that helps. Cheers!

Can I bake this in the oven and if so what temperature and how long? I would be worried about the sugar burning.thank u.

can i bake this in the oven?

how many grams is the pork chops in total

Hi Jack- Yes, you can bake them. Both saute and baking are dry heat cooking methods. You could also grill them. Most important is to cook to 145 F internal temperature. 450 F oven temperature.

28.35 g = 1 wt. oz, 28.35 g X 6 wt. oz.= 170.1 g, 170 g X 4 = 680 g total pork

how long to bake is reccomended?i dont want the pork chops try dry out.thank you.

Hi Riaz- After preheating to 450F, roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until the thermometer reads between 135 -140 F. Make sure to rest for 5-7 minutes. Carry-over cooking will bring them to temperature.

Hello rouxbe I want to add cider vinegar as a finishing touch after roasting instead of using as a marinade. How much should I use as if I used it as a marinade it would reduce in the oven. I'm trying to figure how much to add when finishing cooking instead of marinade? Thank u.

Hi Amy- Great question. The three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in the marinade gives the dish balanced acidity. That said, you are thinking about acid as something you can add in layers after cooking. I suggest to drizzle of 1/2 teaspoon to start. Then add to taste. For reference, a medium lemon gives you about 3+ teaspoons of juice, which is commonly squeezed on proteins (such as lamb, chicken and fish) to brighten up flavor and balance the natural fats. Enjoy! Demetra