Gordon Ramsay's Secret To Flavorful Pork Chops Is This Classic Steak Technique

Pork chops are among the most well-liked pork cuts among shoppers largely due to their versatility and naturally mild flavor. While most know that the best way to amp things up beforehand is by brining thick pork chops with salt or marinating thin pork chops in a delicious sauce, Gordon Ramsay says one of the best ways to perfect your take on the meat is by treating it the same way you would treat a steak; by searing and basting it in a pan on the stove.

There are plenty of differences between a pork chop and a beef steak, but when it comes to the method you use while cooking them Ramsay opts to do essentially the same thing. The renowned chef revealed this in a YouTube video detailing his Shake And Bake Pork Chop recipe, which includes him breading the bone-in pork with mayonnaise, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, dried oregano, salt, pepper, and thyme. Ramsay first shallow-fries the pork chop in oil, keeping the heat low enough to avoid burning the breadcrumbs while allowing the pork to sear. From there, he adds some butter to the pan, lets it melt, and bastes it onto the meat as it continues to cook through.

Gordon Ramsay finds the sear and baste method works well for pork chops when done correctly. Proper technique includes ensuring the butter is melted and frothing in the pan, which impacts the meat's flavor and also how it cooks. "As that butter starts to froth, it creates this really nice nutty, brown flavor," Ramsay explained in the video. "As that butter froths and foams it really does help cook the pork." This is in large part because the butter that you're spooning on top of the pork is cooking the meat from all angles, which means the pork chops are cooking quicker.

Speaking of which, for those worried that the sear and baste method will lead to overcooking (a common fear when it comes to lean meat like pork chops), breading the pork chops will help to prevent that from happening to some degree. Ramsay says the breadcrumbs are able to protect the pork from direct heat, which helps prevent the meat from cooking unevenly or drying out. However, the chef also notes that you shouldn't cook your chops for too long. While different types of pork chops don't cook the same, Ramsay finds that two minutes per side does the trick for bone-in, breaded pork chops.