Blackened Pork Loin CHOPS! Fried and Baked!

I have seen a lot of pork lately.  Back a few years ago, it was advertised as the "other white meat".  Indeed, chickens have their place, but amongst BBQers, a great hunk of pork is not just other, it is a favorite!


Since I am without a grill, or a smoker for a few months, time to use my next favorite cooking method... Blackening!


 Blackened is a cooking method, made popular by Paul Prudhomme.  Here are a couple of myths (LIES, damn LIES I tell ya) about blackening...


Myth #1, Blackening is NOT a seasoning.  If you order food blackened from a restaurant, and all they do is sprinkle Cajun spices on it, you are being ripped off.  Blackening is a cooking method that uses Cajun spices.  But without applying the method, you are only getting fancy, spicy salt added to your food.


Myth #2, Blackening does not mean burnt.  Sure, it looks burnt, but the black crust comes from a combination of browned milk solids from the butter and charred spices.  The meat is not burnt at all.  The spices and butter form a crust that is charred.


OK, that is what it is not, here is what it is...

  
A week ago, I found a great price on a HUGE Pork loin.  This is just 1/4 of that loin.  I have already cooked one section, and I have 1/2 of the loin still in the freezer.  Anyway, I took 1/4 of the loin out of the freezer, and allowed it to thaw overnight in the fridge.  I sliced into chops, about 1 1/2 inch thick.

Butter....


Butter Butter Butter Butter BUTTER!  One TBS per chop.  Melt 4 TBS in an aluminum easy clean skillet.

Add the seasonings (1 rounded tsp per TBS of butter).  I make my own.  It is easy and cheaper.  On my sister blog, A KANSAS FOODIE IN ST THOMAS, I recently posted my recipe for making my own Cajun Rub (Blackening seasonings).  Click HERE to find that recipe.  I use a lot of this rub, and it is cheaper for me to make a batch to last a couple months.  There are plenty of very good commercial blends you can buy.  Try Paul Prudhomme's.  But, also by making your own, you can make a low salt or no salt (my preference) version.  You get plenty of salt in your diet as it is.

   
OK... Time to fry up your chops (briefly).  First, crank the heat up.  You want the butter just short of burning. My stove is electric.  I can set my burners from 1 to 9... I set mine at 8.


You will see the butter starting to smoke a little.  That is GREAT!  Pop the chops in for 2 minutes.

Flip em over and cook another 2 minutes... Notice the smoke starting to increase.


Now, if I were making thin chops, I would continue to cook on the stovetop.  these were very thick, so I am going to finish in the oven.  Insert a meat thermometer in the thickest part...

350 degrees.  BUT, do not overcook.  best to cook by temperature.  One more "can not live without item" is my remote prob thermometer/timer.  Just insert the probe into the thickest part of the meat and wait till you hit the correct temperature... In this case, 155 degrees.  It took about 30 minutes.





MOIST... not burnt.  Filled with Cajun flavors, but not fiery pepper HOT.  I love Blackened fish, steaks and especially chops!

Served this up with a little left over Bow tie past spinach salad (terriyaki dressing) and it was fabulous)!





And if you read my sister site, A KANSAS FOODIE IN ST THOMAS today, you will see a similar use for the Cajun Rub, make a Blackened Tilapia!

Prices for those remote thermometers have taken a huge price drop recently.. I like the one that has a timer built in...

And since I bought mine, they even come wireless so you don;t have to trudge out to check the grill...

All for less than $25!!!  Incredible!

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