I’ve been struggling to pick out the perfect pork chop lately.
In the past, I’ve always eaten thick-cut, boneless pork chops—but those tend to dry out quickly. It’s nice to know you only need to cook pork to an internal temperature of around 145 degrees now, effectively making dry pork chops non-existent…but still. Those thick-cut buggers can sometimes taste like the Sahara desert.
Last time I went to the grocery store, I bought the thin, T-bone pork chops. They were good and tender, but I don’t like eating around bones. A few bone shards came out in my mouth and that was very unappetizing.
I’ve tried boneless sirloin pork chops, but they have a weird farm-y taste to them. These were tender too, but that taste was weird.
The best pork chop I’ve found so far was a thin-cut boneless pork chop that my market labels as a “breakfast” pork chop. They have a wonderful taste, are thin so they don’t dry out quickly, and bone-shard-less.
In this installment of Squash September, I don’t *technically* cook with squash—I just use it as an accompaniment to a lightly fried pork chop. Still, I think this fits the bill perfectly for our squash-a-palooza. I found this great jar of a locally made pumpkin butter at Crest and just had to use it.
This main dish reeks of fall, seasonal food. The pecan-crusted pork was nutty & earthy, and dipping each bite in a dollop of pumpkin butter gave the pork a next-level flavor of sweetness. Pro-tip: the thinner the pork chop, THE BETTER! That makes frying these lightly breaded slices of meat much easier, and faster.
Pecan-Crusted Pork Chops with Pumpkin Butter
Thin-cut pork chops lightly breaded with pecans and served alongside creamy pumpkin butter.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 4 boneless pork chops
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3 TBS. vegetable oil
- 1 cup pumpkin butter
Directions
- In a food processor, pulse the pecans and breadcrumbs until a fine crumb forms. Transfer to a shallow bowl.
- Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Dredge pork in flour, then dip pork in egg. Press pork chops in the pecan-breadcrumb mixture until well-coated.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pork chops and fry on one side for 2-3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes.
- Serve pork alongside the pumpkin butter.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Pulse breadcrumbs and pecans in a food processor until a fine crumb forms. Transfer to a shallow bowl.
Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Dredge pork in flour, then dip in the egg, and finally press pork into the pecan mixture, making sure both sides are well coated.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Fry pork for 2-3 minutes and then flip. Continue cooking for 3-4 minutes or until pork is done.
Serve pork alongside pumpkin butter. Enjoy!
