HOW TO COOK THIN PORK LOIN CHOPS RECIPES

Steps:

• Prepare the brine: In a nonreactive large bowl or large deep baking dish, combine salt, sugar, bay leaves, coriander, peppercorns and allspice. Stir in 8 cups cold water to dissolve salt and sugar.
• Add pork chops to brine, making sure they are well submerged, and refrigerate. Leave chops in brine for 1 to 2 hours. Remove from brine, pat dry and bring to room temperature. Discard brine.
• Make the dressing for the herb salad: Whisk together lemon juice, zest and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Put 2 large cast-iron skillets over medium-high heat and film each pan lightly with oil. (Alternatively, use a large cast-iron griddle or ridged stovetop grill.) When oil is hot, add chops in one layer without crowding.
• Cook for about 4 minutes, until chops are nicely browned, then turn and cook for about 3 minutes more, until firm to the touch. Transfer to a warm platter.
• Put herb salad leaves in a shallow bowl and season lightly with salt. Toss leaves with half the dressing, just to coat. Place dressed salad on top of pork chops. Drizzle remaining dressing over the top, add shavings of pecorino cheese (if using), and serve.

Steps:

• 1. Place the pork chops, skin-side down, on a chopping board. Carefully run a sharp knife along the edge of the chops, removing the skin and leaving a thin layer of pork fat on the chop. (You could ask your butcher to do this for you.) Set aside.
  2. To make the marinade, pick and finely chop the rosemary leaves and most of the sage leaves, then lightly crush the unpeeled garlic cloves with the palm of your hand. Tip into a bowl and mix with 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Rub the marinade into the pork chops, then cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or preferably overnight.
  3. When you’re ready to cook your pork chops, slice the pork skin into 1cm-thick lardons and place in a large frying pan on a medium heat. Fry the lardons, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until golden and crisp. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.
  4. With a sharp knife, lightly score the pork fat on the chops and place one on top of the other. Place the pan back on a medium-high heat, then use tongs to hold the chops fat-side down in the pan and sear for 3 to 4 minutes, until the fat has started to render.
  5. Lay the chops down flat in the pan, throwing in the garlic too, and cook for 7 minutes, turning every minute or so and basting with the lovely pan juices, until browned and cooked through.
  6. With 2 minutes of the pork cooking time left to go, quarter and core the pears, then nestle them into the pan alongside the chops and poke in the remaining sage leaves and cook for 1 minute.
  7. Remove the pork to a board to rest, then reduce the temperature to medium-low and leave the pears to caramelise for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
  8. Slice the pork off the bone and carve into slices and squeeze the garlic from their skins. Serve with the caramelised pear, crispy sage, a little crispy crackling, your favourite style potatoes (I like hasselback) and some seasonal greens.