Cook Pork Chops In This Flavorful Ingredient Once And You'll Never Go Back

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Pork chops are consistently among the most underrated cuts of meat. They often get a bad reputation because not everyone knows how to prepare them to be as delicious as possible. While the juiciest pork chops are made with the dry brine technique, the key to making them as flavorful as you can has to do with what you cook them in. Above all else, cooking pork chops using lard rather than butter or oil will absolutely revolutionize the dish and give you the best results imaginable if done correctly.

We discussed the use of lard with Jess Pryles, live-fire cooking expert and judge on the upcoming Food Network series "Pitmasters," who gave us some insight. "Lard is a great fat for cooking pork chops because it naturally complements the flavor of the meat," Pryles explained. "Since it's rendered pork fat, it adds richness without fighting the flavor of the pork, and it helps build a really good crust." She added that it works particularly well with pan-searing.

While lard is often unfairly maligned, it is truly one of the best things you can integrate into your pork chop recipe. In fact, Pryles even noted that her upcoming cookbook, "Prime Cuts: The Complete Guide to Choosing, Understanding, and Cooking Meat," features a recipe for making lard at home for use in such dishes. "It's a staple in my household and a great way to transform your trimmings into something amazing," she said.

Just because lard can be incredibly beneficial to pork chops doesn't mean it can't result in an undesirable outcome if it's misused. Lard may be the underrated fat that makes for unbeatable fried chicken, but for great pork chops, it's important to be conscious of how much lard you're using at once. "It's as simple as heating a spoonful in a cast iron or heavy skillet, then get to searing," Jess Pryles began. "The trick is quantity — you don't want to drown the meat in lard — you only need enough to coat the pan."

Furthermore, while using lard can result in incredibly flavorful pork chops, being conscious of your pan's temperature is absolutely crucial. "The smoke point of lard is mid-heat and nowhere near as hot as coconut, avocado, or peanut oils, so if you're trying to get a super high-heat sear, it's going to smoke on you," Pryles added. A lower smoke point is something to be cautious of when you use lard, tallow, and other animal fats, so it's in your best interest to keep the burners a bit lower when using it.