Unexpected Ingredients You Never Thought To Use With Pork Chops

Pork chops are hardly the easiest dish for a home chef to tackle. If your pork chops lack that juicy consistency so many people love, you are certainly not alone. During a Haligonia interview with "Iron Chef America" champion, Madison Cowan, one journalist confessed: "I've stayed away from cooking pork chops for quite some time since they always seem to end up dry and blah." Luckily, Cowan stepped in and offered some simple advice. The chef suggested cooking the chops until they reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit and then letting them sit on the counter for about three minutes. Apparently, the results were fantastic.

While Cowan's advice could be a total game-changer for folks hoping to make juicier chops, she is far from being the only chef who can help you improve your pork game. Several other culinary professionals recommend adding secret ingredients to pork chops as a way of maximizing their flavor. From bourbon to honey marinades, some of these unusual combinations could very well blow your mind. 

You don't have to cook your pork chops in spirits to improve their flavor. Sometimes, a simple but high-quality ingredient can make all the difference. For Food & Wine culinary director Jason Chapple, that ingredient is Kosher salt. As reported by Food & Wine, Chapple adds a rub to his pork chops before he even touches the stove. His seasoning of choice is a flavorful blend of black pepper and Kosher salt, which he spreads all over the meat.  

Here, the choice of Kosher salt – arguably the only salt you'll ever need — rather than regular table salt, is particularly significant. Unlike the salt you can find in most shakers, Kosher salt has only been moderately processed. In terms of composition, this means Kosher salt comes in larger pieces than its more refined alternative. Its crystals aren't smooth like table salt, and they also have a much less intense flavor. This unique structure is what makes Kosher salt ideal for adding flavor to your pork chops.

Although salt and pepper work together to make a great dry rub, you might want to spice up your seasoning with a few more ingredients. This smoky dry rub incorporates Chapple's two key ingredients and builds on them to create something more flavorful. By throwing in some stronger spices, like smoked paprika and a dash of cayenne, to a basic Kosher salt and pepper seasoning, your pork chops will be taken to new heights.

Sometimes, the thing your food really needs is a delicious side. The way "Top Chef" contestant Carla Hall sees it, a side of salty, sweet, and tangy pickles can do wonders for a fresh plate of savory pork chops. As Hall noted in an interview with The Fresh Market, some of the best pork chops she ever ate were prepared by a member of her family. "I really loved ... my grandmother's smothered pork chops. She cooked them 'low and slow' so by the time we ate them, they would just fall apart," Hall recalled. 

Apparently, one of the factors that made her grandmother's pork chops so delicious was the side of pickles that always accompanied the meat. "We always had pickles on the table," Hall said. According to the chef, the reason these brine-soaked cucumbers combine so well with pork relates to their vinegar component. "If you look in my fridge, I always have pickles and vinegars because they add balance and cut through rich food," she explained.

To take chef Hall's advice and make the perfect pork chop side, you could prepare your own vegetable pickles. While this idea might seem intimidating, the process itself is actually quite simple. To start out, make a brine of salt, vinegar, and water. Then, soak some fresh cucumbers in the liquid for up to one week. Once you have your homemade pickles, serve them alongside some thick, juicy pork chops.

Pork chops prepared with trout roe might sound like an unusual flavor combo. However, chef Andy Doubrava has even more pork preparation ideas hidden up his sleeve. In an interview with Flavors Unknown, Doubrava revealed there is another unexpected ingredient that he adds to his chops. "The curveballs in [our pork chop recipe], we have, like, we get really, really nice coriander seeds and pickle them," the chef said. "[This] gives it kind of a unique pop when you get one of the 10 coriander seeds that's in each dish."

According to BBC Good Food, these delicious seeds add a warmth and citrusy taste to your cooking. Pickling the coriander seeds gives them a new dimension and adds a sharpness alongside the citrus notes, which is perfect to cut through the meaty and savory richness of the pork chops.

If you want to give Doubrava's recipe a try, go ahead and pickle some coriander seeds at home. To do this, don't soak seeds in the same salty vinegar solution that is commonly used for other pickles. Instead, pickle your coriander in a brine made of vinegar and sugar. This will help to accentuate the seeds' citrusy taste, rather than overpowering it.

It's easy to fall into a cooking routine — which unfortunately can leave home cooks making the same old recipes week after week. When it comes to pork chops, in particular, people don't always feel comfortable trying a new recipe. One piece for Haligonia even claims that eight out of 10 cooks only have three ways or fewer to prepare their pork chops. If these numbers are accurate, it would definitely be a shame, as this great cut of meat can be enjoyed in combination with many other flavors.

One such flavor is coffee, which is a favorite pork chop seasoning at Vibrato Grill Jazz restaurant in Los Angeles. In an interview with Today, Vibrato's chef Christopher Ennis explained how he incorporates this ingredient into his pork chops recipe. Apparently, the trick is to take a spoonful of ground coffee, mix it with citrus zest and thyme, then use the mixture as a dry rub. After that, Ennis refrains from adding any fancy sauces, as he wants these few, yet powerful, flavors to speak for themselves. "If there are three or four ingredients on a plate, I want you to be able to taste them all," the chef said. 

If you are a fan of Ennis' pork chops, you might want to try making some other recipes with coffee.

Honey is so versatile, pairing well with flavors ranging from blue cheese to lattes to red meat. As Canadian home cook, Arwen Snow, revealed in a chat with SaltWire's "The Food Dude," honey also makes a great marinade for pork chops. The reason for this is that honey can tenderize meat, leaving your final creation with a mouthwateringly succulent texture. 

To emulate Snow's honey-marinated pork, combine three simple ingredients: honey, olive oil, and garlic. Toss these components into a plastic bag, throw your raw pork chops inside, and let them bathe in the marinade for between two and four hours. By the time your chops are ready to cook, they should feel softer to the touch.

If you're interested in applying this technique to other types of meat, Snow says to go for it. The amateur cook told The Food Dude he has "alterations for [the marinade recipe] that are keyed into each kind of meat." When it comes to chicken, for example, he suggests adding a liberal amount of honey. "[My] chicken [marinade] tends to be more 'herby' too but I use much more honey," Snow explained. Rather than soaking your bird for hours, however, you should try marinating your chicken for only 30 minutes.